Topic: Command input

[Didge]

I use all the following equally:

command line, pull-downs, toolbars, tool palettes & object properties.

[sinc]

Command line for the most part, a few toolbars and pull-downs . . .

How are you managing that in Civil 3D?  I had to leave many of my command line tools behind when I jumped to Civil 3D . . . I only use a select few anymore and only when I am doing strictly AutoCAD functions.  I have to hold my nose and use the pulldowns and toolbars more than I care to, but I am growing quite fond of the right click and double click context menus.  I guess most of the work now happens in a tool palette if that is where you classify Toolspace.

I used to use quite a few toolbars, but I've been using a lot more pull-downs since the switch to C3D.  I still use a lot of command-line stuff, including accelerator keys and temporary keyboard overrides.  I actually LIKED some of the DI stuff (not all of it, but some of it), and was using it a lot in Land Desktop, but it causes havok in C3D, so now DI stays off at all times.  C3D even has problems with running OSNAPS, so those are usually disabled now, too.

And actually, in C3D, an awful lot of what I do involves going to Prospector...  So I guess it's now become a mix of command-line, Prospector window, and pull-downs for almost everything...

We still use Tool Palettes for a few things.  I had really started getting used to the incredibly-convenient Hatch Tools, and am sorely disappointed that they don't work (at least in any usable way) in C3D...  Autodesk giveth, and Autodesk taketh away...

[daron]

I've gone to Dynamic input, but being that 2007 improved the ability to dock and collapse palettes, including the command line, I use DI more than CLI, thought they are essentially the same. If I need to see something from the CL, I just move the mouse over the CLI and out flys a very large CL, similar to hitting F-2. IOW, F-2 is a thing of the past. Of course, a picture is worth...


I like real estate too.

[sinc]

I've gone to Dynamic input, but being that 2007 improved the ability to dock and collapse palettes, including the command line, I use DI more than CLI, thought they are essentially the same. If I need to see something from the CL, I just move the mouse over the CLI and out flys a very large CL, similar to hitting F-2. IOW, F-2 is a thing of the past. Of course, a picture is worth...

The biggest issue I have with DI is that it causes a bunch of little bugs in various commands.  For example, the ARC command will not always work if you have DI on.  There are various other issues.  Some of them can be gotten around by turning off only the Dimension Input part of DI.  But some bugs also occur when DI is enabled and you have a floating or hidden command window, even if Dimension Input is turned off (the command will work OK if the command window is docked).  These commands will usually work OK if you turn DI completely off, though, so I used to leave DI on unless something funky happened when I tried to run a command.  Then, if the command wouldn't work right, I'd turn off DI and try the command again - a lot of times, it would work.

But that's all in the past.  Civil-3D uses the same basic tooltip-like functionality as DI, and if DI is on, you can't see your Civil-3D tooltips.  The C3D tooltips are FAR more useful, so DI is one of those Autocad features that are dead to C3D users.