Jump to content
AutoDesSys

Bugs Bugs Bugs and irritating choices of operation!


DKellitt

Recommended Posts

Hello,

 

A fairly long time user of FormZ here. I have FormZ 8 pro, which is your latest version. I still however am plagued with bugs on a daily basis. I just want to get my head around why this is? I've never experienced this kind of issue with other packages I use such as Cinema4D and the Adobe suite. Why is it the case with FormZ? Its so frustrating as with all the bugs its ones of my favourite packages and i'll keep using it for its great flexibility and ease of use, nothing compares. But the bugs!!!!

 

1. Importing an object deletes any object currently selected in the scene. Why? Why would this even be useful in any circumstance?

 

2. Very often, when i delete an imported object the vector lines remain in line view, which comes up in any print or viewport even though it is deleted! and it doesnt go if you save, close and open again! its still there, I have to copy everything over to a new file! Happens daily.

 

3. Having to change my project settings every time I start a new project. Why cant it remember I like to work in mm? Why would I need to change metric systems regularly? 

 

4. Clicking on a FormZ Pro file and FormZ layout tries to open it. I've tried setting pro as the default application but it doesn't stop this.

 

5. Changing the .pdf print/save size in FormZ Layout doesn't change the print size! You have to do it like 3 time before it eventually actually print/saves the correct pdf size (even though in the small viewport showing preiew it shows it should print correctly).

 

6. In layout, when printing/saving your layout drawings as .pdf, in the printed/saved document - some of the dimensions are not in line with the arrows and numbers! Its often slightly off line. Why?

 

Its like a love/hate relationship. I wish it worked better in many ways, but it does something amazingly well. I just wish these little bugs could be ironed out so it can be the amazing software it is so close to being!!

 

Thanks,

 

Darren

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You say you're using formZ PRO 8 -if you are still using form v8.02 then what you say is probably frustratingly true.

 

But the current version is formZ PRO 8.5.7 and apart form the fact that internally the database was rewritten this version is quite stable.

I suggest you look at v8.5.7 which will also give you a path to the new v8.6 which is again a significant update that is WIP.

 

To me v8.5.7 is one of the best versions I have had.

 

Rob

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Though I have been modeling for too many years to count, I am fairly new to FZ and found once your used to the work flow it is pretty easy and efficient. 

 

1. Importing objects choose Add to Project checkbox on the menu and it will merge the object into the current project. I made that mistake myself

 

2 The ghosted lines are probably your ghost operands. I typically work without the operands unless I am not sure of my sequential steps I need or want to have that backup within the file. They do prove to be useful but when using ghost operant option I would advise to take a few seconds and name those objects so you can easily identify them as that list can grow fast very rapidly.

 

3 You should be able to save the project settings as then new default, I work in inches and miniature and new projects seem to keep those settings along with other settings.

 

4 If layout is opening the file it sounds like your file association might have changed. Chose the file then choose open with and then pick FormZ executable.

 

5 Not quite sure but sounds like the pdf generator is over riding FZ settings. Try setting the pdf generators default settings first then go through FZ and it should be fine. I use Foxit for most my general pdf generating and Cute PDF for post script work.

 

6 if text isn't aligned or shifts with the lines then maybe the font is being substitute or being subset from the pdf generator or the art is being scaled. I had tons of problems with Acrobat and horrible fight with Adobe and their CS. I have nothing nice to say about that company, their software and their business practice. I was a former user of their products going back to Photoshop 1.1, Illustrator 3 on both Mac and PC platforms. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Add to project is great if you are just opening a model and want to add the entire thing to your current model.  However, this is not what is being asked for here.  I often move pieces of multiple models into a new model.  When doing so if you have anything selected in your current model it will be erased upon paste command.    What gets me sometimes is that I unknowingly have something behind the camera that is selected that I don't see.  I developed a habit of always hitting Command Tab to unselect anything prior to paste. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In that case I usually have those parts as separate files that i can import in and in some cases I used the components tool that allows you to build a library of parts. Not sure if components are bugged in this version though. It seems to want to just embed the models and editing them doesn't seem to update all instances but I could be using it wrong.

 

Would be cool if you could add negative shapes to components such as pockets. Make updating a complex machine model really easy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello,

 

A fairly long time user of FormZ here. I have FormZ 8 pro, which is your latest version. I still however am plagued with bugs on a daily basis. I just want to get my head around why this is? I've never experienced this kind of issue with other packages I use such as Cinema4D and the Adobe suite. Why is it the case with FormZ? Its so frustrating as with all the bugs its ones of my favourite packages and i'll keep using it for its great flexibility and ease of use, nothing compares. But the bugs!!!!

 

1. Importing an object deletes any object currently selected in the scene. Why? Why would this even be useful in any circumstance?

 

2. Very often, when i delete an imported object the vector lines remain in line view, which comes up in any print or viewport even though it is deleted! and it doesnt go if you save, close and open again! its still there, I have to copy everything over to a new file! Happens daily.

 

3. Having to change my project settings every time I start a new project. Why cant it remember I like to work in mm? Why would I need to change metric systems regularly? 

 

4. Clicking on a FormZ Pro file and FormZ layout tries to open it. I've tried setting pro as the default application but it doesn't stop this.

 

5. Changing the .pdf print/save size in FormZ Layout doesn't change the print size! You have to do it like 3 time before it eventually actually print/saves the correct pdf size (even though in the small viewport showing preiew it shows it should print correctly).

 

6. In layout, when printing/saving your layout drawings as .pdf, in the printed/saved document - some of the dimensions are not in line with the arrows and numbers! Its often slightly off line. Why?

 

Its like a love/hate relationship. I wish it worked better in many ways, but it does something amazingly well. I just wish these little bugs could be ironed out so it can be the amazing software it is so close to being!!

 

Thanks,

 

Darren

Hi Darren.

1. I utilize this feature in case I need to work on part of my project in a new file and have old model paste-replace with modified one. Say I copy two objects and paste to new file one of objects is required as reference and remains unchanged another one is being modified. When I have job done I copy both objects from that new file I worked in and paste into the old file. And I have 100% guarantee that I don't have my objects doubled as they are both replaced by the modified one and reference one. Also it allows me to hit Command (or Control) on mac/Win+ A to select all objects from new file without picking them with a mouse which is faster.

2. You mean you see garbage wireframe object? Yes it is a bug. Close-open file to make it disappear. If it does not work Open-Add objects to new file as the old one got corrupt.

3. Just select use previous session in Preferences and you will have your Preferences as you left them last time

4. It was discussed before. It is an Apple file system related problem and could not be fixed. Works well on Windows

5. Never seen this before. Woks well for me on Windows and Mac. It might be your specific system problem

5. Do you Safe as PDF on Mac? I usually do it by Open PDF in Preview and it works smooth.

 

I hope it helps.

Best,

Anton

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

3. Having to change my project settings every time I start a new project. Why cant it remember I like to work in mm? Why would I need to change metric systems regularly? 

 

 

This one is big for me.  I think there should be one preference for all of formZ; the difference between project settings and formZ settings/preferences is kind of a mess.

 

Here is a list of things I do every time I start formZ:

File > Project Settings > Data Scale: Small

Numeric Accuracy: 0.0001 (click OK)

Shaded Work Display Options: Silhouette Edges OFF, AntiAlias ON, Ignore Specular ON, Image Textures to 1024 pixels. (this makes the Open GL quality look close to... SketchUp's :o )  

 

It would be nice if formZ would remember this every time I closed the program, but since these are all project settings, it won't.  The workaround here is to create a template file and open from that... but my question to this is why?  There are too many proposed workarounds in this program when things should just WORK.  Not to mention I could easily accidentally save over the template file (command + S muscle memory is very strong and it's often subconscious) and then I have to create a new template file and do this all over again.  No thanks. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...