Useful UI Changes/Improvements

[Only2ndplace]

I have not seen many UI suggestion posts in the forum, probably because awesome features are more exciting for most users, but I think, that UI changes can be just as important in some cases and are mostly easier to implement

So here are a few suggestions:

- disabeling/clearing supernovae (that work with realistic turned on), because supernovae cause lag and take up your view, so you have to restart the simulation, if you accidentally cause one

- Filtering trails by planet properties (i. e. mass, orbital period) to avoid too many trails in case of fragmentation or weird zig-zaggy trails for planets with short orbital periods, when the time is too fast

- an option to somehow save the settings you used to be used in every other simulation, so you don't always have to enable grid, disable rays and projected paths, over and over again, if you often play without them

- more short explanations (that appear, when you hover the mouse over it) for the setting options

- step time and target time should always have the same unit

- stop on collision option more customizable:
filter for properties (i. e. mass of smallest collision object, distance between objects)
(also this way it you don't need to hit play a thousand times after one object hit another, because of all the fragments)
option to autofocus on biggest/smallest colliding object

- selecting 5-10 "favorite" properties that will be arranged in an extra tag of a body to have a better overview of often used properties (for example, I like to use mass loss and distance from camera a lot and don't want to browse through the properties all the time)
if implemented, I think this tag should be shown once the properties are opened instead of the main tag

- shortcuts for changing the time unit might also be pretty useful (not plus and minus, but 1s, 1d, 1y)

- being able to set mass loss manually like other properties, maybe even add negative mass loss (mass gain), so you can for example watch a gas giant become a brown dwarf and then a star, with automatic and gradual mass gain, without having to manually increase the mass

- option to show distance between selected objects (the same way distance is shown, when objects are placed)

EDIT:
- also, maybe the "My Sims" tab shouldn't be on the outer right as it could be hard for beginners to find their saves this way

- it should be possible to add the eccentricity/inclination in the orbit tab before adding an object

- not sure if that is possible, but it would be cool, if you could set the barycenter of a system as the trail center (for example in binary star systems)

I hope other users find some of these useful as well or have their own suggestions
(Also, feel free to correct me, in case any of these features are already implemented and I'm just too dumb to fiind them )

[gabriel.dac]

- totally agree. A supernova ruins your entire simulation forever.

-you can already do that. Check  out the View menu.

- totally agree.

- Agree. Some things need better explanation

- idk

- not necessary enough

- meh

- good idea. In fact, I've suggested there should be a "real time" button in the timestep.

- ....

- 100% agree. I've suggested that in the past, by the way. This is what it should look like, in my opinion

[Arian]

Very agreeable and well thought suggestions.

@gabriel.dac:
I think the trails filter refers to being able to show/hide certain trails per filter rather than having to switch on trails for objects of interest. Currently I have it my way by selecting the objects I want to observe and turning on trail or orbit in the display settings at the bottom of the motions tab of the object. That works but can be quite cumbersome for larger numbers of objects.

[Jar]

Great ideas, 2ndplace. And as Arian said, well thought out. 

For starters, I can say we're planning on adding at least a real time button for the time step controls. Those units should also match up with the target time step, as you said.

We're also planning on improving the tooltips. And we've been discussing which options should be persistent across sims, so that you don't have to set them up each time.

Clearing a supernova also sounds like a useful feature. I'll make a note of that.

I personally like the idea of being able to "favorite" certain properties. This could not only save time for finding these properties, but it could also be implemented in a way that you could then watch these properties when the body isn't selected (you can sort of do this now with graphs, but with multiple properties it gets cluttered). I'll see what the team thinks.

[Arian]

And we've been discussing which options should be persistent across sims, so that you don't have to set them up each time.

Clearing a supernova also sounds like a useful feature. I'll make a note of that.

I personally like the idea of being able to "favorite" certain properties.

For the persistent options maybe adopt and improve my way: I have set up some empty simulations, where I saved my most often used options, so I simply load the template I need for another sim.

"Delete all particles/dust" is already in the advanced powers menu, but doesn't work for supernova clouds so far.

The favorite properties could maybe added to another tab, where they could be re-arranged by the user, so they don't have to scroll even to reach the most often needed ones.

Some days ago Dan (I think) asked how to improve the look of the mini info window, that goes to the right edge now. I threw in the idea of having it as a table at the top of the screen showing the editable and most interesting stats of the selected object. Maybe even use that and make it the place for favorite properties. Adding tabs to the tables or a dropdown menu to select objects would keep it compact and still have it a powerful tool.

[Only2ndplace]

Great ideas, 2ndplace. And as Arian said, well thought out. 

For starters, I can say we're planning on adding at least a real time button for the time step controls. Those units should also match up with the target time step, as you said.

We're also planning on improving the tooltips. And we've been discussing which options should be persistent across sims, so that you don't have to set them up each time.

Clearing a supernova also sounds like a useful feature. I'll make a note of that.

I personally like the idea of being able to "favorite" certain properties. This could not only save time for finding these properties, but it could also be implemented in a way that you could then watch these properties when the body isn't selected (you can sort of do this now with graphs, but with multiple properties it gets cluttered). I'll see what the team thinks.

Thank you for the consideration

Very agreeable and well thought suggestions.

@gabriel.dac:
I think the trails filter refers to being able to show/hide certain trails per filter rather than having to switch on trails for objects of interest. Currently I have it my way by selecting the objects I want to observe and turning on trail or orbit in the display settings at the bottom of the motions tab of the object. That works but can be quite cumbersome for larger numbers of objects.

Thank you
Yeah, I've also found the Context: Selected option, but as Arian said filters would be useful in simulations with many bodies. For example, if you set the timestep higher in the Solar System simulation, the trails of the inner planets get pretty weird and it would be useful to just exclude them because of their short orbitational period, instead of having to select all outer planets and smaller objects.

[Only2ndplace]

The favorite properties could maybe added to another tab, where they could be re-arranged by the user, so they don't have to scroll even to reach the most often needed ones.

Some days ago Dan (I think) asked how to improve the look of the mini info window, that goes to the right edge now. I threw in the idea of having it as a table at the top of the screen showing the editable and most interesting stats of the selected object. Maybe even use that and make it the place for favorite properties. Adding tabs to the tables or a dropdown menu to select objects would keep it compact and still have it a powerful tool.

I think having the favorites in the mini info box is an even better idea, though you probably couldn't select too many in that case.