Illustrator CC 2015.3(20.0) is released...

[AshutoshChaturvedi]

Hi,

I am pleased to announce that we have pushed Illustrator CC 2015.3(20.0) live for production usage. Please refer here for the feature list.

-- Ashutosh

[Phoenix15]

great! hopefully you've fixed the GPU/memory issues....

[Doug A Roberts]

why is this release '2015.3' and not 2016.0?

is this a full release or an update from 19.2? the use of '20.0' suggests the former, but '2015.3' suggests the latter.

[ashishism10]

Yes, it is full release.

[aranjan]

It is full release.

[hayungs]

Great... still no option to re-enable handles snapping to grid. Adobe really listens to it's customers.

And even more touch input improvements (which you can't deactivate) because everybody and their mothers work with touch input.

Guess I stuck with Illustrator CC then.

[Ton Frederiks]

Did you install it?

Handles do snap to grid in this version.

[hayungs]

Didn't do it for me after the Update, so I uninstalled and reinstalled it completely and really... SNAP TO GRID IS BACK!

So, I guess it's partly my fault.

But could you point me to the part in the Update Infos, where it states the reimplementation of the feature? Or did Adobe just sneak it in silently?

[Doug A Roberts]

I haven't seen a real detailed list as yet.

[hayungs]

You can find the "full" List here:

New features summary for Illustrator

[AshutoshChaturvedi]

Douglas Roberts​  Ton Frederiks​

I have posted the complete list here: Feature List of Illustrator CC 2015.3(20.0)

[Ton Frederiks]

Thanks!

[Doug A Roberts]

Thanks Ashutosh.

AshutoshChaturvedi wrote:

Selection tool while working with pen tool - While working in the Pen tool, use of Cmd/Ctrl will always take the user to Direct Selection tool, no matter what the last used selection Tool was. Earlier it toggled to the last used selection tool - which could either be the (main) selection tool or the direct selection tool. The behaviour is now consistent with Photoshop.

i was wondering about the description of this. interesting. i wonder how many complaints this will draw.

[hayungs]

Funny, isn't it? I always wonder, how Adobe make it's decisions about stuff like that.

I imagine one upper managment guy, sitting alone in a room and playing around with Illustrator to draw a happy catface on his touch-device with his fingers. Then he wants to use the Direct Select tool, but Illustrator uses the last active select tool. Angry about that totally crazy behaviour he jumps up, calls the Dev Department and demands to fix that for EVERYONE.

That's the only way, i could explain, why they removed "handles snap to grid" in the last versions. There can't be any other explanation.

[AshutoshChaturvedi]

Christian Hayungs wrote:

Funny, isn't it? I always wonder, how Adobe make it's decisions about stuff like that.

I imagine one upper managment guy, sitting alone in a room and playing around with Illustrator to draw a happy catface on his touch-device with his fingers. Then he wants to use the Direct Select tool, but Illustrator uses the last active select tool. Angry about that totally crazy behaviour he jumps up, calls the Dev Department and demands to fix that for EVERYONE.

That's the only way, i could explain, why they removed "handles snap to grid" in the last versions. There can't be any other explanation.

hayungs​

Defaulting to direct selection was based on customer feedback. People mentioned they were more likely to select segments and anchor points while drawing using the pen tool. We also have a large common user base with Photoshop hence lack of consistency was troubling them.

I am from the management team and I can assure our management jobs go beyond drawing catfaces. However I must admit we draw catfaces at times 

We would love to have you on our prerelease program to discuss this and other issues that you may be having with Illustrator. Our touch initiative has been focused to a separate workspace that you can access on a touch friendly device. Our data suggests mouse and stylus remains primary user input device for professionals who create graphics. As part of this program you will have access to our latest builds and get an opportunity to directly share your feedback and suggestions with the Illustrator Product and Engineering teams.

URL to Join the Program: http://adobe.ly/1Q3rCPI

A few prerequisites to join the program:  A valid subscription and the latest release of Illustrator installed on your machine.

Regards,

Ashutosh

Sr. Quality Engineering Manager - Illustrtor

[jane-e]

AshutoshChaturvedi wrote:

I have posted the complete list here: Feature List of Illustrator CC 2015.3(20.0)

Thank you!

[Ton Frederiks]

I cannot see it in the New and Improved list either.

It may be useful to publish also the "minor" (for some major) fixes.

Maybe AshutoshChaturvedi can publish that list?

[hayungs]

They also changed the beavior of the circle smartshape, so you can change height AND width without rotating it.

You can find my forum entry about that here: Where are the handles to change the width of circles?

Seemingly Adobe thinks, they better don't admit any fixes to bad design choices and act like they never happend.

So please, for the next secret fix, make smart shapes OPTIONAL Adobe. I promise I won't tell anyone about it okay?

Right now I have to convert every shape to a standard shape after creating it.

[Ton Frederiks]

You may also be happy that the round corner widgets disappear when you zoom out or have a small Live shape so that you do not round the corners by accident when you only want tove the shape.

Probably falls (like the Circle behaviour you mentioned) in the category:

• The bounding box has been simplified to present a more clutter-free experience while working with Live Shapes.

[hayungs]

Yeah, but that's a pretty vague description. Could mean pretty much anything realted to live shapes 😕

[aranjan]

We are continuously monitoring our client complaints. Also, we admit that making circle and ellipse width handle for the proportion scale was a bad decision. That's why we fixed this issue in current release.

From forum we also come to know that, at very low zoom level, shapes handles become cluttering and they are interfering in the user work flow. To resolve this problem, now these shape handle would hide at lower zoom level (when they would very close).

I would also like to mention that, concept of Smart Shape is quite young, so we do require some time to get resolved all the clients issue.

[hayungs]

aranjan schrieb:

We are continuously monitoring our client complaints. Also, we admit that making circle and ellipse width handle for the proportion scale was a bad decision. That's why we fixed this issue in current release.

From forum we also come to know that, at very low zoom level, shapes handles become cluttering and they are interfering in the user work flow. To resolve this problem, now these shape handle would hide at lower zoom level (when they would very close).

I would also like to mention that, concept of Smart Shape is quite young, so we do require some time to get resolved all the clients issue.

This! Admitting your mistakes is such a breath of fresh air. It does much more good, than introducing new features. At least this shows us, that you really try to listen and improve, instead of working in the dark. I hate big companys denying every wrongdoing and acting like machines. So, thank thank you for that!

But back to the problems: How could things like this even happen in the first place? When you add new features, I guess you test them? I mean, playing around with the smartshapes for just 30 minutes should have brought up the obvious flaws. The users should not be the beta testers for stuff like this. Especially when the "concept of Smart Shape is quite young". And if you test this in a closed Beta, how could this merge to main? And if this is such a new concept, why don't make it optional? The only way to avoid smart shapes for paying customers right now, is to revert to a 3 year older version of Illustrator, missing all the usefull new features.

When I read the news about "removing handles snapping to grid for more control" I nearly smashed my screen out of anger and disbelief. Like if you don't even use your own software and could'nt imagine how many user heavily rely on that function for their workflow.

As you can see, I am really frustrated right now. I'm using Adobe Software for many years and every new version brings more bad than good. As a User, I really don't like the direction Adobe has taken since the Cloud and feel angry and left alone.

[Doug A Roberts]

yeah that's the one i was looking at. but there's no way that's an exhaustive list.

[mogustudio]

Useless if adobe didn't fix the performance issue ~ unusable for many user since the update on Jan 2016. Hope this fixed the problem.

[marcel81]

just installed the update today. but almost every time when i safe a file in illustrator cc 2015.3 the program crashes...

is there a workaround? hadn't any problems before..

i'm working with os 10.9.5