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Formz 6.7 to FormZ 8


Akis

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Sorry for my English, I am French

 

I took advantage of the discount offered for the update ( 6.7 to 8 ).

I have just tried version 8.

I have a MacPro 2010 on Mavericks.

 

My first conclusions :

Renderzone is slower : 25" with FZ 6.7 , 35" with FZ 8 and with the same settings.

 

What I find less good :

 

- The loss of the Status of Objets pallet with the settings for the ghost, in the FZ8 i did not find the custom settings for the various Boolean operations.

 

- In FZ6.7 I used the moving objects with nudge keys and the settings translations were easier to access by double clicking on the arrow to open the pallet "Pick Options" and change quickly "translate by" or "Rotate by", it's a little more complicated with the palette "Quick Key"in FZ8.

 

- Now in FZ8 only one option can be displayed 3D or 3D Delta in the "Input pallet", it's frustrating

 

Meanwhile some improvements I will continue with version 6.7.3.

 

Good end of year.

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Hi Akis,

 

Welcome to the forum!  To get up to speed quickly with formZ 8 (coming from a version prior to v7) you should definitely check out the Migration Guide.  Please read the info in the following post carefully, and take enough time to properly review the material:

 

http://forums.formz.com/index.php?/topic/19-formz-v7-8-migration-guide-interface-improvements-from-formz-6/

 

RenderZone in v6 automatically uses a max of 8 processors.  formZ v8 can use more, but sometimes this slows it down.  If you are getting slower renders in formZ v8, set the Preferences: # Processors = 8 and the rendering should be faster.

 

Status of Objects is now controlled via the Edit Menu.

 

Nudge settings are controlled via the Quick Keys Palette.

 

The Input Palette offers everything that the Prompts Palette does, but it is a little different and you should prefer it once you get used to it.  Please review the Migration Guide and the Help Menu: Tutorial Videos for more information, and let us know if you have any further questions, we would be glad to help.  :)

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Happy new year

 

The settings of the number of processors is the same in the two versions, I always have a longer calculation in Version 8 after multiple tests

 

what I miss with version 8 :

- The possibility of different renders side by side to adjust the lights or parameters of "Surface Style" with "Set Image Size" of Renderzone

- The settings of the pallet "Status of Objets" that could be preset for each operand

 

 

 

post-313-0-30731600-1420119323_thumb.jpg

post-313-0-41024900-1420119338_thumb.jpg

post-313-0-65188600-1420119348_thumb.jpg

 

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Hey Akis,

 

v8 is faster for me than v6 in general.  If you have a file that is slower, you should send it (or a link) to support@formz.com so they can see why that might be.

 

The Display Menu: Render Area Rectangle is the new version of the Set Image Size.

 

The Status of Operands is not available per tool any more (I don't care but I saw one or two others mention this).  What I do if I want to keep Operands, I select them, Copy, do the operation, and then Paste.  If I forget to do that, I Copy the result, Undo, and then paste.  I always keep my ghosts, but periodically Save my file, clear them, and then Save As to a new name (so I can go back to the old file if using the Extract tool on a Parametric object does not give what I need...

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Hi Akis,

 

Yes, as Robert notes, the Display Menu: Render Area Rectangle can be used similar to the Set Image Size option, and if you have a file that is not rendering faster, please test rendering it in v8 using 8 Processors or less, and if it still slower than v6, send it to us so we can take a look.

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I tried with fewer processors, but with 8 I have the best result.

With a larger file:
FZ V6 = 23:20 and FZ V8 = 28:30
 
"Render Area Rectangle" can not do different renderings juxtaposed as does "Set Image Size" in FZ6 or I did not find. For it is much less.
 
Now I test the settings textures and I have a problem with material "wood accurate":
The controls made directly on the object have no effect on the rendering, it must go through the "Tool Options - Edit Texture Map" palette but no visual control is possible. A bug ? because it works with other materials.
 
Thanks
 
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Hi Akis,

 

Are you rendering with the Performance Test file found here?

 

     Performance Test Thread -- How fast is your computer?    

 

If not, if you run a test with that file, what results do you get?

 

Also, what version of OS X are you using, and what CPU does your Mac Pro have?

 

And if the Performance Test file is faster but yours is not, please save your file as you are rendering it and send it to us so we can test with it here.

 

-----------

 

Regarding the Edit Texture: Wood Accurate, this is working properly for us.  Do you have any trouble with this file?

 

Wood.fmz.zip

 

If that file is working fine for you but another is not, can you please post that file so we can take a look?

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Hello

 

With the Performance Test File the rendering time is 24:30, if i save this file en V6 the rendering time is 25:10 en V6, almost the same.

My setup : Mac Pro 2009 - 2,66Ghz Quad-Core Intel Xeon and OS X 10.9.5.

 

I tested your file with the wood texture, i enclose the result .... strange

If i do the same with a "Roof Tiles" for instance, changing settings is reflected with rendering

 

post-313-0-00052300-1420626333_thumb.png

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Hi Donald,

 

The Return to Pick option is available in the Edit Menu: Preferences: Modeling section.  BUT -- You should NOT use this option as it not only makes things slower, it also prevents the Result Buffer from being available, which is a very useful feature (and is essential to things like Texture Mapping and Controlled Rounding).

 

When you are manipulating one object (or part) at a time, just get the desired tool and click on the object directly.  If you need to switch to the Pick tool, just press the ~ (Tilda key -- below the ESC key) to activate it.

 

Make sure to study the Migration Guide posting as referenced above, and let us know if you have any further questions, we would be glad to help.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've had time to look at it now.  Leaving a bit of space on the left side of the drawing window, between that and the tool pallet does not solve the problem.  Here, auto scroll works quickly to the top, right and bottom of the drawing window.  It is sluggish or completely unresponsive to the left.

 

Donald

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Hi Donald,

 

We are not able to reproduce this.  As Rob notes, did you make sure that you can see the edge of your screen (and don't have the tool palette covering the edge)?

 

Also, in order to invoke the auto scroll, you do need to place the cursor within a few pixels of the edge of the screen and move it along the edge to continue scrolling the window.

 

If that's not it, are you using formZ v8.0.2?  And on which operating system, with what video card, and what monitor resolution(s)?

 

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I can arrange for space along the left edge, but with the vector line tool I am not having any luck with auto scroll

 

osx 10.10.1 (will check with .2), 8.02, mbp early 2011, AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1024 MB (built in), 1680 x 1050 (default of display), 4 core I7.

 

This isn't a huge problem, but I'd like to see it go away eventually.

 

Unrelated, there is one other thing I'd like to be able to do:  I'd like to be able to have different pre-selection and selection colors--like red and blue instead of red and pale red.  Maybe I'll get used to it but initially I find it discernible but too subtle.

 

thanks,

 

Donald

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Hi Donald,

 

Ok, we will look into the scrolling issue further and see if we can reproduce it.  Can you post a simple file where this happens for you so we can use this in our tests?

 

You can completely customize the colors, including the Highlight and Pre-Pick colors in the File Menu: Project Settings: Appearance Tab.  Just create a Custom Appearance, Copy the Colors from one of the presets if you like, and adjust to your liking:

 

post-5-0-66049900-1422539612_thumb.jpg

 

Does that allow you to get what you want? ;)

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Thanks for pointing out project settings.  That is exactly what I was looking for.  I should have known.

 

I have a file where I have the scrolling  issue.  I've have a screen shot showing what the left edge of the window looks like.  Again, I can get some jerky movement left, but up, down and right are zippy.

 

 

I'm not sure how to link them so you can see and open them.
 
Donald
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Ok, I'll email the file.  When open, it looks like the file in the desktop screen shot I attached.  I let this sit a couple days because I found that sometimes I can scroll left.  Just now opened the file and selected the vector line tool, to draw another object like the one already drawn.  I tried it shaded and wire frame.  I get close to the edge of the window and I can go no further.

 

Thanks for all the help, it is much appreciated.

 

DonaldUntitled.tiff

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Hi Donald,

 
Thanks for sending your file, but we are not having any trouble with this.  If you position your cursor right at the edge of the window and just move it up and down a little, it is not scrolling for you?  
 
(If you stop moving the mouse, it will stop scrolling to avoid “shooting you off into space.)
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