Red, green and blue axes
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@pdonner said:
...If no one comes up with a better idea we'll have to make a SU8 feature request.
Please, do and keep bouncing the idea.
Back then I did make that request and ever since I have repeated it again - the more voices are heard, the bigger the chance is. Not because otherwise they wouldn't hear but they cannot fulfil every feature request obviously so it must be made apparent.
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Hi Gaieus, hi folks.
Maybe a template can be made with a single component in it, using dashed line that would be using different dashed pattern for each axis. Longer for X, medium for Y and shorter for Z.
Just ideas.
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If you follow that 2.5 year old link to the Groups, Jean, I suggested something similar then, too. Even guide lines would be okay for the representation of the axes BUT what about axis inference?
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Maybe the construction line stipple can provide enough of a visual clue to differentiate?
(I'm making a test now...) Test Complete. So I drew 3 infinite construction lines along each axis, and turned off the View > Axes option.
It is hard to see in the image (click it to enlarge), but the 3 construction lines have different stipple. Then, the lines are Grouped and Locked so they can't be accidentally moved, and yet still provide inference.
One draw-back is that the "axes" get deleted when you use Edit > Delete Guides!
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In the Ruby Depot there is a colour 3D grid, too. Maybe that could also help (although the depot seems to be down now)
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Thanks Jim for the nicely presented alternative suggestion.
Selecting pen style is as easy as changing color. The Windows API offers five alternatives - solid, dash, dot, dash-dot, dash-dot-dot. - Unfortunately the SU inference engine will also need a way of showing axis hints.
The only real pain is generated by the effort of adding yet another ('Accessibility') property page to the Preferences dialog.
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Here's a short script that might help... goes in the Plugins folder.
accessibleaxes.rb'Accessible Axes'
Shows Axes labeled XYZ, in heavier colored/patterned lines, intended to assist color-blind users.
Shortcut to it in Plugins menu, e.g. shift+A, press <Esc> to close.
Reverts to 'Select' tool.
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Hi Gaieus, hi folks.
Axis inferences would still give a pop-up message giving a clue about the axis color
Just ideas.
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I tried Tim's elegant scripted solution. Was surprised to see how well it worked while orbiting and panning. But zooming was rather sticky. But that's not too bad because the axes don't change direction while zooming. Maybe you could tune the script to bypass your routine during zooming, Tim. Would that give a performance advantage?
This flexibility was for me a piece of additional proof that SU is a well designed program. I believe that if we can produce a usable scripted solution then it would be easier to achieve an accessibility update in next version.
Tim: Are you sure about using the Escape key to end 'accessible axes'? It is an accelerator for other things too. Or do you think that color-blind user would primarily toggle quickly into the 'a-a' mode and back to selection whenever they need to orient themselves in the coordinate system.
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@pdonner said:
I tried Tig's elegant scripted solution. Was surprised to see how well it worked while orbiting and panning. But zooming was rather sticky. But that's not too bad because the axes don't change direction while zooming. Maybe you could tune the script to bypass your routine during zooming.
This flexibility was for me a piece of additional proof that SU is a well designed program. I believe that if we can produce a usable scripted solution then it would be easier to achieve an accessibility update in next version.
Tig: Are you sure about using the Escape key to end 'accessible axes'? It is an accelerator for other things too. Or do you think that color-blind user would primarily toggle quickly into the 'a-a' mode and back to selection whenever they need to orient themselves in the coordinate system.ESC is used within this tool to exit it - it shouldn't affect other things ?
The idea is you use a shortcut key like shift+A to activate the tool, you move around to check your orientation and finally press <Esc> to close it... Hitting the <spacebar> has a similar affect... -
Sorry TIG if I couldn't follow your line of thought. I was thinking like this: Assume that the user is drawing with the line tool. That's certainly a situation where drawing axes (and inference colors) are needed. So then the user would like to have an idea of the coordinate system. Have a quick look at 'a-a', then bail out by pushing Es... Eek. Escape also interrupts rubberband drawing. - Just to state an example of a potential conflict. But thanks for your nice contribution that I tried to improve.
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