Strange app/user interaction behavior.

[AK_Eric]

These are some behaviors S3D always has had (well, since I started using it in v2), but they drive me nuts. Using S3D 3.0.2
They probably drive me nuts since it's different UI behavior from just about any other software I use.

Issue1: On App Open, S3D doesn't know the file it Auto-Opened
*Open fileA. Mess around with it, print etc, save. Close S3D.
*Open S3D: It auto-opens fileA for you (the last one you had open). However, S3D doesn't know what file is open: If you look in the title-bar, no file name is listed.
*If you change some values and go to "Save Factory File", it takes you to the "Save As" dialog instead, so you have to go find the same location.
*After save, the name shows up in the title bar, and subsequent saves will work (rather than making you 'save as').
*Ironically, in S3D v 3.0.2, it now accurately saves the list of 'recent factor files'. So even though it stores the last file open in that list, it doesn't realize what the file it auto-opened is. So what I do now is, as soon as S3D opens, I re-open my last file via that menu, and dodge the whole 'save as dialog' issue.

Issue 2: S3D Doesn't track the last directory browsed to
* S3D doesn't seem to track the 'active directory' you're working in. Meaning, every time I access a different tool file browser, I have to re-browse it back to where I'm currently working. This happens on both Windows & OSX .
* For example:
* I've just done a bunch of work in directoryA. Time to open a new fff from directoryB: File -> Open Factory File -> Browse to fileB in directoryB. So far, so good.
* I want to import a stl: File -> Import Models : It takes me off to directoryC: I need to browse back to directoryB to find my stl.
* Time to print! Slice my data, "Save Toolpaths to Disk" : It takes me to directoryD : I need to browse back to directoryB to save my path.
* Start a new project: Repeat this all over again.
* It's almost as if every separate file browser saves its last accessed location. But since there are so many file dialogs I deal with, I'm constantly having to browse to the current directly I'm working out of. On PC I can copy\paste the path (if I remember to ahead of time), but on the mac this becomes really tedious.

So nothing to do with 3d printing itself, but every time I use this tool I grind my teeth a bit...

[jimc]

its funny, for issue #2. there was a time where s3d didnt remember the last directory you were in at all. it would always go to the desktop or documents or something by default and you would need to navigate to the folder where you want to save or open your file. there were alot of complaints so they implemented that which is great but i guess your saying it remembers the last folder you were in for each function you are trying to perform? open will be from one folder, save will be another, etc. assuming they were different the last time to performed those functions.

[AK_Eric]

but i guess your saying it remembers the last folder you were in for each function you are trying to perform?

Yep, that's it. Any other software I use (Maya, Photoshop, AppX) always open the last folder browsed to, regardless of what tool you accessed the file browser from. Which is generally what I want. But I'm having to re-navigate every time I open a file dialog in s3d. Feels clunky \ freeware.

[JoeJ]

Oh man, I hope they don't change #2 at all! I keep all of my STL files and gcode files in different directories. Right now S3D remembers the last directory where you saved an STL file, and will always recall that directory when you try to export an STL. It also remembers the last place where you saved a gcode file and always remembers that too. So it's working exactly how I would expect it to - it remembers the path for each type of file.

If you wanted it to remember only one path for all file types, I would constantly have to be browsing to new directories for everything. I just want it to remember where my gcode/stl/factory files go and not reset every time I change what file type I save.

[AK_Eric]

lol, I hear what you're saying, to each their own eh? I group everything for a given project in one dir (factory files, stl's, objs, reference, etc) to keep them together. But for you, you'd have the reverse issue.

But I still feel this is different behavior than any other software I use. Thus my complaint.

I should add "Export Models" as part of the issue as well: Even that dialog stores it's own path, ran into that one last night, grrr...

[JoeJ]

Yea, it's based on file type. So right now it remembers the last path that you used for .gcode, .stl, and .factory files. I'm guessing what you're proposing would be to just remember only one path for every type of file. But that means that if you always export your STL files to the same folder, if you save a factory file on your desktop, you would suddenly have to browse back to your STL folder when exporting a model. I for one hope they keep it like it is

[AK_Eric]

My suggestion would be that S3D simply provides an preference for this, everyone wins: Either 'File Browsers share path' or 'File Browsers have unique paths'.
I code tools & ui's for people at work, this could be implemented in 15 minutes or less based on my experience.