TOO MANY CLICKS 5

[filbbb]

It seems in UG the click count is going up on simple tasks a few examples:
Reposition component if I want to copy it I have 2 clicks (one to open the pull down and once to click copy) if i go to move object i can decide move or copy with a single click. Same function doubles the click count.

Same thing in the most used box in ug....point dialog box....2 clicks 2 get absolute / wcs / wcs of current part. Old ug had it in one click with no pull-down.

Windows removed most of the pull-down menus and went to single click buttons for all of their commonly used tasks like 10-15 years ago. Why is ug using pull-down instead of buttons?

Many many more examples can be given anyone else have a problem with pull-downs in ug?

I know it wont be in the next release of ug but i would really really consider removing ALL pull-downs in commonly used functions.


Thanks
Future carpel tunnel patient!

 

[JohnRBaker]

I hate to say this, but since your comments are being made based on what you're seeing in NX 8.5 and you've not indicated that you've had any exposure yet to NX 9.0 and the new UI implemented there, it would not be productive to respond in to much depth to some of your issues until you've seen NX 9.0 and used it for awhile. Some of the issues that you're now commenting on will be mute while I'm sure you'll have some new ones, so let's wait OK? However, that being said, there are some things which are just procedural in nature so I'll comment on at least those issues:

(0) I'll admit that this needs improvement but since it's based on an old dialog scheme which is slowing being replaced with the new 'Block Style' dialogs, it to will get reworked one of these days, so just bear with us.

(1) This has been addressed before:

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=345519

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=360794

(2) This is only a constraint when working in the Sketch 'Task' mode (BTW, this a common restriction for all 'task' modes, such as Assembly Sequencing, Studio Rendering, Realize Shape, anywhere you see a checkered-flag 'Finish Task' icon). If you use the more recently introduced 'Direct Sketch' approach, then the 'Window' option will be available while creating and editing a Sketch.

(3) That depends on what you're doing and when. For example, if the first file you open in a new session is a Drawing then NX will automatically start in Drafting. If it's a Part model, NX will start in Modeling. Also, if you use Drawing Templates to create a new Drawing of the model you're currently working on, you will automatically be placed in Drafting. However, since we are technically changing modules, that is checking in and out licenses on the license server, it was felt that simply changing from one Part file to another, say a Part Model to a Drawing file, that that would not be a good time to also be doing license management.

(4) I suspect that if we did allow this that we would be getting lots of complaints from people who were constantly moving Components in ways that they had no intensions of doing. That being said, even in NX 8.5, it only takes a single gesture, after selecting a Component, to bring up the move dialog which always defaults to 'Dynamic' so that if the Component is truly under-constrained it can be instantly moved. Just pick the Component and the 'Move' icon will be on the 'short-cut toolbar' that you see on your screen. BTW, if you go into the 'Assembly Constraints' function, even if you don't intend on assigning any constraints, you'll be free to move any Component you select that is under- or non-constrained without having to use any gesture other then simply picking and dragging your cursor.

(5) Simply go to the 'Utility' toolbar and you'll find an icon titled 'Simply Measure Drop-Down' where you will find FIVE of the most common measurement functions optimized to only one or two dialog items. These include 'Simple Distance', 'Simple Angle', 'Simple Length', 'Simple Radius' and 'Simply Diameter'. And if you don't like the 'drop-down' there's also a 'Measurement' toolbar with most of these some simplified measurement functions. Just toggle it ON.

(6) Have you looked at what you can do in terms of seeing the relationships between Components and Assembly Constraints using the 'Constraint Navigator' located on the next tab down from the 'Assembly Navigator' on the Resource Bar?

(7) Well since there are no more, or at least not nearly as many, Menu lists in NX 9.0, that's something that we'll need to wait on before hashing over, OK? But I can say this, the one place where it DOES make total sense to have an alphabetical list of ALL the commands inside of NX, that would be when you're using Customize to modify the content of the UI, for NX 10.0 there is just that, an full alphabetical listing of evey command in NX (along with a search field) when you open the Customize dialog.

(8) I'm sorry but NX DOES USE the standard engineering best practice (there's even an ASME standard covering this) when it comes to rounding numbers. I will admit that it's very likely that this was NOT how you were taught to round numbers in grade school but then I'll bet you weren't designing complex machinery in first or second grade either. And this is another topic which has been addressed on numerous occasions before:

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=197969

(9) In NX 9.0 there is now an option when creating a 'Radial' dimension to create a 'Hole Callout' instead, so once in the dialog with this option set, you simply select the hole and place the callout, 2 gestures per instance.

(10) Projected Views are based on a 'hinge line' which is not how one goes about defining so-called 'Isometric' or pictorial views. In this situation, you would simply place another 'Base' view which could be either the default Isometric or Trimetric view orientation or once placed you could edit the orientation of that new 'Base' view using 'Orient View Tool' found on the edit view dialog.

(11) Once a base view and any projected views have been placed on a Drawing, the Drawing is tagged as to having a certain scale, so if you wish to change what in essence would be the scale of the Drawing itself, then that is what you would do, select the Drawing view itself and change the scale there. Granted, you can 'override' the scale of one or more views on a Drawing sheet, but if you wanted to change them all, then you really should be changing the scale of the Drawing and NOT the individual views themselves, even if you could have edited the base view and the projected views had changed, it would still be an incorrect workflow since when asked, the drawing scale would no longer be consistent with the scale of the views. You should only edit the scale of view for special cases and only when some but not all the views are being overridden.

(12) You do realize of course that if you've turned on the 'Positioning' 'By Constraints' Placement method that you would be given TWO 'windows', one showing the Assembly and the other showing your Component being added and that you would have been able to select the relevant references on both the Component and the Assembly to indicate where you wanted to place the Component. And there's also a preview option which will allow you to see the not-yet-fully-positioned part in the context of the Assembly while you're still defining the constraints.

(13) Trust me, YOU DO WANT TO UNDO PAST A SAVE since that save could have an impact other other people's work if they were referencing that same part (even if it was in read-only mode) and they had updated their sessions, which could incldude WAVE and other interpart references, between your Save operation and when you decided to perform your Undo and then they saved their work. This is a 'stone tablet' issue which will never change, PERIOD!

(14) Why are you surprised by this? Virtually all other Windows-based programs do the same thing. Try doing a 'Save-As' with Word or Excel. What exactly did you expect to happen?

Well, it looks like I did almost respond to every item on your list, not that I've given you help with all of them, but if you read what I've written and actually follow-up and look at the things which are relevant even with NX 8.5 and wait until NX 9.0 to further comment on some of the others, I think you will find the NX is a more usable tool than you seem be making it out to be.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Trent5791]

John,
Thanks for your response and thanks for being tolerant of my venting. Definitely some good info here. Given your responses, I am really looking forward to 9.0. I've heard that we are supposed to upgrade near the end of the year...super excited to see the ribbon toolbar.

 

[Toost]

(3) I would bet a few bucks on that the desired action as described by Trent5791 would be very high up on most users wishlist, IF this would be available as an option "automatically switch application depending on part yes/no" in the customer defaults it would be a decision that we could do and it would relieve Siemens from this heavy burden. :- )

Creating models and drawings is often an iterative work, not sequential, one has to jump back and fourth between the model and drawing.

Regards,
Tomas

 

[JohnRBaker]

I completely understand and even sympathize with users on this issue (Trent5791's #3). That being said, anyone who agrees and would like to see this implemented, please contact GTAC and have them open an ER to that effect.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.