Hi, users of Concepts products,
I and one of my colleagues are working in industrial design sphere and from 3 months we were working on Concepts Unlimited. We want to share with you some ideas and suggestions for improving the work with CU.
We tried many CAD and CAID programs (as Autocad, SolidWorks, Autodesk AliasDesignStudio, Rhino) - all these products are perfect for industrial design but always one thing was missing. We are Mac fans and search for good program with good functionality, nice interface and way of work. This must be a program based on MacOsx - the best OS for us. After long time we saw Concepts Unlimited - MacOsx based program with nice interface and good functionality. Then we got happy, installed CU and started to realize our ideas.
Now I give you my experience with other CAD/CAID programs and tell you my first impressions about Concepts Unlimited.

1.Impression about interface.
Prompt Window
Everything starts from interface. I work on a 15-inch MacBook Pro and my job is in a company with many people and for me comunication with them is on the first place. We use Skype for online connection each other and I confugurate my all programs so that my Skype Contact list is always on top of right position on my desktop, then I can see who is on-air from my friends and colleagues. CU's interface is good - there is a big Prompt Window with Tool hints section to display information about current program and Data entry fields section to display numerical values related to the current tool. This is nice but it fills whole top work window of the desktop and can't be resized (the Skype can't be in the same place). It should be great to have option to resize/remove Prompt window. Then you can freely manipulate a window of each program.

Interface for MacOSx
Every OSx based program has an identical file menu. As an example in all programs the "preferences" command is in first toolbar menu. In Concepts Unlimited the preferences command is in File menu. OK, this program is based for both Win and Mac. I think that it should be nice if the CU for Mac to be based on all MacOSx standards so that if it is possible to move preferences command from File menu to first menu bar (Concepts Unlimited) as the other OSx based programs.

One standard for command letters
In file menu there is a command with big size letters (UPPER CASE, UNDO, REDO). OK, these commands are important and often used but I think that should be nice all commands to have same letters size. Then the interface would have good vision.
I hope that the Osx based program Concepts Unlimited should have interface as other OSx based programs.


2. Impression about functionality.
I am not sure that I know every function on Concepts Unlimited but in my long-term experience with other CAID/CAD I think that my suggestions should be great additions for good functionality.

Layers
Layers are the most important in every CAID/CAD programs. In this case we have a poor layers functionality (can select only one layer, can't select object by layer, can't explode group layers and ...). It would be great to have better possibilities for layers improvement, as for example:
- Select more than one layer and manipulate them together (move up/down, delete, hide, show and etc.);
- To have an option for selecting objects from the layers;
- Should be nice to move layers up/down by drag and drop with mouse click (now it is so hardly to move one layer from last position to first position, when having many layers);

Keyboard shortucts
I have a problem with keyboard shortcuts. I used USA and Cyrillic keyboard typing standard. When I right-click on an entity within the Application window to display the Entity Context popup menu and after that left-click outside this menu the keyboard standard is being changed and keyboard shortcuts stop working. In order to continue working and enable shortcuts I must switch to USA keyboard standard. This problem is to be found in all Concepts products. Could It be possible to enable shortcuts in all kind of keyboard standard.

Select object
When I create a huge model with many surfaces and curves, I want to select all objects but one, for example I need a "reverse selection" command select a object and push the reverse selecting and then selected object must be unselected but all other objects are selected. Is this possible?

Import Rhino files
Before founding out CU I worked on Rhino3.0 good CAID programs but Windows based. I have many projects and 3d models in .3dm Rhino file format and I have a problem to import them in CU. When I was importing the surfaces they were not closed and everything was mishmash (confused). The imported models are not correct. Please check this case, I'm ready to send you file or everything what you want for help to decide that situation.

Simple model - big file
I worked with ConceptsUnlimited on MacBookPro (2.33GHz Intel Core2Duo, 2Gb DDR2) and it feels too slow and sluggish when I manipulate model with many details. I create a model of one kind of box for power supply, it's not huge but have many air-holes. Its saved file is 70 - 80 Mb. Actually it has many surfaces and curves but I don't know what will happen when I create really a large model with thousand small details.

PhotoRendering
I'm not sure if it is possible in Concepts 3d but it would be a great addition to have in Concepts 3d the ability to export file in Maxwell Render or use a plug-in to Maxwell Render - the gorgeous light simulator. Then Concepts2d - Concepts 3d and the plug-in for Maxwell render would be a perfect combination for every "concepts designer".
I give you one example: The Solidthinking other CAID product who had own render engine. Now when Maxwell render rise on the design scene Solidthinking guys create new product - light modeler with Maxwell plug-in. As well they announced new version of all their products with Maxwell render plug-in.

Online Support
I think that the support of product is most important thing for every one. When I begin with Concepts I send a message on support of CU for situation about Rhino importing file, but I didn't recieve any answers about this. So I hope that in future support is going to work with both sides - we send to support guys problems and suggestions about functionality of the products and it would be good they to give us back their decisions about them.

These are our impressions about Concepts Unlimited. May be other guys tell you for their impressions about products and then together we can help with any sort of ideas and suggestions for improving of work because for us this product has great future among other CAID programs.


Tips:
I don't know whether you know this trick but one sheet of A4 ISO standard paper is a perfect fit for 15-inch MacBookPro's Display and ideal trick for transfering your idea from sheet of paper to sheet of digital paper without scanner. You can put the sketching sheet on the display and with small zoom out/in operation you can redraw your sketch on CU. Therefore it should be nice to can resize ot remove Prompt Window.


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About our design experience you can visit www.securer.info ; www.isetbox.info

Thanks

Rhino surfaces never seem that good quality from my experience .. eg .. where you think you have a centreline, it weaves in and out of zero. Guys who use Solid Works complain of the same thing .. Rhino surfaces aren't pretty on analysis.

Big files .. well who knows what's going on here .. but it's a big problem that the guys haven't got to grips with yet. I can save a model at 20 Mb and 20 mins later, it's unexplicably blown out to 70 Mb

Roll-on support for Maxwell