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Suggestion with Screenshot: Icons in Features List

stuffandymakesstuffandymakes Member Posts: 3 ✭
in Product Feedback
I find my self adding "Extrude," "Sketch," Revolve," etc. to the ends of my Feature names. I would LOVE to just see the icon for the action that features was creating from, like this:



Maker, DIYer, tinkerer, bourbon lover - Antics captured on StuffAndyMakes.com and OfficeChairiot.com

Comments

  • traveler_hauptmantraveler_hauptman Member, OS Professional, Mentor, Developers Posts: 419 PRO
    +1
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    +2
  • srbhsrbh Member Posts: 19 ✭✭
    Excellent idea; and maybe colour the icon the same colour as the part?
  • jonathan_stedmanjonathan_stedman Member, Mentor Posts: 69 PRO
    Nice - Seems to go into the brain faster than the words..
    www.naturalshelter.com    https://www.linkedin.com/in/digitalnaturedesign
  • chrisjh777chrisjh777 Member Posts: 207 ✭✭✭✭
    +1
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    +1

    I have seen similar suggestion earlier and if I remember correctly it was commented to be a bit againts Onshape 'super clean UI' strategy..
    //rami
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    I don't think Onshape has a clean strategy but a generic strategy awaiting our imput to define.
  • matthew_menardmatthew_menard Member Posts: 96 ✭✭✭
    So any word on this?  It seems that having an icon next to the feature tree item is cleaner than almost needing to have "sketch", "plane", "extrude", "sweep", etc. after the feature description.  A picture is worth a thousand words, no?

    According to this thread from last year this feature was under consideration, but leaning toward no:
    https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/12/icons-in-the-feature-list

    I'm replying to this thread because Andy's original post almost perfectly nailed what I was looking for.  OnShape's icons are great and I think they convey intent in an more efficient and cleaner way than writing in what every item is.  Allow it as an option maybe?  I really feel that this is a big user interface shortcoming, but maybe it's just me.
  • Stuart_TodStuart_Tod Member Posts: 56 PRO
    +1 for me too. In a way, this suggestion is for a 'super clean UI' - we are already using the icons on the UI, why write it as well?
  • andy_morrisandy_morris Moderator, Onshape Employees Posts: 87
    Hi Matthew,
    Icons in the Feature List (as well as a raft of other Feature List improvements) are still under consideration.  We welcome your opinions on this and we'll take this into consideration as we schedule forthcoming Onshape releases.
    Thanks,
    Andy
    Andy Morris / Head of Product Design / Onshape, Inc.
  • matthew_menardmatthew_menard Member Posts: 96 ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the update, glad to know it's still under consideration.
  • gonzalo_chomongonzalo_chomon OS Professional Posts: 52 ✭✭
    Great idea
  • shashank_aaryashashank_aarya Member Posts: 265 ✭✭✭
    +1
  • onshaperonshaper Member, Mentor Posts: 94 ✭✭✭
    I'm actually against this. I think that the way it is, it is extremely clean. My only request would be to mark sketches, planes, and all other operations differently somehow, but I don't want icons.
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    Following trends it would be S for sketch, P for planes etc.. in square or round box - like when you have collaborators you will see first letter of their name.. I'm not sure but I just might like this!

    @onshaper Can you explain why you don't want icons? Do you prefer just different colors? 

    Now when thinking of this, I could live without icons but I would like to have 'quick filter' buttons for Sketches, Planes and Features.
    But I think I would like to have both, Quick filter buttons and some sort of marking (other than name) for different types. 
    //rami
  • matthew_menardmatthew_menard Member Posts: 96 ✭✭✭
    onshaper said:
    I'm actually against this. I think that the way it is, it is extremely clean. My only request would be to mark sketches, planes, and all other operations differently somehow, but I don't want icons.
    So how would you differentiate between different features?  Just spitballing here, but off the top of my head I see:

    -Icons
    -Colors
    -Fonts/font effects (some already in use for differentiating other information)
    -No differentiation but have a quick select button to hide all items but the set you want (ala @3dcad 's suggestion)

    My argument is that the current interface is TOO clean and is a case of form taking away from function.  Icons seem to be the cleanest method of informing the user what each item is in the feature tree (and the OnShape icon set looks great, especially in the original poser's markup).  Colors?  Do you really want the feature tree to turn into a rainbow?  The old quote typically attributed to Einstein comes to mind...  If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what does that say about an empty desk? 

    Also, icons are language indifferent.  I don't know what the words for "plane", "extrude", "sketch", etc. are in different languages, but if there is an icon next to the feature, I can know what type of feature it is regardless of what its called.

    It would be nice however, if it were an option to toggle the icons on or off.  That way if you like things they way they are, you can keep it, and if the icons are helpful, you can turn them on.

    All just my two cents though.  I'm definitely not a UI designer, nor have I studied what makes a good UI, so I welcome any counterpoints.
  • gonzalo_chomongonzalo_chomon OS Professional Posts: 52 ✭✭
    I vote for icons.
    Colors will make it not user friendly for color blind people.
  • onshaperonshaper Member, Mentor Posts: 94 ✭✭✭
    edited September 2015
    I honestly think this is a feature people wish they had because it's been so common for CAD programs to do this since day one... but I don't find it difficult to get through the feature bar at all. I do wish there was a way to differentiate, but it's never been an inconvenience. I think one of my favorite things about Onshape is how low stress the UI is. Adding icons increases that stress.

    Here's an idea, perhaps when your mouse is over the feature bar, the icons show. When your mouse is not over it, they hide. Just an idea.

    Maybe bold the first letter of everything? Who knows. I think it's great the way it is, and any tweak I think of doesn't seem to really fix anything that's broken. (I guess it's obvious that I don't think its broken!)
  • 3dWulf3dWulf Member Posts: 1 ✭
    The icons and text are clean and do not clutter but I do have a problem seeing them as they are small and the line widths are very thin. 
    Messing with the font and zoom settings in my browser did not improve the icon or text size in OnS.
    Is there a method for doing this as I could not find it in the help section.
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    @3dwulf I'm afraid it is not possible to directly change the font size. I tend to use ctrl+mouse scroll when I wan't to quickly zoom in and out objects (mouse pointer needs to be on list, not modeling area)
    //rami
  • MBartlett21MBartlett21 Member, OS Professional, Developers Posts: 2,040 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @onshaper
    Why wouldn't you want icons?
    (though, we now have them in the feature list anyway)
    mb - draftsman - also FS author: View FeatureScripts
    IR for AS/NZS 1100
  • owen_sparksowen_sparks Member, Developers Posts: 2,660 PRO
    @onshaper last active June 2016...
    Business Systems and Configuration Controller
    HWM-Water Ltd
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