WildTools Developments

patrickm · Post by **patrickm** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:30 pm

One minor thing that would be nice to address in a WT update is the way text is oriented with electrical symbols.

An example is the electrical receptacle tool: sometimes when I use it for a GFCI (or other outlet that includes associated text), the text is rotated 180° from the desired direction (i.e. the text might be upside down when the outlet is on a horizontal wall, or oriented the wrong way on a vertical wall). If possible, maybe we could tap on the Option key to toggle the text orientation, or something like that. (Similar to tapping the Option key to flip a door swing when using the insert door tool.) I've been meaning to mention this for years, but keep forgetting. Thanks for listening...

Alfred Scott · Post by **Alfred Scott** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 4:11 pm

Patrick,

I think I’ve fixed that in the past year. As I recall, the text rotation was getting flipped with the electrical tools in Doors & Windows. It was a simple fix once I was able to isolate the problem.

I seem to remember it was fine when you clicked in white space, but flipped when you had clicked on a line.

Alfred

patrickm · Post by **patrickm** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 4:46 pm

I need the outlets that touch the wall lines, so I always do click on a line when placing an outlet. It seems to do with the direction the line is drawn, whether from left/right & bottom/top (in which the text orients correctly) or right/left or top/bottom (in which case the text orients incorrectly). It would be nice if it was possible to have the text orientation not reliant on how the line was drawn.

(As a work around, when I encounter incorrect text orientation on the first outlet placed along a wall, I guess I could flip the line to reorient it, but it would be nice if I didn't have to do so.)

As usual, thanks for your work!

Alfred Scott · Post by **Alfred Scott** » Thu May 07, 2020 11:37 am

I'm making very good progress with getting WildTools running with the current shipping version of PowerCADD. It’s been a number of years since I could compile and run WildTools with PowerCADD, but yesterday I reached that point again. Lots of problems to be fixed, but Importing Shapefiles, survey data, SketchTools, PixelTools, TopoTools, trees and shrubs in elevation and a huge number of little things for tools that you’ve never seen before.

Interesting and fun times ahead!

Alfred

Alfred Scott · Post by **Alfred Scott** » Thu May 21, 2020 7:24 pm

Patrick,

I’ve now checked the Receptacle tool here with my current WildTools and it behaves the same as you describe. I’ll try to revisit this as I have time, but I have other things that have to come first.

I don’t know what version you have on your machine. Matt Arnold came up with a number of additions to the electrical tools.

With the Receptacle tool, there five styles of receptacles, with the option of GFI text, and three styles of placement relative to the wall and one freestanding Symbol with a box around it. And there are three sizes that are used for this and other electrical symbols. There are now nine tools in that row with the Exhaust Fan tool as the last one.

Alfred

patrickm · Post by **patrickm** » Fri May 22, 2020 3:13 pm

Per usual: Thanks, Alfred! You da man!

Alfred Scott · Post by **Alfred Scott** » Sat Aug 15, 2020 7:57 pm

I am continuing to make progress with getting WildTools updated with all of the new tools and features to run with the current shipping version of PowerCADD. I’ve been working with a limited number of ‘beta testers’ who have been using it.

It is working almost flawlessly, and I’ve been able to fix and update things. Latest thing is that Derek Dubout found a problem with polygons not being closed when you snap the last point to the first one. At first I thought this could not be true, but indeed it was. It was due to a very minor difference in how a routine is called. I’ve now got that all working smoothly.

There remains one thorny problem. With the Polygon tool — and its cousins — you can reshape an existing polygon by option-clicking on it. This works fine, just as it has in the past, but then there is a crash when PowerCADD draws the object.

The Wall Trim tool also has a problem and produces goofy results, however if you nudge the lines, it works fine. This appears to be an undo problem, and you can work around it. Plus PowerCADD has a Wall Trim tool that works fine.

It’s possible the Polygon tool crash is also an undo problem. I’m getting very close to releasing this for all to use, but I want to fight with it a bit more.

Alfred

pjmeli · Post by **pjmeli** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:28 pm

What happened to "Import Shapefile"

Can't find it anywhere.

Regards,
Paul

Alfred Scott · Post by **Alfred Scott** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:46 pm

Paul,

I think that was one of the many things that expired. This and all other expired tools and capabilities will all be back shortly.

I am almost ready to pull the trigger and turn it loose, but I've got a crash in the polygon reshape operation. I'm trying to get that thing fixed now. It's maddening.

Alfred

pjmeli · Post by **pjmeli** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 6:28 pm

Alfred,

Thanks for the quick reply.

Looking forward to everything coming up.

There is nothing available on any platform that can deliver the capabilities that PowerCadd/Wildtools does. Even though I do much of my work in 3D (Sketchup) I would be lost without it.

Kind Regards,
Paul Meli

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