Cannot change keybinds in Atom3D?

[Just Another Sparky]

I'm having difficulty changing the default keybinds in Atom3D. I am trying to incorporate Atom3D into my digital art workflow. Modeling 3D assets like structural steel assemblies, conduit racks, etc. where Blender's polygonal modeling tool set just doesn't cut it. Point being it would be really nice if I could unify the keyboard inputs for both programs as much as possible so I can develop consistent muscle memory between them for at least the most basic functions. Snap viewport to front, top, back, etc.

'Keyboard Shortcuts' in the user manual for Atom3D shows a screenshot of the System Options window with a 'Keyboard Shortcuts' menu under 'All Workspaces'. I have no such menu in my options window. Is this feature only available in Design? Am I not able to change my key assignments in Atom3D or is this a bug? (If this is deliberate, what is the rationale behind removing such basic I/O functionality from the hobbyist version?)

Thanks.

 

[DavidJ]

You need Alibre Design if you wish to customise keyboard shortcuts.

There has to be some differentiation between product levels, this is one of those.

 

[Just Another Sparky]

I get the need for differentiation, but... what's the first thing you do when you install a new video game? You dial in the video settings for your level of hardware and adjust the keybinds to an arrangement that is comfortable and familiar to you. It would be kind of annoying if 'Video Game A' used WASD while 'Video Game B' defaulted to ↑←↓→ and one of them required you to buy $800 of DLC to change from the default. The same logic applies to other software.

Or a different analogy: Paying $199 at a nice restaurant to get a four course steak dinner with a vintage wine - but having to pay in another $800 just to get a glass of tap water. Mildly annoying and just a little bit unfair to the customer, no?

Maybe not the right feature for Alibre to be paywalling. The ability to bind middle mouse to orbit was one of the major selling points for me over Autodesk Inventor LT. (That, perpetual licensing and the fact that everything about Autodesk as a company makes me feel gross). Finding out that I will have to pay the same price as I would for 3 years of Inventor LT just to customize the rest of my binds is... a little bit of a let-down to say the least.

 

[DavidJ]

Everyone has their own ideas about what features should be in each level of the product. I think I've seen requests for almost every feature of Expert to be in Atom3D. Obviously you don't agree with the choices that were made when Atom3D was specified. Alibre's CEO does regularly review the forum, so your opinion will be noticed.

A big aim with Atom3D was to keep it simple (especially as it is aimed at novices, and doesn't come with any tech support) . Any ability to customise, also adds complexity and potential confusion (e.g. when following through the tutorial).

Atom3D isn't intended for commercial use - though it may be adequate for organisations with simpler requirements (and good luck to them where it is). Atom3D is a low risk, low cost way for organisations to 'dip a toe' into 3D CAD, they can upgrade (to Pro or Expert) at a later date if they see benefit from doing so.

 

[simonb65]

I have to agree with @Just Another Sparky, basic UI, control and accessibility settings should be available in ALL version of software. If you want to create price/licence breaks, do that with productivity features (not usability!) ... you be more that a little p**sed off if the Home version of Windows didn't let you set these kind of things and you could only do it if you bought Professional or Enterprise!

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Check out AutoHotkey. Make your own keyboard shortkuts (hotkeys). It's free.
https://www.autohotkey.com/

 

[Max]

Just Another Sparky, one of the reasons we did it initially was just development complexity. We have tradeoffs to make all the time. In this case, the shortcuts dialog doesn't have a good notion of licensing, so we would have to redo that (very) large dialog to be version specific. Wouldn't make sense to show the entire Expert set of options to an Atom3D user but have to disable 50% of them. Very time consuming and time better spent on other things. Surprisingly few people ask for it in the Atom3D crowd.

I do not disagree with anything you've set in principle. It was not our intention to "pay wall" it. We are evaluating some things to reintroduce back into Atom3D and this can be in that list to take a look at. Most of what we removed, aside from the big ticket obvious stuff, was purely in the name of simplifying and not because we believe that access to a spline tool or shortcuts, for example, is worth $800.