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Different button for Simulate

ToborTobor Posts: 2,300
in Product Suggestions

On the next D|S please consider using a button that is in a different color and/or location as the Render button. If you do lots of test simulations and renders youl'll understand why. I'm always forgetting what panel I'm in and clicking on the wrong button!

Comments

  • FSMCDesignsFSMCDesigns Posts: 12,722

    Well whose fault is that? LOL You can move/drag it to where you want it.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 99,373

    Both Render and Simulate have entries in Window>Workspace>Customise, with distinctive icons. You could add one or both to a tool bar or menu and cultivate the habit of using those rather than the pane buttons to launch the processes.

  • ToborTobor Posts: 2,300

    Though I did comment as a personal anecdote, it was more an observation for Daz they could stand to improve the UI. Both of these buttons spawn external processes that cause a temporary modal restriction to the program. Any guide on good interface design recommends these kinds of buttons be unmistakable in their appearance and/or placement. In the case of the Simulate button, canceling the simulation is not too onerous, maybe about 5 to 10 seconds, though there is also possible data loss. But canceling a render can take longer -- several minutes depending on whether D|S is building/rebuilding the scene database. During this time the program is unresponsive. The unresponsiveness can't always be avoided, but accidentally triggering the wrong external process can be.

    IMO, it's much better to get it right to begin with than to fall back on requiring the user to make the effort to fix it. This is simply good software design goal.

     

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 99,373

    But you could argue that the buttons to spawn "external" (I'm not sure dForce really is external), modal processes are placed and styled consistently in the two panes that have them, to distinguish them from other buttons that don't behave in that way; I think it comes down to a matter of how people perceive things, and how they work in the application, rather than something that is clearly in need of improvement for all users.

  • ToborTobor Posts: 2,300

    Richard, The fact that they spawn modal processes that can either cause data loss or a locked UI is exactly why they shouldn't look the same. It was not perception when a car maker once used piano-style buttons for automatic transmission and placed them close to, and in a similar design pattern, to the radio channel selectors (if you've driven older cars who know what I'm talking about). That car maker did it for about a year or two before they were forced to retool. And eventually, the pushbutton transmission was unceremoneously removed as a design. Some UI concepts predate software and are universal.

    Anyway, I've posted my comments and maybe Daz will entertain the idea to at least use a different color -- or maybe not. Since Render is blue, a good choice for an alternate mnemonic for Siimulate is orange. 

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 99,373

    If you want to reach daz you should make a Feature Request via a Technical Support ticket.

  • RobotHeadArtRobotHeadArt Posts: 916

    I've given up on using the Simulate button and instead use right click on Simulate Settings tab --> Simulate.

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