New Features: Split View, Custom Cutting Planes, and Custom Saved Views

Here’s what you need to know about the latest changes and improvements in CoLab. These updates are live in the app now, if you want to jump in and check them out for yourself!

Split view

Introducing split view: Designed to enhance your design reviews by allowing you to directly compare revisions of the same 3D model. With split view, you can ensure issues from past revisions are properly addressed, assess past design issues and comments, and gain deeper insight into your design iterations. 

How it works

Activating split view

• Open a revision of a file
• Right-click on another revision and select “Open in split view”.
• Breadcrumbs indicate split view in the navigation bar.

Feedback Creation and Viewing

• Leave feedback on either file while using split view.
• Feedback side-panel reloads upon engaging split view.
• Selecting feedback makes the associated model the active model.

Filtering Feedback

• Filter feedback to focus on comments from a specific revision.
• Filtered-out pins on the model are hidden for clarity.

Locked Camera Mode

• Engage locked camera mode through the toolbar icon.
• Manipulate one model's camera to control both models' perspectives.
• Camera movements sync between the active and inactive windows.

Custom cutting planes

We’ve introduced custom cutting planes to help you more easily navigate complex geometry and get exactly the views you’re looking for.

How it works

Creating a custom cutting plane

• Select a face (not an edge) of any 3D model.
• Right click and select Add custom cutting plane
• OR using the cutting plane tools option from the bottom menu, select Cutting plane on selected face

Custom saved views

Custom saved views are a tool designed to empower users to save and share specific states of 3D models, providing a common context for meaningful discussions and reviews.

How It Works

Saving Custom Model Views

• Position the model to your desired state
• Click on "Save view" 
• Name and save the view

Viewing Saved Model Views

• Access saved views in two ways:

• From the model browser's "Views" tab, where custom views are listed separately.
• From the views modal, which features an "Open saved views" link to the model browser's "Views" tab.

Updating and Managing Saved Model Views

• Modify an existing saved view by opening the views modal.
• Select a saved view from the dropdown menu and update it to the current viewer state.
• Confirm or cancel the update. Admins and view creators can perform updates.
  

More Improvements and fixes

• Updated the UI for the Groups to be consistent with other features
• Fixed an issue that was causing users to experience inconsistent cutting plane functionality when using slides
• Instead of collapsing all folders, Drive will now remember its state when a user refreshes or returns from another page
• Users can now move files and folders between locations using the “Move to” menu option
• Enhanced Track CSV exports by introducing a new feedback comments export, facilitating a detailed overview of feedback discussions alongside their associated metadata.
• Added Collapse all and Expand all options in folder menus to give users the ability to collapse or expand all folders at once
• Added checkbox functionality to make folder and file selection more intuitive for users.