The ECOTECT User Interface Wherever possible, ECOTECT uses standard MS Windows user interface components that should be familiar to most users. As with any complex 3D application however, there will be some interface characteristics that are particular to this program, which you will need to become familiar with and which may take some time getting used to.
The following animation highlights the various major components of the ECOTECT user interface.
These individual components are discussed in detail below. However, you should also be aware of some special keys that will help you use the software.
Important Keys Whilst you can accomplish everything you need to in ECOTECT with only the mouse, it is also useful to know some of the shortcuts and modifiers available via the keyboard if you choose to use them. The following are the most important keys to know, however you may want to read about other shortcuts and tips for entering numerical data in the Entering Numeric Data topic. There is also a full list of keyboard shortcuts available.
Escape
The Escape key is very useful as it serves several functions. Its main use is to cancel/end the current modelling action. Thus, you would use it when you are drawing in a line and want to finish it, are interactively moving an object but want to cancel, want to de-select everything, etc. The canceling effect is incremental. Thus, if you are dragging a node, hit it once to cancel the drag, again to deselect the node, again to return to object mode and again to deselect the current object. You can achieve the same thing using the Cancel item in the 3D Editor context menu. Finally, hitting the Escape key in any control on the main window will return focus to either the 3D Editor, the OpenGL canvas or the Graphical Results pages if they are visible.
F2 Key
The process of modelling can be very repetitive at times, requiring you to do the same things over and over. In ECOTECT, you can repeat the last command by simply pressing the F2 key. This is the same as using the Repeat item in the Edit menu or from within the 3D Editor context menu, and has been found by many users to greatly speed things up.
Shift
The Shift key has two roles. First, when held down while selecting objects or nodes, it ADDS the new object(s) to the selection set. This applies to click and drag selecting as well as any item in the Select menu. Secondly it serves as a modifier for other interactive actions. If held down whilst using the PageUp/PageDown keys in a text box, or dragging a spin box, it increases the increment size (usually by a factor of 10, depending on the value being edited). Similarly, when using the Arrow keys or dragging the mouse to rotate the current view, it modifies the speed or type of movement.
Control
The Control key also has two roles. When held down while selecting objects or nodes, it REMOVES object(s) from the selection set. This applies to click and drag selecting as well as any item in the Select menu. If held down whilst using the PageUp/PageDown keys in a text box, or dragging a spin box, it reduces the increment size (usually by a factor of 10, depending on the value being edited). Similarly, when using the Arrow keys or dragging the mouse to rotate the current view, it modifies the speed or type of movement, but in the opposite way to the Shift key.
Enter
In most cases, ECOTECT cannot automatically tell when you have finished entering a value. If this value causes something to move in the model, the last thing you want is a massive model redrawing itself interactively each time you added a new digit. Thus, when entering values in the main application window and its many panels, you have to tell ECOTECT when you are done so that it can then apply the new value(s) and update the model. You do this by hitting the Enter key.
Tab Key
Like any Windows application, the Tab key allows you to move the focus around between controls in the application window. If using the Control+Tab Keys, ECOTECT toggles between the current and the last viewed main pages, whereas the Shift+Control+Tab Keys cycle through all of the main pages in reverse direction. However, note the use of the Caps Lock key below.
Tab and Control
If the Caps Lock key is toggled on, the Control+Tab Keys will cycle through the side control panels instead of the main pages. the Shift+Control+Tab Keys will then obviously cycle through the Control panels in reverse order.
Important Window Areas When using ECOTECT, you will spend a lot of time working in the main application as we have tried to shape the program so that it does not rely on a myriad of popup dialog boxes. Thus, it is important to get to know where things are and what they do.
Main Menu Items in the main menu contain most of the commands you will use to operate the program. You can invoke the menus by clicking directly on items with the mouse, pressing the Alt key and one of the underlined letters in each item's title, or by using the short-cut keys listed immediately to the right of most menu items.
Date-Time and Cursor Input Toolbars These two toolbars switch in the display, with the relevant toolbar being displayed at appropriate times. The Date-Time Toolbar is displayed by default, allowing you to change the date and time for shadow and some time-based calculations.
The Cursor Input toolbar is displayed whenever you are interactively drawing or manipulating objects with the mouse. It enables you to enter coordinates directly instead of or in addition to using the mouse. For more information on these controls, see the Cursor Input toolbar topic.
Options Toolbar The Options toolbar runs beneath the Date-Time/Cursor Input toolbar, although you can move it wherever you want. It contains controls that affect interactive features of the program, such as snap settings, grid sizes and transformation settings. If you pause the mouse over any of the controls in this toolbar for more than a second, a short tool tip will be displayed describing the item. For more detailed help, simply right-click the button and select What's This?.
Main, Additional, Modelling and View Toolbars The Main Toolbar basically contains action items, these are icons that affect the properties of objects or direct the operation of the program.
The Modelling Toolbar runs down the left side of the 3D Editor window and contains mode buttons that determine what the mouse does when it is within the 3D Editor canvas. You will use this toolbar a lot to generate and manipulate model objects.
Page Selector The main area in the centre of the application window is where you will do most of your work. The Page Selector running down the left side allows you to select different aspects of the model and its analysis.
You can obviously use the mouse to change pages, or the the Control + Tab keys.
For information, see the Pages and Panel topic.
Control Panels The Control Panels run down the right side of the main application window. Each of the tabbed panels contain controls for different aspects of the model and its analysis. These are as follows:
Selection Information Information and settings for the currently selected object or node. The information in this panel can be quite diverse, such as; zone data, occupancy information and measurement distances. Zone Management A list of zones in the current model. Material Assignment Displays and assigns the primary and alternate material assignment of the selected object(s). Display Settings Tools for controlling what is displayed in the 3D model. Visualisation Settings Visualisation controls for the OpenGL hardware rendering engine. Shadow Settings Controls for displaying shadows and shading functions. Analysis Grid Controls for positioning and calculating the analysis grid. Rays & Particles Controls for spraying acoustic rays and particles within the model. Parametric Objects Controls for positioning and creating parametric geometry and pitched roof objects. Object Transformation Controls for numerically transforming selected objects and nodes. Export Manager Quick access to model export options. Script Manager Quick access to scripts and user-created utilities. View Toolbar The View Toolbar is located in the bottom right corner of the application window and contains five button that let you manipulate and resize the current view.
If you pause the mouse over any of the buttons in a toolbar for more than a second, a short tool tip will be displayed describing the button. For more detailed help, you can right-click any button and select the What's This? item in its context menu.
Status Bar The status bar consists of a number of sub-panels displaying information as to the operational state of the program. The first panel displays the number of objects making up the model and the number currently selected.
The second sub-panel displays the current snap settings. You can toggle these settings by simply clicking the appropriate letter with the Left Mouse button.
The third and fourth sub-panels display status information such as any warnings or the calculation progress.
Command Entry Box The first status bar sub-panel can also contain a command entry text box. This allows you to entering command shortcuts based on ECOTECT script commands. You can toggle this feature on/off using the Command Entry Box item in the Tools menu or by simply double-clicking the left mouse button in the status bar. For more information see the Command Entry Box help page.