Click Style is a SketchUp drawing preference that lets you switch from Auto-detect (the default setting) to Click-move-click or Click-drag-release.
If you have changed your Click Style preference, we’d love to know: what did you change it to, and why?
If you have never heard of Click Style, tell us: do you hold the mouse button/trackpad down to draw (Click-drag-release) or do you click once to start drawing, and click again to finish (Click-move-click). Or, just maybe, do you do both?
Thanks for indulging my (genuine) curiosity: I’m eager to hear about your click style!
Mine is auto-detect. I probably use drag more than necessary and sometimes I leave out the drag. I use drag because of some Mac programs that I am used to using.
Also, I don’t use a mouse, I use a Wacom tablet, and it presents some real problems with some tools with click-move-click, while click-drag-release works reliably. The problem seems to come from the slightest amount of skate when try to just click on something. Parallel offset, tape measure and, to some degree, push pull.
I’m using auto and love it! In the vast majority of cases you want to keep drawing until you connect to an existing endpoint and then stop. If you want to stop earlier it’s easy to reactivate the tool, and if you want to draw more you can click twice on the existing endpoint.
I also prefer click-move-click; much less strain on the hand and wrist! The only case I use click-drag-release is for Rotate tool where this is a “secondary” input used for the rotation axis. Personally I’d love to see this for Circle and Polygon too, but if a lot of users prefer click-drag-release for the primary input, this may be confusing.
I think you are right: there is some additional sensitivity around the tools that you mention. That definitely shows up on for people using trackpads. I’m sure people using a standard mouse trip on Offset too.
I have Preferences set to Auto-detect, but I don’t really know what that detects. Almost always I use click-release, move, click-release. That way, I can enter a numeric value for whatever operation is being done (virtually all of the geometry I create has precise pre-determined dimensions, as from blueprints). Off the top of my head, the only circumstance when I would click-drag-release would be when creating some over-size working surface that will be trimmed down precisely later.
My Preferences are set as Click Style = Auto-Detect
My drawing style is Click-move-Click
As with @tdahl, I normally enter dimensions (distances) as well.
Also click-release-click here. Dragging is something you do with a pencil in your hand, oldfashioned, for sure. Learned to draft with a pencil (they had a large collection of ‘designer’ stools where we attended ‘handdrawing’ classes)
‘Operating a machine’ by clicking feels more precise.
The survey is somewhat mouse biased. I have auto set, and the way I work with my trackpad often involves no depress action at all. So, I am doing gentle stroke actions that are mechanically less demanding than a mouse click.
There is a feature in SketchUp that I only learnt about recently, while trying out v1.0.3. If you are drawing a line, and you click release move, click release move, and so on, you get a new line segment. If on the last leg you draw you do a click drag release instead, that becomes the last line segment.
That feature only works with auto detect on. If you are set to click-drag, you only ever get single line segments. If you are set to click release, you only get continuous line segments. I think that Aaron has a special button set up so that he can start a new line segment, by reselecting the line tool, because he mainly works in click release click mode, and doesn’t take advantage of what auto can give you.
I agree on the mouse bias. I’m a trackball enthusiast. I’d recommend the one I use (Logitech M570), but it really is a right hand only device - unless you can manipulate a trackball with your pinkie finger while holding your left hand at an awkward angle!
Oh! And my survey answer is: Auto, but mostly actually use click-move-click!
Like RT Cool I mostly use a Wacom tablet, so that’s all click, move, click — but I sometimes switch over to my mouse so it made me curious. I checked my settings and it was on Auto-Detect: I’ve now switched it to click, move to see if there are occasions with the mouse where I was click, drag without knowing it.
I have no idea what my click style is. I’m so new to sketchup I have no idea what I’m doing just yet, so baby steps I guess. I’m trying to sketch a sustainable ecosystem community reusing obsolete shipping containers. Any guidance would be appreciated. my drawing abilities is literally limited to sticks and boxes, yeah okay I do calligraphy and flowcharting but that’s about it. LOL