Recommended model tab background

[JMonrex Gadgude]

Hi to everyone there,

I have a question regarding the color display (model tab background).
What is the recommended color can be used, white or a dark color? Is there a precautions pertaining to health and safety regarding this matter?

Thanks!

[Wanderer]

Hi to everyone there,

I have a question regarding the color display (model tab background).
What is the recommended color can be used, white or a dark color? Is there a precautions pertaining to health and safety regarding this matter?

Thanks!Good/interesting question, I'm sure it's just whatever you're used to. Most people I see use black, as it comes, I've seen a couple use white, but, that just gives me a headache, I use a grey for mine. not too bright, but, good enough to provide contrast.

[jaberwok]

^^ wot she said ^^

[JMonrex Gadgude]

Good/interesting question, I'm sure it's just whatever you're used to. Most people I see use black, as it comes, I've seen a couple use white, but, that just gives me a headache, I use a grey for mine. not too bright, but, good enough to provide contrast.

**********
Yeah, you right but I think there must be a recommended came from medical expert, disregarding the color blinded person but in "general", for the health and safety of worker.

[jaberwok]

I figure that shiny over black = mirror (see how to make a mirror as an acad/3ds material).
That used to be a big problem (seeing yourself and the room reflected in the screen) but it's not really a problem now with flatter screens and/or TFT.
White means that you are receiving a face-full of emitted light all the time. I doubt that that is good. (?)

[JASONM30395]

My models set to colour 8 and my paper's set to 253.

We use yellow or white for our text and it was just too much to try and read on either a black or a white backround.

[Wanderer]

We use yellow or white for our text and it was just too much to try and read on either a black or a white backround.
:shock: you're one of THOSE people, huh?

[JASONM30395]

:shock: you're one of THOSE people, huh?
Don't blame me! It was set up before I got here and believe me I SSSOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! want to change it. (got to the company and was handed 2 pieces of paper, single sided, saying "here these are the CAD standards". Been trying to inprove it ever since. If you think the yellow text is bad try getting used to pen 1 (red) as a 50% shade (why oh why can't people use 250 thru 255)

[Coolmo]

My eyes are usually bugging out at the end of the day anyway but for sake of the thread, I use black background for Model and Layout tabs AND I hate that pesky paper outline thingy (because it's white). If it's commonly agreed upon that Cadding in a darker room is preferred over a brightly lit room then why would you want some huge 17-19 inch, bright white monitor staring back at you?

[james.eustace]

I use 252 for the backround in my tabs.This is kind of taking the thread in another direction but how many of you change the color of the command line? I don't use it much anymore in 06 but I have it set for 140 and at the top of my screen when it is on. I found having it at the top of my screen seemed a little more natural than having to look down to the command line.The color made the command line alot easier to look at and read to.

[Wanderer]

I use 252 for the backround in my tabs.This is kind of taking the thread in another direction but how many of you change the color of the command line? I don't use it much anymore in 06 but I have it set for 140 and at the top of my screen when it is on. I found having it at the top of my screen seemed a little more natural than having to look down to the command line.The color made the command line alot easier to look at and read to.I have mine set to a dark red colour. same as the desktop, and my office accessories. ;) I use white text for it, not that I use it much anymore.

[drafting.33933]

I was wondering when someone would discuss this.

14 years of using AutoCAD, and sometimes I wish that there wasn't a chance to change the background colors of the Model or Paper. Starting with Release 11, the only way to change was to understand DOS. Release 13 (DOS) was a little easier, then came Windows versions of AutoCAD! Now, you can change your colors like you can change your socks (I'm assuming everyone changes them frequently - I'm talking about the socks).

I think that for me it's monitor type driven. Over the past few years I've been given upgrades and I seem to change as per upgrade or how I feel. For instance, I like my red to be a bold, dark... red - not orangish. Some of the "gray" backgrounds tend to make red more orange. Now throw in a laptop LCD screen into the picture and depending on the screen "angle" you've got a whole different ball game. I will admit it, I like the white background, for it's a staple - command line, layer pull down, other pull downs, and even Windows' windows are white. I changed our text standard from yellow to white so I personally could use the white background. BUT some colors using white background look almost like black, therefore some confusion can set in and I still miss using yellow once in a while and use it for lines with heavier lineweights.

Black is good, but over the years I found the use of colors red, cyan, yellow, green, white all together can be a little too "bright". One draftsman looked at some old drawings that I did and thought they were a little "psychedelic" - gone fluorescent. I've changed our standards so our office is using a little more darker colors or a different blends (no green & cyan together need sunglasses).

I agree with one earlier comment that the gray - 253, 254 brings out a nice contrast. It's neat to see black and white colors (#7 & #9) together.

I am also one that likes to stick to what was given to me, if AutoCAD's standard uses Black for the Model & White for the Paper, then so be it. I will stick with it - until the next time I feel different.

[tsigler]

I may as well throw my two cents into the pot as well. I set my Model space background to black and my Paperspace background to a very dark blue (think the "old" white line on blue background color). This allows me to instantly know whether I'm in a viewport or model space without having to think too much about it.

FWIW

[Brian Myers]

I've been drawing for 17 years on a black background, I have a hard time changing now. ;) :beer:

[de-co1]

My eyes are usually bugging out at the end of the day anyway but for sake of the thread, I use black background for Model and Layout tabs AND I hate that pesky paper outline thingy (because it's white). If it's commonly agreed upon that Cadding in a darker room is preferred over a brightly lit room then why would you want some huge 17-19 inch, bright white monitor staring back at you?

here here...

I prefer my black, but alos prefer working with with a desk light as my light source... preferably no others, or few other light sources, and they need to be dim if they are there.

Here in the UK there is a questionnaire they have you fill out regarding the comfort of your workstation. I really battle with bright rooms, and occasionally suffer headaches due to strain as a result, but every single office I have worked in in the UK seems to overload the spaces with as much light as possible. At the moment, I sit right next a west facing 4m high window, and with the four low voltage downlighters and the six 2m fluorescent tubes, things are so bright I have almost gotta wear shades...!

So, does anyone find a difference in the colours they use when working in lighter or darker rooms. I would expect light colours used as backgrounds would tend to work better in lighter rooms, as that the screen isn't the predominant light source...

I know H&S in the UK includes regulations regarding the light levels in offices, but I'm sure, based on what I've seen, that this doesn't mean light spaces where CAD operators work... :) My problem comes in when I want low light levels, but my colleague next to me wants intensely bright conditions.

Does anyone in the UK know of any technical standards that should be used to ensure acceptable light levels for individual computer users?

[Wanderer]

here here...

I prefer my black, but alos prefer working with with a desk light as my light source... preferably no others, or few other light sources, and they need to be dim if they are there.

Here in the UK there is a questionnaire they have you fill out regarding the comfort of your workstation. I really battle with bright rooms, and occasionally suffer headaches due to strain as a result, but every single office I have worked in in the UK seems to overload the spaces with as much light as possible. At the moment, I sit right next a west facing 4m high window, and with the four low voltage downlighters and the six 2m fluorescent tubes, things are so bright I have almost gotta wear shades...!~nods~ I don't care for the super-bright lights too much... I had our building's maint. guy loosen two of the four lights in the fixture over my desk... and, without fail, everytime one of my dept maint. guys comes over, he's like... hey, I oughta replace those... I'm like 'noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo'...
~shrug~ I don't know what specs we use here in the hospital, but, we're more likely to have clinical specs rather than office in effect... I like the OR's brightly lit, I'm sure that's important... ;)

[Maverick91]

Hi to everyone there,

I have a question regarding the color display (model tab background).
What is the recommended color can be used, white or a dark color? Is there a precautions pertaining to health and safety regarding this matter?

Thanks!Normally, I use black as the model space background. It's what I 'grew up' with in school. But I also have a custom button with a LISP to switch back and forth from black to white. Sometimes, depending on the colors, one's easy on the eyes.

[CadDog]

MS is Black...

PS is Black on gray with shadows border...

This works for me and my eyes...

(The Default setting "white" What were they thinking...???)
Have you tried to use YELLOW on that blackground color...???

See what I'm talking about...
What were they thinking... :)

[jaberwok]

here here...

I prefer my black, but alos prefer working with with a desk light as my light source... preferably no others, or few other light sources, and they need to be dim if they are there........

I agree. I think it is unfortunate that the recent changes to the office lighting regulations are applied to all offices - drawing offices should be exempt.

I use MS=black with a desk lamp or MS=light gray in "normal" office conditions.

[de-co1]

I wonder then how the multimedia and more specifically, the entertainment industries can get away with it. If ever you see any interviews done within a 3D studio that works within the entertainment business, there ever only seems to be darkness, or one light source brought in by the filming crew!! Digital editing studios are the same...

[Brian Myers]

I wonder then how the multimedia and more specifically, the entertainment industries can get away with it. If ever you see any interviews done within a 3D studio that works within the entertainment business, there ever only seems to be darkness, or one light source brought in by the filming crew!! Digital editing studios are the same...

Perhaps these spaces fall under a different use classification? Dark rooms, theatres, etc. all have a need for darkness. In my own office we usually just keep our desk lights on until the start of the day when the bosses (that do limited computer work) come in and kick on the lights. You should hear the grumbling as those lights come on and our eyes scramble to adjust....

[H-Angus]

I use black for both model and layout, just what I'm used to I guess - our text is cyan or magenta which shows up fine.

Although some of our less Acad friendly users do change the layout colour to white or grey so they are not confused about whether they are in model or paper space.

[revacservice]

Just another 2 cents worth, I use a mid gray for model space and a light for paper space as I find that these settings have less glare and are easier on the eyes. After eight hours using a black background my eyes are tired and I've had more than enough but using a gray screen I'm still good for a couple more hours if required. As regard to the general lighting levels I prefer a reasonable high level as its less of a jump from looking at a screen and then to a paper drawing.

I glad to find I'm not to much of a freak using something other than the usual basic black which seems to the norm in this neck of the woods.

Don smith

[Animesh Kundu]

I am watching, Any result came out?

[Mamma Jamma]

I use black for model, white for paper (since paper is white and I'll therefore know where I am at all times). I ditch all the extraneous **** from my paper background (edge of paper, shadow, etc) Who needs it, really? I've found it just confuses the heck out of my occasional users.
I've been doing this for so long with black and/or white backgrounds, that I find it less comfortable to look at some other color. Plus, we use greyscales pretty often, and I wouldn't want to lose them on the background. I did try a dark blue, but couldn't adapt.

[H-Angus]

Just another thought (not that I use this however) but you can now set up the paper space to look like a print preview. The setting in the page setup has been there since 2004 I believe.

This may or may not be of interest to people.

[r.grandmaison]

Hi to everyone there,

I have a question regarding the color display (model tab background).
What is the recommended color can be used, white or a dark color? Is there a precautions pertaining to health and safety regarding this matter?
This really falls under the realm of ergonomics...there's a great manufacturer of office equipment that has worked heavily with Cornell University in really, really understanding ergonomic requirements for computer use.

They seem to suggest that the type of ambient light, and glare from your monitor might cause more problems than anthing else the monitor background might be doing.

Here's a link to their document on monitors lighting:

http://www.humanscale.com/ergo_info/ergo102_pg9.cfm

You might also check out all the Ergonomics 101 and 102 pages!!!!!

Cheers,

Robert

[jaberwok]

I ditch all the extraneous **** from my paper background (edge of paper, shadow, etc) Who needs it, really?

Same here. It just strikes me as being a waste of screen space.

[NickB]

I once had a building maintenance engineer tell me that when the hertz cycle of the florescent lighting and the hertz cycle of your monitor are too far apart it can cause eye strain and headaches. I don't know how true this is, maybe an electrical engineer might be able to confirm or deny it, but I know when I work with a lot of bright florescent lighting I tend to get headaches.

As fas as background I use black for model and white for paper.

[Jordan Truesdell]

I always thought it was the other way around - lighting frequency and monitor refresh too close together can be an issue (you get a "beat" freqency that's the difference between the two). That's one of the many nice things about incandescent - if you've got enough light, the filiment will stay hot between cycles and provide an essentially constant light output.

Better fluorescent and CRT phosphors, and TFT monitors, have elimiated most of these issues, but some are still sensitive.

Me? Standard issue black MS and PS. I see lineweights and shading as colors on the screen - I don't like my screen being too bright. Also, its an LCD with a fairly non-reflective finish, so there is no reflections. Ambient light needs to be pretty bright, and directions from behind, to wash out the screen. Grey just seems to make all the middle-intensity colors wash out for me, but I know some people like it.

(Alternaitvely, you could say I like my universe to be a total vacuum, and the only light/color to be that which I have placed. It must be part of that engineer-playing-God thing ;-) )

[Doodlemusmaximus]

I try to make it as soft as possible either black or a dark grey depending on the time of year would you believe. I first started many moons ago in a dark hole of an office and found that I ended up with eye strain from the job. The thing is I guess if you have a predominant white screen its like looking at a light for too long it'll damage your eye's eventually, so I guess what I'm saying keep it dark.

[The VLG]

I keep it black all the way, although I do sometimes switch the background to try to get a better contrast at times, & I only keep the Display Printable Area on in PS as I find it handy.
Like many above I think a lot of it might be down to what I have become used to.
But, yeah, what were/are they thinking having the MS white out of the box, think of those new/inexperianced users who don't know about changing it!!

[Jeepin]

**********
Yeah, you right but I think there must be a recommended came from medical expert, disregarding the color blinded person but in "general", for the health and safety of worker.I have a color blind person working in our office. My recommendation is to have a very dark color and if you use model space to plot, make sure you use the same color. I have seen so many techs change the background in paperspace and when they plot they dont see line work errors that they would normally catch.