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V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 09 Jan 2015, 11:21
by Hermanrail
Hello!

Downloaded V5.0 this morning and have been playing - but cannot for the life of me work out how to change the document size.

Could somebody kindly point me in the right direction?

Thanks.

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 09 Jan 2015, 11:31
by tevendale
I was just about to ask the same thing!

Any pointers, please?

Thanks

Stuart

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 09 Jan 2015, 16:35
by fpm_michael
Same here... I have my bench already. I need to be able to build to the space that I have, not build a track and rebuild a desk to fit it. Hope this one gets fixed fast.

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 09 Jan 2015, 17:05
by RailModeller Support
Hi there -

the document resizes automatically to adapt to the contents of the layout.
A dedicated 'table top' mode for defining the precise dimentions of the basic shape of the layout will follow very soon!

Hope that helps,
Jan

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 30 Jan 2015, 19:58
by RailModeller Support
Ok, we heard you. The drawing canvas is manually resizeable again (in Layout Properties).
It will still extend automatically when required and will not allow sizes smaller than current content.

Relying on automatic resizing seemed like a great idea initially but proved awkward in practice.
Thanks for the feedback.

Cheers,
Jan

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 30 Jan 2015, 20:03
by Bergen
Just testing this... But "size layout to fit contents" still makes it smaller, right? Is that expected behavior? How can I reset the document back to the entered canvas size? Just re-entering the sizes does not work...

Personally I liked the way it worked in version 4 better. Like when you have a table of 300x200 cm, just enter that and then it's fixed. It does not grow or shrink automatically at all. Currently I work around this by drawing a big colored rectangle in a separate layer, and then lock that layer.

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 30 Jan 2015, 20:11
by RailModeller Support
Indeed - Size to Fit will shrink the document to the actual content plus the current padding that's set in the Preferences.

Restricting elements to the working area annoyed quite a few people so RailModeller Pro doesn't do that any more.

The restriction to a specified area will become much more convenient with the table top feature to arrive in the coming weeks.
This should be the common use case when planning: building a layout to fit a specified/restricted area or specific shape.

Hope that helps,
Jan

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 30 Jan 2015, 23:31
by Bergen
Yeah I know what you mean, it was annoying sometimes. Ok cool, keep up the good work Jan. ;) Have a good weekend.

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 03 Feb 2015, 04:06
by fpm_michael
I truly understand the thinking here Jan. Build the layout you want and let the program tell you what size desk you need. It's a cool idea in theory, but... Not so much in practice. Most of us (I'm sure there are exceptions) have a set space, or already have a table built to work off of. I think the consensus here is that it is a failed idea. Can we please just go back to a locked layout size? I think that we will all be able to use this much better.
I myself have two versions. One that I painstakingly got to fit my table layout and one that I work on. When I get a section done, I save it off so I have a return point incase I accidentally drop an element in the wrong spot and my canvas resizes wildly. Even with the improvement, that is still a factor that I have to be aware of as I work. I would rather set a size and if I drop in a spot that is out of range, maybe that element turns red or something to alert you are out of the layout parameters.
I would also like to see in the future irregular shapes to work in again. Not all of us have perfect squares or rectangles. We don't need hyperbolic curves. even just a line point design will do the trick for starters.
Anyway... still loving the program and am working through the issues as they come. Thanks for making a great program, it can only get better. ;-)

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 03 Feb 2015, 07:39
by trevleyb
It's a cool idea in theory, but...
Just want to agree with @fpm_michael. Having a set table size, (in irregular shapes) is the only way to go. I like that the overall canvas grows as you add items [I recently moved from AnyRail and one of the things that did annoy me was that when something went off the defined layout size the only way to get to it (as Anyrail does not allow you to scroll past the edges of the defined space) was to zoom right out, select the piece of track and delete it) so having a virtual space which can grow is great, but also allow a defined sub-area as the benchwork.

Echo'ing also what @fpm_michael said "still loving the program" - you have a lot of support in this community and a lot of people who really appreciate the work you are doing to provide an awesome product native for OS X. As a software engineer myself, I know how hard it is to get a MVP out the door and fully support your efforts.

All the best
Trevor

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 10 Feb 2015, 22:32
by Bergen
I have a fixed table as well and as a workaround I have drawn the table in a separate layer, using the shape tools, and then locked the layer. Works for me.

Re: V5.0 Document Size

Posted: 01 Dec 2015, 18:21
by RailModeller Support
HI there -

the latest update now finally adds a preferences option to turn off the auto-resizing behavior if desired:
The Canvas tab now offers a Canvas Size Mode setting with two modes
  • Fixed Size always keeps the document at the size specified in the Document tab in the side bar,
  • Auto-Resizing will adapt the document size by extending it automatically when required.
FixedCanvasSize.png
FixedCanvasSize.png (45.32 KiB) Viewed 6806 times
Cheers,
Jan