Minor but annoying - easy improvements?

[JonathanHodgson]

Following another thread about real-world use versus PTC trainers' knowledge, how about we start a list of small things, which ought to be relatively easy for PTC to change, that nonetheless annoy you on a day-to-day basis (and always seem to be passed over in favour of introducing dashboards and ribbons)?

Since various PTC people contribute here, if we keep it tidy and concise perhaps some of our issues could be considered for addressing in imminent versions of Pro/E / Creo (/wishful thinking...)

So, here are some starters:

• Angle x D chamfers almost always choose the wrong direction for the angle by default
• Surface merges almost always choose the wrong sides of the quilts to keep by default
• Save a Copy leaves you editing the original model (opposite to Windows Save As), whilst Backup leaves you editing the backup model (why would you make a backup and then change the backup?)
• When you're working in "widget.prt" and you create a new drawing, Pro/E assumes the name "drw0001". How likely is it that you don't want to create "widget.drw" at this point?

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[BurtLand]

• displays x-sections from the wrong side
• mouse-over transparent hightlite goes solid if transparency turned off

[RandyMorrison]

• Panning in 3D is SHIFT > Middle Mouse Button while 2D is Middle Mouse Button only. Should be the same between modules.
• Inability to return CONFIG.PRO back to Default settings.

[RobertMcKibben]

• Go back to the "Show/Erase" dialog that was used up until WF4.
• Go back to the "Assign color" dialog that was used up until WF4
• Make it so that the dashboard can be moved to the bottom of the screen
• Make it so that the first construction line (or centerline) you insert is the axis of revolution by default

I've only been using it for a couple days, I'll be back with more.

[KevinBradberry]

• The text editor must be updated. You cannot even do the simplest thing, make an ordered list.

[RandyMorrison]

• It would be nice to click a feature in the Model Tree and choose to edit the sketch definition with a right mouse click as an option instead of expanding the feature, highlighting the sketch and then choosing Edit Definition.
• Another nice feature would be to choose to keep the original sketch when deleting features. Currently, when deleting the feature, the sketch gets deleted as well. If you want to re-use, you must re-create from scratch.

[KevinBradberry]

• Another nice feature would be to choose to keep the original sketch when deleting features. Currently, when deleting the feature, the sketch gets deleted as well. If you want to re-use, you must re-create from scratch.

I agree that would be better, it would prevent headaches, but I just want to point out for those that may not know that the sketch could be created as it own entity so that it would not be lost when deleting a feature that references it.

[RandyMorrison]

Good point Kevin!

I mentioned it as a timesaver, for when I create or work with large models I prefer not to do separate sketches for it increases the length of the tree and harder to work on the part model.

Thanks for the reminder.

[GrahameWard]

If you could drag your sketch out of the feature like you can with a datum plane created on-the-fly, that would solve that problem.

Consistency is what I want in a computer program. If I do "x" over here, I want to be able to do "x" over there.

[KrisR]

Agree 100%.

[David_M]

• Selection filters on demand! I want to be able to tell Creo to only select faces, edges, or verticies when I want to, and I want a way to stop it from selecting entities which are hidden behind 20 other entities, non of which are visible. A really basic request.

• I'd also like buttons to toggle the display of certain layers quickly. Having to go to the layers list, select a layer, right click > hide and return to the model tree is plain daft. I can't be the only person who toggles curves and surfaces more than datum axes, points and csys.

• When you expand a feature (offest > expand) the offset face should retain the same identity as the original face, so that child features update. Currently this isn't the case.

• Mirror features do not update and cannot be redefined. Obviously this is no good. The only exception is if you mirror a whole part.

• There should be a way to update all sketch references automatically, rather than having to open each feature and update each reference, which is automatic anyway.

• When regenerating, the Cancel button just starts the regen over again.

• There should be a "revert to last save" feature (like in AutoCAD), and a "repalce with version" feature.

• A way to split surfaces/faces that aren't connected when Pro/E thinks they are. See here

I'm sure I'll think of more.

[JonathanHodgson]

• In Sketcher, allow dimension values to be entered/edited while the Dimension tool is still selected.

[KrisR]

Here HERE!

[Patriot_1776]

Dump the ribbon in drawing mode in it's entirety, dump the stupid "lead vs. follow" workflow garbage, and bring back the pre WF interface with intelligent updates. Get rid of the "click anywhere in the field of the drawing to exit a command" and use the escape key. Having to zoom out far enough to clear views, snap lines, etc. totally sux.

[JonathanHodgson]

Please can we leave major interface changes for another discussion? I'm sure there are already several out there...

I was hoping to direct some attention to small, detail-level changes that otherwise get overlooked in the drive to change things completely - but that would actually help users day-to-day, for relatively little programming effort, and that the development team probably haven't even considered because they're not using the software the way we do.

Thanks!

[KevinBradberry]

Make a mapkey that goes Edit>Select>Deselect all. You'll no longer have to zoom out to find empty space to click in.

[Patriot_1776]

Why not PTC just abandons the "click" thing and go to the "Esc" key? The mapkey's will be useless next version anyways, like most of mine are now.....

[BillR]

Since text editing and layout is difficult to manage in a multi-line note, be able to remove external lines of a table. Then item number and text can be easily tabulated and modified. Also, be able to attach an arrow to that multi-line note.

[GrahameWard]

Off the top of my head:

• If I copy/mirror a feature and I need to redefine it I want to be able to add new references. Gets me every time.
• I want surface offset and shell to be more robust. Sick of constructing new surfaces because of some microscopic curvature problem in one tiny patch of a surface that no mill is ever going to pick up on.
  
• If I have a solid model that regenerates I should be able to copy all the solid surfaces without it failing. Otherwise how can the model regenerate in the first place?
• When I merge 2 surfaces together, if the 2 surfaces successfully intersect they should be able to keep either side of the intersection of either surface. I don't know how many times I have had to trim quilt A to quilt B, then trim quilt B to quilt A, them merge/join them together. It makes no sense.
• If I have a symmetrical product, if I put a round on one edge it should also work on the mirrored edge. The geometry should be the same, so there is no reason not to.
• If I have copied geometry in a part (say a quilt), and I change its color, it should stay the color I change it to, not revert to the color of the start part it came from. I'm the one who decides what color I want my bloody model to be.

That's all I can think of right now.

[JonathanHodgson]

• Don't change the zoom / orientation / pan randomly, for example after changing cross-section or regenerating. The model should stay where I last put it, not disappear off the edge of the screen.

[David_M]

This has to be the most annoying (and plain stupid) thing in Pro/E. It makes you wonder if any of the developers have ever tried to model anything... ever. Does anyone have a solution for this? It seems like something that should at least be in config.pro already.

I also agree with the comment about what order we can do things in (select then function vs function then select). This was a bad move on PTC's part. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to do either; especially since once you're in a function you can start over with a fresh selection.

And "refit" should work properly, even if I have to define my model size manually.

And there should be a quick way to add a datum plane mid-way between two parallel planes.

And they should stop limiting draft angles to 30 degrees.

[GrahameWard]

I was going to add this to my above list (model zooming off screen). It's so frustrating when that happens. It also sometimes happens when I resume a feature. This is especially annoying because sometimes I want to look closely at a part of my model to see how it's affected by a feature. I can't easily do that if I have to zoom back in to the same spot afterwards.

[RandyMorrison]

When editing a model, It would be nice to add a feature when in the Info > Feature mode, to add a "Highlight in Model Tree" action (in addition to the "Highlight Object in Graphic Window").

When I am concerned about editing impact(s) on children features, it is hard to quickly identify and edit them without going back and forth between the information and graphic windows while highlighting, clicking and Locate in Model Tree action(s).

[Patriot_1776]

When "replacing" sketcher entities, you should not have to keep answering "yes". In fact, you should be able to replace a chain or loop with another chain or loop.

[GrahameWard]

... and when you replace them, they should actually be replaced! The child features should use the replaced reference, otherwise what am I actually doing? I don't know how many times I've gone through that whole rigmarole and then the next feature fails exactly the same way that it would fail if I had just hit deletedeletedeletedelete.

[Patriot_1776]

I've seen that on occasion too, although, for the most part, it actually works. I like that in WF4 in sketcher mode you can actually replace the refs, as well.

[RobertMcKibben]

When loading an assembly that has a failed component, there should be a way to cancel out of it without having to freeze or suppress every goddam child item in the rest of the assembly.

[James62]

Provide the ability to remove multiple holes from an imported model fast. Very time consuming to do with remove feature.

When you select multiple holes by geometry rules inside of flexible modeling extension and then click remove Creo tries to find all possible stupid solutions and crashes instead of starting to remove holes one by one to finish it.

So you have to manually decide which holes to remove and in what order. And I am talking about solid model.

[RobertMcKibben]

When loading an assembly that has a failed component, there should be a way to cancel out of it without having to freeze or suppress every single child item in the rest of the assembly

[GrahameWard]

Robert McKibben wrote:

When loading an assembly that has a failed component, there should be a way to cancel out of it without having to freeze or suppress every single child item in the rest of the assembly

Quit retrieve?