Feature requests | Interface improvement mk2

My previous suggestions:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2000 - Usability improvement
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3855 - Better component/part interoperability

First off all I want to thank dev's for all the hard work - it is really an awesome product you have, routing boards has been breeze lately.

Here are some annoying kinks I really want gone:

1) Replace most of drop-down lists with just lists:
This:

With this:


Logics behind this - most of your drop-downs have 3-5 options, many of these are accessed quite frequently, so spare users a few clicks.

2) File/open dialog boxes point to whatever previous location that was open, this gets especially annoying when working with patterns:

Instead when loading anything pattern/component related open the default library folder (whichever settings in library setup point to)

3) Component bounding boxes:

Selecting component (red) in another components bounding box(green) is a pain in the ass (trying to select with CTRL works though).
How can this issue be sorted out ? One thing - rotate bounding box along with the component.
Component selection/highlighting probably should be done not when mousing over its box, but when hovering over its parts (silkscreen, pads, any other thing that belongs to the component in question)

4) Dimensioning:

Replace drop down button panel with 5 buttons visible at once.
Even better solution would be this - replace 5 of those with a single button with the following logics:
1) Clicking on a single node and clicking elsewhere produces a callout with a leader (although a callout can be another button)
2) Clicking on two nodes makes a dimension - dragging around the points defines what type of dimension it will be - how to determine which one it should be:

Depending in which cone of the midpoint between two nodes the mouse is - it produces horizontal, vertical or free dimension.
3) Clicking on an arc/circle produces a radial dimension

5) Layer control when drawing shapes - draw the shape on the current layer (top/bottom) - easier than selecting shapes in that little box(and select shape flavor in that box).


6) Component pads or copper pour should have a different color/shade by default - just for ease of use when routing - when copper pours are enabled its almost impossible to see where are the pads/traces (highlighting works just as fine, so its a small suggestion).

Statistics : Posted by VEC7OR • on Yesterday, 03:57 • Replies 0 • Views 30

---