{"id":2614,"date":"2020-03-03T09:05:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T14:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/?p=2614"},"modified":"2024-11-18T12:12:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T17:12:19","slug":"customize-robodk-interface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/customize-robodk-interface\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Helpful Ways to Customize RoboDK’s Interface"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every robot user has different tastes for programming. Here are 10 great ways to customize RoboDK’s interface to suit you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever tried to make yourself breakfast in someone else’s kitchen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a nightmare, isn’t it!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t know where any of the cutlery is, the toaster has a confusing array of buttons, and the refrigerator looks harder to navigate than <\/a>the mountains of Mordor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly what it can feel like when you try to use a different programming software than you normally use. The interface just doesn’t look right and it can take a while to get used to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, with RoboDK you don’t need to compromise. The interface is extremely customizable. There are options to alter an impressive array of different aspects to suit your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 10 ultra-helpful ways to customize RoboDK’s interface for your preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Change to Dark Mode<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, back when I was at university, one of my colleagues told me about the benefits of changing to “dark mode” when you’re programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most software packages use a white background with black text. Dark mode inverts all the colors so that they are the opposite, i.e. bright text on a back background. Many people say that dark mode reduces eye strain (and there was some evidence<\/a> that it reduced flicker in old CRT monitors).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are conflicting theories<\/a> about whether dark mode really is better for your eyes these days with modern screens \u2014 it’s much better to rest your eyes regularly when programming \u2014 but we can say one thing for sure: some people love dark mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a fan of dark mode, RoboDK will now activate it automatically when you have set your OS to dark mode. You can also customize this in the Display options (select Tools > Options window > Display tab<\/strong><\/em>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With OLED displays (though not LCD), dark mode can also reduce the power used by the screen,<\/a> which is great if you’re using RoboDK with battery power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Choose All the Colors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even if you’re not using dark mode, you can change almost all of the colors in RoboDK to suit your preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colors you can change include: collision color, text color, color of points, background color, reference frame colors, and the color of the selected item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These can all be changed via Tools > Options window > Display tab<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. Match Your Favorite Mouse Mode<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a user of various 3D graphics programs, I know how annoying it is when you switch to a new program and the mouse mode is different. Suddenly, up becomes down and down becomes up, the mouse wheel function changes, and the button functions flip around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RoboDK allows you to change the mouse mode to whatever mode you prefer via Tools menu > Options window > General tab<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Match Your CAD\/CAM Package Automatically<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have integrated your favorite CAD\/CAM package into RoboDK, using one of our plugins<\/a>, you can get RoboDK to match the visual style and mouse mode for that program automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you are using the SolidWorks plugin<\/a>, you can set the “SolidWorks theme” thorough the plugin menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Change the Language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s always easier to navigate a new software if the menus are written in your native language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In RoboDK, you can change the language easily through the Tools Menu > Language.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of writing, it contains support for 16 of the most common languages. Not every language has been translated fully, but the key functionalities are represented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Switch the Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Programs that use 3D graphics suffer from an interesting problem.<\/a> Sometimes you want to view the objects as you would in the real world (with a realistic perspective effect). Other times, you want the view to reflect the dimensions more accurately, even if the model looks less realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can switch between the two views (perspective and orthographic) via Tools menu > Options window > Display tab.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Switch Number Format<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All the countries of the world can be split into two groups<\/a>: those who use a point (.) to separate a decimal number and those who use a comma (,).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n