Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
CatDog wrote:New user here (1 week) and as I make my way up the unfortunately steep learning curve, it is implementations like this (and there are many others I will be posting about) that make me wonder if the developer has actually ever done any 3D printing. As a professional software developer specializing in usability, I am discouraged and disappointed by S3D's apparent lack of understanding of its users. 1 hour with a group of users and a paper prototype would have made the product much more usable. I still can't figure out how to get my printer configuration to "stick" - every time I close S3D it disappears and I have to configure again.
~CatDog>
Dear lord, another "I'm Catdog and I don't know what I am doing" post. You specialize in software usability? How come you can't figure out how to do really basic stuff that pretty much everybody else can? Printer configuration, you set it once and you never touch it again. Pretty basic man.
Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
Well, I see that you've left your naive scat on every post I've made. It is rather presumptuous of you to make the assumptions you've made and then turn it into a personal attack. Rather than stoop to your low position Scott (and I observe that you've had issues on other, let's say car-related, forums in the past), I'll take my valuable time and add a little more clarity to this problem. I won't do it in this thread as it is off topic and I apologize to the OP for creating an environment where a user (who probably should have been moderated based on his insistence of personal attacks, the bane of any forum) was compelled to micturate, metaphorically.
~CatDog>
~CatDog>
~CatDog>
(Alone in the world is a little CatDog!)
(Alone in the world is a little CatDog!)
Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
Yawn....
All I have observed is you seem to have issues with just about everything related to this software and you resort to claiming the authors don't know anything about 3D printing instead of realizing that in most of the instances, it is pretty much just you that doesn't know how to use the software.
If you don't have constructive critisicm for the authors and you really think the software is poorly written, why didn't you just ask for a refund in the first 30 days and spare us all your poorly constructed complaints?
All I have observed is you seem to have issues with just about everything related to this software and you resort to claiming the authors don't know anything about 3D printing instead of realizing that in most of the instances, it is pretty much just you that doesn't know how to use the software.
If you don't have constructive critisicm for the authors and you really think the software is poorly written, why didn't you just ask for a refund in the first 30 days and spare us all your poorly constructed complaints?
Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
I did not get the impression that CatDog was questioning the quality of the Software. As I read it he pointed to the missing documentation.
We all have paid for this Software of wich I think works pretty well and produces good results.
Is is to much if some user ask for some documentation to shorten the learning curve? I am also a user who spent much more than expected time to understand S3D.
Thanking the manual of the FREE Slic3r helped me a lot. I think if the paperwork is done, this Product will be a winner for a much larger customer base who will buy it.
I can not imagine it is in the interest of the current user base of this forum and the company who stays behind the product to limit the circle of user to those, who do not care about documentation and reading hours in this forum to maser this great piece of software.
We all have paid for this Software of wich I think works pretty well and produces good results.
Is is to much if some user ask for some documentation to shorten the learning curve? I am also a user who spent much more than expected time to understand S3D.
Thanking the manual of the FREE Slic3r helped me a lot. I think if the paperwork is done, this Product will be a winner for a much larger customer base who will buy it.
I can not imagine it is in the interest of the current user base of this forum and the company who stays behind the product to limit the circle of user to those, who do not care about documentation and reading hours in this forum to maser this great piece of software.
Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
Read some of his other posts (he had 7 total posts at the time I wrote that and 3-4 of them were about how poor this software is) and you will see the constant berating of the authors and his comment about the authors "have they actually ever done any 3D printing?" is pretty ridiculous when you see how much functionality this software has and how awesome the Support Generation/removal is when compared to $500 million companies who have unlimited resources (ie Makerbot and their MakerWare software).
I don't have 1000's of kilos of plastic printing under my belt and I found the software really easy to understand in about 2 hours of using it. Now I understand a lot more of the functionality and find it even better than I had originally thought.
I don't have 1000's of kilos of plastic printing under my belt and I found the software really easy to understand in about 2 hours of using it. Now I understand a lot more of the functionality and find it even better than I had originally thought.
Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
I have to say that, aside from the negative tone, that the usability of Simplify3D is poor, at least on the Mac. The functionality is amazing, and I'm a happy customer on that score, but the UI alternates between amazing and absurd. Giving the Mac Human Interface Guidelines a quick read would make the app far more usable.
And, at least on the Mac, people consider usability and consistency with the platform standards as being important, because it lets users efficiently learn to use the app. The problem with Simplify3D is that the weird UI causes needless frustration and confusion, leading people to not benefit from the amazing functionality at the core of the app.
- The first one isn't Mac-specific: using mm/min for speed, when virtually everyone uses mm/s to refer to extruder speeds. This forces everyone to have to multiply by 60 for no advantage.
- The app not being able to open STL or OBJ files via normal file open is odd, and makes the workflow convoluted. I should be able to double-click on an STL or OBJ file and have it opened into Simplify3D, ready to slice and print. That's what every slicer I've ever used does, all the way back to ReplicatorG (and Repetier, Slic3r, Makerware, etc.). I should be able to drop an STL or OBJ file onto the app icon and have it open. I should be able to use the File Open command to open an STL or OBJ file. Instead, Simplify3D only knows how to open a "Factory" file. Which doesn't seem to contain either objects or processes, so I don't know why I'd want to save or open them. In any case, not supporting File Open of STL and OBJ files makes an easy workflow more complex, for no advantage. For example, I should be able to download an STL file from a web site, and click to open it from the browser into the slicer, then click a button to slice it. Instead I have to save the file from the browser, then launch Simplify3D, then find the file in Finder and drop it into the Simplify3D main window. Lots more clicks, for no reason.
- The app uses modal dialogues in numerous places (cross section view, placing/removing support, etc.) where they are inappropriate because the dialogue isn't actually modal. A modal dialogue is supposed to be used when the windows must be responded to before anything else can be done, usually used to ask a user something (e.g. where to save a file) or to notify a user of something critical (e.g. a failure). What they're presenting should be in an inspector, which is an interactive floating window, or preferably a tool or a menu item, so users don't have unnecessary UI elements floating around. Using the wrong UI elements is inconsistent, which on the Mac makes the software look low quality. And, in general, it's better to use direct manipulation tools instead of dialog boxes. For example, if they add tools for adding and removing support, I could simply paint support in/out on the object, without having a dialogue box in the way. And if they add a cross-section tool, then I could drag the cross-section around on the object to see what's inside it, instead of moving a slider somewhere else.
- There are quite a few functions of the app (e.g. command-dragging to move objects on the build platform, alt-drag to rotate) that are only accessible by a non-obvious keyboard command. On the Mac, all app functionality should be accessible via user-visible controls - the keyboard shortcuts, modifier keys, double-click, etc., should be accelerators for experienced users, but users must be able to go through the menu items to see all of the app's commands. So anything that's done in the app must have a user-visible menu item or tool as the primary interface, and the accelerators should only be there for advanced users. Failing to do this means that users can't explore the UI to find functionality, as they're used to doing in all apps, but must read documentation, etc., which Mac apps aren't supposed to rely on.
- Quitting and running an app again shouldn't lose all of the settings (objects, processes). It should save and restore state, as all other document-based Mac apps do.
- The cross section tool is weirdly limited. The slider only goes from one side of the build platform to the middle, so you can only cross-section the other half of the object by typing in values. Ideally the dialog box should go away completely, and instead I should have a cross-section tool that I can drag around the object.
The reason that I'm posting this isn't to complain about the app. I think the app's functionality is amazing. But I'm hoping that by pointing out ways that Simplify3D is disconcerting to users (and I'm very experienced with 3D printing) they can make it consistent with other apps, and with the OS, so people are able to use it more easily. Remember, it's the computer's job to conform to the user, not the user's job to conform to the computer!
And, at least on the Mac, people consider usability and consistency with the platform standards as being important, because it lets users efficiently learn to use the app. The problem with Simplify3D is that the weird UI causes needless frustration and confusion, leading people to not benefit from the amazing functionality at the core of the app.
- The first one isn't Mac-specific: using mm/min for speed, when virtually everyone uses mm/s to refer to extruder speeds. This forces everyone to have to multiply by 60 for no advantage.
- The app not being able to open STL or OBJ files via normal file open is odd, and makes the workflow convoluted. I should be able to double-click on an STL or OBJ file and have it opened into Simplify3D, ready to slice and print. That's what every slicer I've ever used does, all the way back to ReplicatorG (and Repetier, Slic3r, Makerware, etc.). I should be able to drop an STL or OBJ file onto the app icon and have it open. I should be able to use the File Open command to open an STL or OBJ file. Instead, Simplify3D only knows how to open a "Factory" file. Which doesn't seem to contain either objects or processes, so I don't know why I'd want to save or open them. In any case, not supporting File Open of STL and OBJ files makes an easy workflow more complex, for no advantage. For example, I should be able to download an STL file from a web site, and click to open it from the browser into the slicer, then click a button to slice it. Instead I have to save the file from the browser, then launch Simplify3D, then find the file in Finder and drop it into the Simplify3D main window. Lots more clicks, for no reason.
- The app uses modal dialogues in numerous places (cross section view, placing/removing support, etc.) where they are inappropriate because the dialogue isn't actually modal. A modal dialogue is supposed to be used when the windows must be responded to before anything else can be done, usually used to ask a user something (e.g. where to save a file) or to notify a user of something critical (e.g. a failure). What they're presenting should be in an inspector, which is an interactive floating window, or preferably a tool or a menu item, so users don't have unnecessary UI elements floating around. Using the wrong UI elements is inconsistent, which on the Mac makes the software look low quality. And, in general, it's better to use direct manipulation tools instead of dialog boxes. For example, if they add tools for adding and removing support, I could simply paint support in/out on the object, without having a dialogue box in the way. And if they add a cross-section tool, then I could drag the cross-section around on the object to see what's inside it, instead of moving a slider somewhere else.
- There are quite a few functions of the app (e.g. command-dragging to move objects on the build platform, alt-drag to rotate) that are only accessible by a non-obvious keyboard command. On the Mac, all app functionality should be accessible via user-visible controls - the keyboard shortcuts, modifier keys, double-click, etc., should be accelerators for experienced users, but users must be able to go through the menu items to see all of the app's commands. So anything that's done in the app must have a user-visible menu item or tool as the primary interface, and the accelerators should only be there for advanced users. Failing to do this means that users can't explore the UI to find functionality, as they're used to doing in all apps, but must read documentation, etc., which Mac apps aren't supposed to rely on.
- Quitting and running an app again shouldn't lose all of the settings (objects, processes). It should save and restore state, as all other document-based Mac apps do.
- The cross section tool is weirdly limited. The slider only goes from one side of the build platform to the middle, so you can only cross-section the other half of the object by typing in values. Ideally the dialog box should go away completely, and instead I should have a cross-section tool that I can drag around the object.
The reason that I'm posting this isn't to complain about the app. I think the app's functionality is amazing. But I'm hoping that by pointing out ways that Simplify3D is disconcerting to users (and I'm very experienced with 3D printing) they can make it consistent with other apps, and with the OS, so people are able to use it more easily. Remember, it's the computer's job to conform to the user, not the user's job to conform to the computer!
Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
on your next to last comment, quitting and relauching you should not lose your settings. when you add your process it should be the same one you quit with and all your settings should be the same. if your not getting that then its something you should look into. for #2 i do understand what your looking for and thats cool and it might help you with your normal workflow but i still dont understand why you would not just drag and drop the stl file right into s3d. it should just drop it right on the platform. your factory file should contain the model and all the processes associated with it. the whole point of it is to have one file containing everything. again if you are not seeing this then its something you should look into and maybe take up with support.
Re: Speed - mm/minute? Why not mm/sec?
Maybe it is a MAC specific problem. I agree with JimC, I just drag a STL into S3D and it opens up ready to go.
