Reusing a sketch or modeled object from a different file is problematic.
It would be extremely helpful to be able to reuse select sketches or bodies previously modeled in other Shapr3D files. For instance, it would save quite a bit of time if I have already modeled a caster or hinge that I need to use in a current file, if I could just copy and paste it from one file to another.
Currently, it’s not possible to copy/paste from file to file.
Instead, I export (to a local file or even worse email), then import to the file on which I’m currently working. Then I import to the file I am actually working on, and proceed do a ton of clean up,
This is my workflow:
- I leave the document I am currently working on (because there isn’t a way to import from the Shapr3D file repository, so exporting becomes a necessary step.)
- Navigate to and open the file containing the sketches or bodies I wish to copy
- Export the Shapr3D file to a local folder I have navigated to in the file tree, or worse email it to myself and then save and file it, in the process giving the file a name.
- Reopen the document I was working on, select the Shapr3D import command.
- Navigate to the file I recently saved locally.
- Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that was in the exported file now exists in the new file: Folders, Planes, Sketches and Sketch planes, reference objects… everything.
- Spend 5 - 15 minutes cleaning up the mess of things that were copied that I didn’t want in my new file.
Brief description of the outcomes that you expect from this feature:
This feature should allow me to copy selected sketches or bodies from one file to another in less than a minute. For instance, let’s say I have previously modeled a hinge in a file named “hinge”; and I am currently working on a cabinet with doors (modeled in a file named “cabinet with doors.”
A functional workflow I am envisioning might look like this:
For Bodies:
- Open file “hinge”, select only the bodies and sketches I need, and copy them (something like ctrl+c).
- Exit “hinge”
- Reopen “cabinet with doors” and paste (something like ctrl+v).
For Sketches:
- Open the file “hinge”, selecting only the sketches needed, copy them (something like ctrl+c or a copy gesture)
- Exit “hinge”
- Reopen “cabinet with doors” and paste (something like ctrl+c or a paste gesture) that opens a dialog listing the sketch planes in the current file or optionally creates new sketch plane, allowing me to choose where the sketches should go.
(Notice, other than the opening of files, this workflow entirely omits dealing with the file system and export/import annoyances.)
An ideal workflow would let me copy and paste objects and sketches into a library where I could reuse them without ever leaving my current file. Even better, would cascade changes made to a library object to any instance of that object, with the option to sever the link. At its simplest, imagine a library object for standard sizes of plywood or lumber. Yes, we can create those fairly quickly as needed, but I tend not to give them any visualization details. Our library objects could be more thoughtfully authored, knowing that the added effort will be saved each time we import or link from the library.
Please note, while I can’t speak for everyone, I would rather the simpler implementation of copy/paste sometime soon, than the more optimal library feature years down the road.
Is this a workflow blocker for you? Is this slowing you down?
Slowing me down
The current workflow for this functionality is incredibly cumbersome and time consuming. The files I produce wind up being larger and more complicated than necessary as many times I just wind up modeling everything in the file or worse, importing and then not taking the time to delete the unneeded bits (which in turn causes a slow-down when working in the file because it’s more difficult finding the folder/layer/object in the mess). I spend 5-15 minutes for a function that should take no more than a minute, ideally less. If I have multiple objects, the time it takes to complete also multiplies. I have far messier, larger, and more complicated files than necessary, as many times I skip cleaning the mess, which makes returning to the file later and working on it take longer as I now have to explore the mess I made.
Work Blocker
Accessibility Note:
While this next point isn’t something most of your users experience, I have ADHD and any interruption to my workflow can entirely derail completing my work that day. I am far less likely to be interrupted in a copy/paste workflow than I am in the current exit file-navigate-open old file-export-save-name-reopen-import-navigate-clean up workflow. My ADHD is such that many times it doesn’t even matter if I was interrupted, the workflow itself can derail the flow I had before needing an object from another file. Cumbersome workflows that are annoying for neurotypical people are frequently hurdles that sometimes result in failure for people like me, and almost always result is a far greater loss of productivity.