Flip Tab

I've been attempting to figure out something in Revit - shit is really hard to select, especially the more elaborate a Revit Clusterfuck (i.e. 'Model') gets.

There are a number of ways you can get around this, 'pinning' things you don't want to accidentally move (and then setting it not to select items that are pinned... wtf?), or 'filtering' your selection by type, but one of the most useful tools is to be able to toggle through nearby items by pressing the 'Tab' key.

Except for one problem - I'm left-handed, and the fucking 'Tab' key is all the way at the other end of the goddamned keyboard, and there doesn't seem to be any way to re-map it to something else.  I know how to set keyboard shortcuts, but they all appear to be 2 letter combinations.

I had noticed other (right-handed) users using the 'Tab' key while mousing, which either requires me to move my right hand across the keyboard, or take my hand off the mouse so I can hit tab.  I'm going to keep searching to see if I can reassign it to something on the right-hand side of keyboard - but considering it is a fairly central tool in the Revit toolbox it wouldn't surprise me if they hard-coded it.

One of the reasons it came up is that any time you attempt to edit text, you constantly have to fight to select the proper piece of text because the stupidly huge box around each piece of text makes it almost impossible (especially if there are several pieces of text in close proximity to each other).  If I click DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE of a piece of text, it shouldn't be trying to select the text next to it, but there we have it since the boxes overlap in a most retarded fashion.

A piece of text can be resized using grips, but the final result will always be a box that extends far beyond the text itself.  Attempting to select nearby linework or objects causes the same problem as the boxes extend (invisibly - especially when the background is set to transparent so it doesn't block information behind it).

Enter the 'Tab' key, and it's ability to toggle selection and you can just hover nearby, and Tab until you have your selection (holding 'shift' to reverse the order it is toggling in), then go to work.  If you watch most Revit users 'work' (i.e. burn through project budgets), you will notice them keeping their left index finger on 'Tab' most of the time while they mouse around with their right.

Now, you deal with occasional annoyances as a left-hander living in a predominantly right-hand world, but most things can be overcome.  I had a pair of left handed scissors as a kid, but it didn't take me long to figure out how to use a standard pair (with either hand - just by knowing how to apply pressure so the blades will slice cleanly through the paper).

Writing left-to-right is a pain in the ass because you either drag your hand across what you are writing and smear it, keep your hand twisted around at an uncomfortable angle, or both - but you just learn to cope with that.

I do many things right-handed out of convenience. I play guitar right-handed (since most guitars are going to be right-handed - some people flip it over, some will restring it, others will buy an actual 'left-handed' guitar) although in my mind the left hand is the one doing most of the work on the fretboard.

I prefer to play drums left-handed (thanks to one of my old drummers being a lefty - but I'm equally bad either way).  I'd like to figure out a way to map a keyboard/midi-controller backwards to allow me to play chords with my right and melody with my left (melody, in my mind at least, requiring more dexterity).

Of course every computer I sit down at is set up for a right-hander, and I've gotten fairly ambidextrous if I'm only going to be on it for a few minutes - any longer than that and I'm moving the mouse over to the left (easier than it sounds if the machine you are at doesn't have a wireless mouse and the workstation is set up so that the cord has difficulty reaching).

I leave the left/right click the same (I know of a few lefties who swap that as well - basically 'mirroring' the mouse), although some mice are hopelessly right-handed - molded/formed to fit the right hand, and horribly annoying after about ten seconds when an attempt is made to use it left-handed.

The idea that a piece of software could be biased towards right-handedness strikes me as odd - but if it was going to be any piece of software, it shouldn't be surprising that it would be Revit.  Someone suggested this app: http://www.remapkey.com/ which I am going to try, however this is just another example of having to employ a third-party 'wankaround' to overcome what should be basic functionality and user-customization.

Next time I'm going to talk about some of the many (many) misconceptions that Revit-fuckfaces have attempted to convince myself, my boss, and others of.  I hope it's been becoming clearer to those who have been somewhat removed from the day-to-day production process that I haven't been resisting change for the sake of resisting change - and that there are real unaddressed problems with both the Revit software, and how it has been implemented in this office.

I consider it a serious danger to my ability to concentrate on my job (or give a fuck about anything for that matter) when I am constantly being fed the same bullshit, lies, and damned lies.

Fuck Revit, Fuck Autodesk, Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck..
-S.F.