Alibre missing mouse events

[robertf]

Since I started using Alibre 15ish years ago its been slow to acknowledge mouse clicks, and sometimes skips them completely.

Example: constraining circles to points. I click the constraint tool to activate, click the circle point, then its target point. Then I'll click the background to clear out any selections and repeat with the remaining circles. At least 1 out of 10, probably more like 1 out of 4 of the times it doesn't clear out selections and ends up constraining the wrong parts to the wrong locations.

This problem has followed every version, operating system, and computer I've had since beginning its use. If I slow down the success rate goes up, but not much.

This problem does not exist in the other cad packages I use with the same hardware. Is there something I can do to fix this?

 

[DavidJ]

Are there other examples, or is this just related to sketch constraints?

You should select target first, then the item which should move to the target.

Is your mouse in good condition, does it have a specific driver, or the standard Microsoft one?

 

[simonb65]

Are there other examples, or is this just related to sketch constraints?

You should select target first, then the item which should move to the target.

Is your mouse in good condition, does it have a specific driver, or the standard Microsoft one?

I write software and I can move around a development tool fast and it's always responsive and as I get older I'm slowing down a bit ...

BUT ... I have to agree with @robertf that Alibre has always been very very laggy and slow in comparison. I find I slow down to about 30% of my normal UI pace, or consciously find myself pausing, when using Alibre because it takes Alibre so long to either determine what's under the cursor or when you hit ribbon buttons, it has to 'think' about something before actioning it.

The recognition of what's under the cursor and highlighting that entity (and presumably locking it in ready for an action using it) is very notably slow compared to many CAD programs. Just use the Blender UI, or MOI 3D, or CorelDraw ... I can work way faster in those applications ... and by that I mean, not having to wait around for the application to 'catch up'.

Alibre also has a habit of doing some 'background' work, which puts a halt on progress occasionally. Again, I don't see this with any other application and I have mentioned it numerous time on this forum over the years. Performance has always been a personal bug-bear when it comes to some Alibre operations!

I'm sure you could automate a UI test to move the cursor over an entity and measure the time it takes for that entity to highlight. You could also probably use the same UI automation tests to move the cursor, click and move to an action button on the ribbon and find exactly what the minimum response time is for the application to keep up. I'm sure if this metric was measured, you'd find it was well short of the actual response time of a human user!

In my younger days, I used to certify CAA Flight simulators and the latency between action and response was a metric that had to be met in order that the operator didn't perceive it and it could be classed as 'real', not simulated! It's been a major part of software UI's I've written since, as it set a metric that was easy to measure and made UI experiences a dream to the user.

 

[robertf]

Are there other examples, or is this just related to sketch constraints?

You should select target first, then the item which should move to the target.

Is your mouse in good condition, does it have a specific driver, or the standard Microsoft one?

David,

the problem is every mouse, and every computer I've used since ~2010. I keep anticipating an improvement with every new release of Alibre assuming someone else has brought this to the programmers attention, but it's never addressed.

 

[Idahoan]

I struggle with this constantly, I'm kind of glad to hear that it is not just me and my mouse. Go up and click on the desired constraint and then after a couple of tries clicking on geometry and not working you look up and notice that when you clicked on the constraint it did not activate. This is the only software that I have every used where I have to consciously slow down to make sure what I click on actually gets selected. I'm using a 3D Connection CAD Mouse, but also had the same problems with the Logitech mice that I have used in the past. If there is a solution I sure would like to know about it.
The constraints seem to be the most noticeable. I just did a quick test and about 50% of the time when I click on a constraint and then move the pointer away the constraint is not active. You need to click on the constraint and them continue to hover over it just a few milliseconds longer for it to be reliably selected, seems to be some sort of a timing issue in the programming.

Dave