Groups and Multiobject controls (suggestion)

[vh]

I suggest that we should have a new interface for objects. The purpose of this interface is to work with multi-object controls easily

When open the interface, with a object icon or something (just like you click on the gear to open the simulation options thingy), there will be a list of all items. For example, if i ran the Earth and Moon sim, it'd look like this:

-Moon
-Earth

or if i ran the Andromeda-Milkyway collision, like this:

-Andromeda
-Milky Way

You should be able to add groups with a button or combination of keys. A group containing the Earth and Moon would look like this:

Group 1
     -Earth
     -Moon

With more objects

Group Apple
     -Earth
     -Moon
Group Small
     -Teacup
     -Basketball
Group Big
     -Andromeda
     -M42

When you drag an object name onto the group name, and let go, it'll automatically enter the group.

You should also be able to have automatically sorted groups. For example, you should be able to do something like this:
New Group>Sorted>Weight
clicking this leads to another menu, window, or whatever:

Minimum Weight 0-------[]------0  [15 Earths]
Maximum Weight 0------------[]-0 [20 Milky Ways]
Lock Units  [On Off]

Locking the units will make all the units the same, for example, all the weights will be shown in Earths or Andromedas. A dropdown thing will let you select units.

Objects should be able to be selected based on the following parameters

-Distance from gravitational parent
-Weight
-Density
-Mass
-Size
-Temperature
-Velocity

Thats all i can think of atm, i may have missed some obvious ones.

Groups should be able to put into other Groups to make subgroups and so on. For example:

Groups Stars
     Sub-Group large stars
          -Rigel
          -Pistol Star
     Sub-Group small stars
          -Sun
          -Wolf 259

The purpose of these groups is so that we can easily select some objects but not others to manipulate them. I thought there should be an option to get more precise, so...

Next to each object and group will be a button. Like this ([ ]=off, [|]=on (object button will probably be smaller).

[|]Groups Stars
     [|]Sub-Group large stars
          [|]-Rigel
          [ ]-Pistol Star
     [|]Sub-Group small stars
          [ ]-Sun
          [|]-Wolf 259

Here, the Group Stars is turned on. This means that objects and groups inside Group Stars may be turned on. If Group Stars were to be turned off, then all Groups and objects within Group Stars will be off.
Both Sub-Groups are on, and the same principles apply to them as the Group Stars.
You can see that the Pistol Star is turned off. Although the Sub-Group 'large stars' is turned on, the Pistol star's off overrides the on. Same thing with the sun.

Or maybe there could be a control to make 'On' be dominant over 'Off'

So now that we have Groups and objects in place, there should be some controls

Object specific controls should be the controls that will be able to be used on an object

Object specific controls
-Find (and zoom to)
-Open menu

Group specific controls will apply to the whole group and all bodies within

Group specific controls
-Zoom to (This will keep all bodies selected within view with or without moving camera (possibly another option))
-All controls that we can currently do to one body, we should be able to do to multiple.
(coloring, orbits, rings, anything)
Note: regarding the SMA and Eccentricity etc, there should be an option to do 'relative' or 'absolute'.

Pretend you have this:
[|]Group 1
     [|]-Earth
     [|]-Moon1
     [|]-Moon2

Moon1 is orbiting the earth at 50* inclination and 100 million kilometers SMA
Moon2 is orbiting the earth at 0* inclination and 200 million kilometers SMA

When you have the option set to relative

Suppose you change the of the group relatively to +100 million kilometers SMA and -10* inclination

Moon1 will be orbiting the Earth at 40* inclination and 200 million kilometers SMA
Moon 2 will be orbiting the Earth at -10* inclination and 300 million kilometers SMA

Instead of relative, if you use absolute and change the of the group absolutely to 100 million kilometers SMA and -10* inclination

Both the moons will be orbiting the Earth at 100 million kilometers SMA and -10* inclination, resulting in a collision.

With the absolute option, it might be a nice idea to add a bit of randomness.

X-axis     0--[]-------0  [245](unit)
Y-axis     0-----[]----0  [523](unit)
Z-axis     0-------[]--0  [1203](unit)
Speed     0-[]--------0  [49](unit)
Direction 0------[]---0  [126] degrees

units for the first three sliders will be something like meters, kilometers, light-years, and maybe we could to 'radus/radii' too (average radius of all bodies).

Speed is in km/hr, lightspeed, etc. (maybe even %)

Direction could be only in degrees and radians if you'd like.


And that's all. Maybe you (meaning Dan/other developers) could do this or even something similar to this. It'd be nice and make making simulations and manipulation bodies very easy.