Dimension Input Dialog: feet, architectural format / how to find detailed help?

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1

I use macOS, version 5.281.0 (4528). I’m using the trackpad on an Intel MacBook Pro that meets the hardware recommendations.

Two Questions:

1. How to find help?

Here is my general question, which falls in the category of “learn how to fish” / “learn to help myself”…
How do I get clear directions on what all the buttons do on the Dimension Input Dialog? I find it non-intuitive; my project is using feet as dimensions with the architectural format (e.g. 1’-1/2").

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To search for help, I’ve tried two approaches. First, Help from the app menu bar did not find relevant information:

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Second, I’ve tried the Search Commands search feature:

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This also found nothing relevant:

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2. How to input 3/4"?

Here is my second, specific question…

Context: I’m simply modeling a sheet of 3/4" plywood. Simple, right? Not for me, so I’ll walk you through my steps. To start (tentatively, since I don’t know how to input fractions) have the 4’ x 8’ plywood with a 1" thickness:

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Next, I start typing and see the Dimension Input Dialog.

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How would I go about changing the dimension from 1" to 3/4"? (This is far from obvious to me.)

Next, I press the “in” button. That shows this:

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The problems here are many.

  1. _ _/_ in does not make sense. Suggestion: if it were shown as: _ ft _/_ in, or _' _/_" then it would make sense.

  2. A normal user expectation would be this: type 3/4" and return and be done. This does not work.

  3. I cannot navigate between the underscores (_) using the keyboard or trackpad.

  4. After fiddling for many minutes, I didn’t figure it out any way to do it. This is a blocker.

Aside: I tend to be pretty patient and savvy, as well. For example, even most of Home Designer Pro’s (a competitor of sorts when it comes to the particular space of lower priced architectural design software) foibles are no match for my persistence.

Conclusion

Overall, this is confusing and frustrating. It is an awful user experience compared to the rest of Shap3d, which is, overall, stunningly good. You’ve set a high bar for yourselves, and inconsistencies such as this are jarring.

1 Like
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Hi here!

Thanks for the detailed description, indeed there are ways to improve this part of the user experience.

Currently, it works like this:

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