Different functionality for the Rotate command

[Wes Macaulay]

Here's an olde wish list item that's being refreshed because of the latest blog post (http://insidethefactory.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/05/rotate-before-or-after.html) on Inside the Factory.

What's better:

Rotate's current functionality: 1 Select objects > 2 activate Rotate tool > 3 Find axis of rotation located at the center of selected objects (often it's off-screen -- so you have to zoom out to see the icon) > move the Axis location icon where you want it
proposed Rotate functionality: 1 Select objects > 2 activate Rotate tool > 3 Revit prompts you to place the axis location with the next clickThis is such a no-brainer of a poll that I'm doing it just to prove the point: if this were implemented in the next service pack, it would be the most laudable service pack in Revit history.

So make your choice with much hand-wringing and protracted debate :mrgreen:

[Joef]

I'm not sure how this relates to the blog post. The blog post is about the rotating options when placing components or am I completely missing something.

[Wes Macaulay]

The post just jogged me into action because it had the word Rotate in the post. I decided to seize the moment, and thus hijack Erik's intentions :mrgreen:

[Wes Macaulay]

Or how about this:

The new functionality is the same as it is currently ('cause sometimes you're just rotating a piece of furniture and the rotation point doesn't matter) but...

...if you tap the spacebar, the rotation icon jumps to the cursor so you can place it! Ooo -- I like that!

Sorry -- I've changed the poll but can't change earlier voters' results. Anyone want to change their vote? I can edit the poll accordingly...

[Scott Womack]

Or how about this:

The new functionality is the same as it is currently ('cause sometimes you're just rotating a piece of furniture and the rotation point doesn't matter) but...

...if you tap the spacebar, the rotation icon jumps to the cursor so you can place it! Ooo -- I like that!.

Much better description Wes.

[tomnewsom]

Oops! I missed the last option. Anyway, anything's bette rthan the current version. Make it work like Scale does, and let me choose my rotation point with ease!

[clog boy]

Hey I like it, good poll!

[tomnewsom]

Actually, what would be best would be to make the Rotate button 64 pixels high, with a dropdown that's only apparent when you hover on it, which contains a single option 'Rotate with basepoint' that flickers madly when you mouseover it and has no keyboard shortcut. That'd be super great, and in-line with AUtodesk usability guidelines.

Note to uni-braincelled autodesk developers: THIS IS SARCASM

[twiceroadsfool]

I think the distinction that youve made between your first option and the second is huge. Much like some things now have *more clicks* than they used to, there are plenty of cases where having to click the base point would simply add a click, as youve mentioned.

Sometimes ill grab a bunch of stuff together, just to switch its orientation 90 degrees, but i have to use rotate cuz i have a bunch of stuff selected. Im not worried about exact placement, but i know itll rotate from the center of the selection, so i click off in space, and type in 90 and im rolling.

Your spacebar option is one of those tools that would make Revit so much smoother to use. Its really the little things that do it...

[patricks]

I chose the last option with the spacebar.

If we got option 2, there are many times when I actually do want to rotate about the actual center of the object. If I had to click the rotation center first, that would be an extra click in those cases.

By using the spacebar, it would be the same number of mouse clicks as before (Option 1) if you want to rotate about the center of the object, or the same number of mouse clicks as Option 2 if you need to rotate about somewhere else, with no need to zoom out and click-drag several times to get the rotation center where you want it.

Option 3 IMHO would be the best way to combine the current functionality and new proposed enhanced functionality of the rotate tool.

[aaronrumple]

I want to change my vote to the spacebar...

[btrusty]

i like it the way it is, except when i am zoomed in to a detail and the axis is out of view...

that being said, it would nice if there was a way to change where it started
e.g. like on the toolbar (sorry, ribbon) so that you could choose to put it where the cursor is (space bar) or default center of object.