What is SURF+?
SURF+ is a system which runs in parallel with ICEM Surf*, increasing user productivity, improving quality and delivering a smoother user experience. Simplistically it is the software equivalent of a programmable keyboard. But it is much more than that. It is a new way of interacting with ICEM Surf* that loses none of the functionality and is easy to learn.
SURF+ was developed independently by Geodigm and was born out of a desire to make ICEM Surf* easier to work with. With SURF+ not only is the work flow smoother, but the surfacing process is faster and surface quality is improved. One reason for the improvement in surface quality is that SURF+ makes the diagnostic functions, such as the Surface Checker, more accessible and allows for more frequent checking with minimal disruption of the creative work flow. For users who maybe susceptible to RSI (repetitive strain injury) SURF+ has the benefit of reducing the mouse miles and mouse clicks.
To give an idea of the speed benefits of SURF+ over ICEM Surf* standalone the video below shows ICEM Surf* on the left in comparison with ICEM Surf* and SURF+ (hotkeys only) on the right. In this particular example there is a productivity benefit of approximately 30%. Of course the exact saving is dependent on the surfacing tasks being performed and which hotkeys have been defined. Bear in mind that this is only the hotkey version of SURF+. In the full version there will be other GUI elements plus features such as User Methods which will further accelerate the process.
SURF+ was developed independently by Geodigm and was born out of a desire to make ICEM Surf* easier to work with. With SURF+ not only is the work flow smoother, but the surfacing process is faster and surface quality is improved. One reason for the improvement in surface quality is that SURF+ makes the diagnostic functions, such as the Surface Checker, more accessible and allows for more frequent checking with minimal disruption of the creative work flow. For users who maybe susceptible to RSI (repetitive strain injury) SURF+ has the benefit of reducing the mouse miles and mouse clicks.
To give an idea of the speed benefits of SURF+ over ICEM Surf* standalone the video below shows ICEM Surf* on the left in comparison with ICEM Surf* and SURF+ (hotkeys only) on the right. In this particular example there is a productivity benefit of approximately 30%. Of course the exact saving is dependent on the surfacing tasks being performed and which hotkeys have been defined. Bear in mind that this is only the hotkey version of SURF+. In the full version there will be other GUI elements plus features such as User Methods which will further accelerate the process.
If you're familiar with ICEM Surf* then you'll know that it already comes with lots of shortcuts that greatly accelerate the workflow:
The first two shortcut types are defined in ICEM Surf* and cannot be changed, whereas function keys can be edited by the user.
SURF+ adds another level to these shortcuts. You can still continue to use virtually all the ICEM Surf* shortcuts. In some instances, though, we've chosen to override them. For instance, by default in SURF+, we decided to specify "z" as a shortcut for zoom, overriding it's ICEM Surf* meaning of "arc centre". In this case zoom is used so frequently that losing it as a shortcut for "arc centre" seemed a small price to pay for ease of use. But if you don't want this to happen then you can choose a different hotkey for zoom since the hotkeys are fully customisable by the user.
- Object and Position Selection shortcuts
- Menu Shortcuts such as Ctrl+A for Display
- Function key customisation
The first two shortcut types are defined in ICEM Surf* and cannot be changed, whereas function keys can be edited by the user.
SURF+ adds another level to these shortcuts. You can still continue to use virtually all the ICEM Surf* shortcuts. In some instances, though, we've chosen to override them. For instance, by default in SURF+, we decided to specify "z" as a shortcut for zoom, overriding it's ICEM Surf* meaning of "arc centre". In this case zoom is used so frequently that losing it as a shortcut for "arc centre" seemed a small price to pay for ease of use. But if you don't want this to happen then you can choose a different hotkey for zoom since the hotkeys are fully customisable by the user.
ICEM Surf* Function Keys
The great thing about the ICEM Surf* function keys is that you can define them exactly as you want, picking virtually ANY of the ICEM Surf* functions. In theory there are 96 combinations available. In practice, though, there are some limitations. Firstly, we have to avoid Alt+F4 as it crashes ICEM Surf*. Secondly, the aim of using shortcuts is always to speed up a process. In ICEM Surf* the right hand is used to control the mouse and, for speed, it's best if it's not used to pick keys as well. So we ought to try and limit the combinations of function and Alt / Control / Shift keys to those that can be comfortably reached with the left hand. This is going to depend on the size and flexibility of your hand. For example, if I'm using the ALT key then I find that F9 to F12 are impossible to reach with the left hand only:
For me, the following key combinations are the only ones usable with just the left hand:
F1 to F12 are no problem
Alt + F1 to F4
Ctrl + F1 to F3
Shift + F1 to F3
Ctrl+Shift + F1 to F3
I can just about reach Shift + Ctrl + F1 to F3 with the left hand by using the thumb over the Shift & Ctrl keys but it's not very comfortable. Alt+Ctrl, Alt+Shift and Alt+Ctrl+Shift in combination with any of the function keys are impossible for me to use with only the left hand. Therefore I have 24 combinations left (remember that Alt+F4 cannot be used):
F1 to F12 are no problem
Alt + F1 to F4
Ctrl + F1 to F3
Shift + F1 to F3
Ctrl+Shift + F1 to F3
I can just about reach Shift + Ctrl + F1 to F3 with the left hand by using the thumb over the Shift & Ctrl keys but it's not very comfortable. Alt+Ctrl, Alt+Shift and Alt+Ctrl+Shift in combination with any of the function keys are impossible for me to use with only the left hand. Therefore I have 24 combinations left (remember that Alt+F4 cannot be used):
ALT |
CTRL |
SHIFT |
F1 |
F2 |
F3 |
F4 |
F5 |
F6 |
F7 |
F8 |
F9 |
F10 |
F11 |
F12 |
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