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Author Topic: Interactive curves: quickly assert data at a given X value  (Read 2108 times)

Broken Stylus

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Interactive curves: quickly assert data at a given X value
« on: October 02, 2019, 06:50:21 AM »
I'm a big user of sample curves but I noticed that every time I need to know about the value of a key, I actually need to select it. So either I do a left click and take the risk of translating the key by accident, or I do right click on it to edit it so I can read its values without risking to change its position, but it's tiresome if you want to quickly check many values at once.

Now, these days, there are millions of data services that produce all sorts of nice graphs with curves and bars and all that. What's appreciable is that in order to obtain the data at a specific time (or whatever they use as a reference for the X axis), you just have to place your cursor on the curve / line / bar and it draws something, generally a dot, where the cursor is; obviously they do not require you to be pixel-perfectly placing your cursor onto the curve, there's a near enough detection going on.
Next to this dot, a dynamic and moving popup that follows the cursor displays the value(s).

Sometimes, when there are several elements in the graph, a vertical line is also drawn and values are displayed everywhere a curve crosses that mobile vertical line.

It would be very practical to be able to do the same when editing a curve.
Since there's only one curve per window, you wouldn't even need to place your cursor on the curve: the cursor's x position would simply be projected onto the curve and display the data there, perhaps drawing a subtle vertical line too.

Also, if the mobile dot that represents the cursor's position on X, projected onto the curve, occupies the same space as an already existing key (represented as a green today), the mobile dot (blue ? yellow ? orange ?) would disappear and the fixed dot would be circled.
Right now, when editing a curve, there's no visual interaction if you place the mouse cursor on a fixed key. It does not change color, it's not circled. Nothing.

Side note: the values on X and Y are very hard to read, with the dark gray font on slightly less dark gray background :-\.

Broken Stylus

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Re: Interactive curves: quickly assert data at a given X value
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2019, 06:56:25 AM »
Also, add support for Undo/Redo on curves please. :)