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# Suggestions

- To: <femm@yahoogroups.com>
- Subject: Suggestions
- From: "Graham Gunderson" <g_jlnlabs@hotmail.com>
- Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 21:31:24 -0700

Hi Dave, I have some suggestions that you may (or may not!) be interested in. These are ideas I have accumulated over time, using your software. I mention them on this list because I think they are relatively simple modifications that every user would enjoy. Some of these ideas have alreadybeen mentioned, I realize. *** When beginning a session in FEMMe, it is usually desirable to locate the origin of the drawing, at (0,0). Some automatic indication of the origin would be helpful. Perhaps this could be a grid point of a different color, or one intersected by a small cross. Can there be a command that sets the originto something besides (0,0)? This would be useful when rotating or mirroring parts that do not center on the origin; the reference variables wouldn't have to be typed in each time. Perhaps, if a special symbol were chosen to indicate the "origin" (about which things can mirror and rotate), this point could be relocated using the mouse and a command or mode enabling the action? I've noticed that at different levels of Zoom, in FEMMe, the grid changes its alignment against the sketch of what's to be analyzed. In one level of Zoom, the grid 'lines' may intersect the origin (for example), but then upon zooming in, the origin is somewhere else wrt the grid, perhaps not even coincident with a grid line, perhaps in the middle or the corner of a square. This is sort of disorienting. FEMMe could use scales on the side of the drawing grid, indicating the X or Y coordinates of nodes - that is, numbering the grid like a ruler on two sides. Presently, in FEMMe there is no visual indication of the viewing size or scale. It would be nice to have this option, to engage and hide with the click of a button. The present indicator of the cursor's X/Y position (at the bottom left hand portion of the FEMMe's window) is printed in small (Arial?) numerals. The resolution I use with this monitor is 1024x768 pixels. This makes the value of the X/Y output in the corner very small, and the (-) that precedes any negative value is almost invisible. I often squint at the monitor at about a 4" distance to make sure I'm not missing something! :) Since the "select all" button (to the rightof the node, line, arc and materials buttons) only seems to function with the "select" button (bearing the dashed-line rectangle icon, in the Edit Tools category), it would be more expedient if the "select all" mode automatically chose the "select" button. Currently, use of this feature requires a redundant button click. (In this case, the "zoom in" function, with the magnifying glass icon would probably have to override the "select all" button, since it also highlights a user defined rectangle). Would it be easy, or warranted, to give two "select" buttons - one being a "one-use" select (the same as the current one) and the other being a "sticky" select that remains until it is pressed again? Sometimes, selecting many nodes (for example) requires that I press the "select" button quite a number of times. It would be great to have a "sticky" button. Sometimes, as when changing a material specification, it is necessary to press "space" to enter the materials dialog and do the rest of the work with a mouse. Is it possible to create a "spacebar" button that doesn't require this extra, and sometimes repetitive action? Maybe it could be tied in with a currently unused click area, perhaps like a right click on any location outside the drawing grid area. Sometimes, my own omission or some minor detail of a drawing in FEMM results in a very tiny closed area which I didn't intend to exist. Since I haven't defined a material for this errant region, Fkern won't execute, leaving me to hunt for the area that is undefined. A few weeks ago, during a relatively large and complex project I was trying to evaluate, I spent about a half hour searching for the undefined region, which FEMMe had added because of how it adds nodes where lines intersect. The region was practically microscopic, and was difficult to see and zoom in on. I realize it is oftena stupid error which leaves an region undefined. Still, it would be helpful if FEMMe could highlight any area it is dissatisfied with, though I'm not sureif this is easily implemented. When "rotation" is selected in Copy or Move functions, it is often desirable to rotate selections 90 or 180 degrees, when drawing most things. It would be very helpful to have radio buttons (like those presently given) near the "degrees" input field for the rotation angle in addition to the keyboard input, which one can click using the mouse to specify "90" or "180" degree rotations. The arc-drawing command could also use these buttons, to specify (still using the mouse) the common arcs of 90, 180, and perhaps 45 degrees. If these values seem arbitrary, then perhaps the input values that the buttons trigger can be user definable (to handle common arcs over an isometric grid, for example, or when designing a rotary device withan odd number of pole projections). That way, the user is spared having to type the same numbers many times. The Mirror function was hard for me to understand, as a new user. The "axis of symmetry" input was difficult to visualize, because the labeling was not descriptive. I learned to use this function by trial and error. In some early FEMM analyses, I labeled drawing components (like nodes and arcs) by group, hoping that I could select and modify them by group. Am I missing something? I have yet found no way to select items by group, and I haven't been able to use the "group" input to any advantage. Finally, with regard to FEMMe, is it possible to provide more than one level of Undo? For instance, I use music software with 999 levels of "undo", which is helpful when you're trying new things. I personally use FEMM in the same way, as a creative tool, where I test ideas. That's why "more undo" would be helpful to me, as well as the other suggestions I am mentioning here. *** When "reloading" or even when opening a file in FEMMview, it is often necessary to specify viewing parameters in lieu of the default values. Over the course of a session in FEMM, or while manipulating numerous views, re-entry of the viewing parameters is necessary dozens of times. There are two features which may help simplify this part of the viewing process. First, a dialog which allows the user to pre-set the initial values would be of great use. These variables can include Zoom, bounds for contours and flux density, the number of flux lines, and perhaps even the color scale of the flux density plot. (It would also help,both in FEMMe and in FEMMview, if the four arrows which move the view were user definable, in terms of whether the user wishes them to scroll 1/4, 1/2, or a full screen up, down or sideways. The fixed step size makes these buttons unusable for some work). In addition to the ability to define the preset values for these functions, it would also be helpful to have a "hold" checkbox in the Zoom, and Bounds input fields which holds their value through successive "reload" or "open" functions - again, so they do not have to be manually reset if the user desires to maintain consistency between views. Why is it recommended, when using FEMM, to enable 24-bit graphics on your computer? Femm doesn't use 24-bit graphics; in fact, it uses fewer than 16 separate colors in the flux density plot. Perhaps some would call this useless appeasement of aesthetic senses, but it would nonetheless be a great thing to me if I could get FEMMview to actually USE the 24-bit graphics, mapping fields with gentle, rainbow-like gradients rather than the present arbitrary graduations in the color scale. This, to me, is a loss of resolution compared to the vision I'd get if I could "see" magnetic fields - which is what I'm using FEMM to do. If FEMMview were to use the 24-bit graphicsit requires, it would be another great thing to be able to define the color spectrum that FEMMview uses in the plot. Presently, FEMMView only uses red,blue and mixes of these two colors. The use of green in the spectrum would increase the visual resolution in the plot, much in the same way that using extra bits increases the resolution of a stored binary number. Once I close the Femmview Output window, I can't get it back without relaunching FEMMview. Is there a function that restores it? In FEMMe, you can draw a line and an arc between two nodes. In FEMMview, you are allowed to draw a line between two nodes, to specify the contour for evaluation. Can there be the option for arc contours as well? This would help evaluate just about any device with a round part! Lastly, FEMMview could use more options forimage output! Using the "copy" feature and pasting into Windows Paint, for example in an attempt to export the image, stretches the image to the size of the drawing page in Paint. Using Alt+PrintScrn to capture the screen includes the buttons, header and padding which don't pertain to the image being analyzed. IF there were options for image output as bitmap and .gif, as two suggestions, I think all FEMM users would appreciate it. *** I use FEMM enough that I'd like to send youa donation. I'm a very low-income person, I barely make the bills and the amount can't be very much, but I'd like to send it anyway as a token of my sincere appreciation. Can you give me a mailing address? My personal email is infinitenergy@hotmail.com Thank you! Graham

- Follow-Ups:
  - Re: [femm] Suggestions
    - From: Keith Gregory <k.gregory@lboro.ac.uk>
  - Re: Suggestions
    - From: harti@harti.com

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