Serendipity

[Helmut]

* By coincidence I discovered that hotkeys can be set / used which contain two letters (literals + optional shift / alt / cmd modifier prefixes).
* C3D reacts as expected but they don´t show up in the pop-up menues. There seem to be some odd / confusing inconsistencies, but I need to experiment here quite a bit. There should be some creative & constructive application of 2-letter codes for primary topology / animation or whatever.

* I have no idea if that option already existed in C3D V6 as it never occurred to me to try it. It may also be a novel Catalina trickery, but I find no mention on that on the web for macOS 10.15.

* However:
1 sometimes the identical combination is accepted (AT=black) or rejected (TA=red) depending on the sequence
2 sometimes either combination is accepted whatever the sequence
3 sometimes either combination is rejected, whatever the sequence
4 rejected combinations are generally (?) accepted when a modifier key is used in the hotkey (unless, of course, they are duplicates)

* If any C3D user has been using 2-letter hotkeys: Can you - briefly - share your conclusions? Thanks for anybody´s contributions.

 

[frank beckmann]

From my experience I can´t have access to multiply keys set-up because every key is already mapped and even when I assign a new one like "DA" for Dynamics it will be called be typing "D" already and don´t wait for "A".
While I mapped every key on the keyboard I have to add shift, alt, and cmd. (ctrl as additional hotkey don´t work for me.)

Cheers
Frank

 

[Helmut]

* I have applied to this edited 3x3 cube the hotkeys NM, NR and NS (normal move, normal rotate and normal scale, as indicated in the screen shot #1). All 3 commands are executed as expected.

Please verify your pontifications in future.

 

[frank beckmann]

Yes - this works when I killed my former "N"-hotkey.

 

[Helmut]

* Yep. Any 2-key hotkey XY will activate the 1-key X if it exists and ignores the rest.
* It is a bit fiddley, but still may be useful, me thinks.
* As I mentioned in a related thread, switching hotkeys is a PITA, but 2-letters are vastly more intuitive than X / shift+X / alt+X, cmd+X and any Fn+X combination. I am seriously considering (after more tests) to re-invent my wheel of keyboard shortcuts.
* No doubt, it will utterly confuse my neurons engaged in muscular memory, but I can read up my notes on synaptogenesis (= the development of new neuronal circuitry in the brain) as a therapeutic pastime.

 

[Swizl]

Nice find Helmut! That would expand the possible combinations. C4d has the same ability to have multiple keystrokes for shortcuts. I think I tried it once and it didn't work. Most likely because of a conflict with another key combo. I'll have to investigate further now.

 

[Helmut]

Thank you, Swizl!
* Note to posting #1:
* 2-letter codes are rejected (shown as red) iff (?) the 1st letter (+ optional modifier) has already been assigned to a hotkey. My TA above got rejected because T - in my prefs - activates the transform widget. AT is accepted as the A-key has no function assigned.
* Tab and spatium can be used as a pseudo modifier.

* Operability:
* I mouse right-handed and therefore try to have useful hotkeys located on the left part of the keyboard. I also use a clip-on numeric keypad on the side of the mouse, so I can use the math operators easily. The symbols +, -, =, etc already have a clear semantic meaning which can be easily transported to topological operations.