[Bf-funboard] Re: OOPS-based Object Manager mock-up

[Thorsten Wilms]

On Fri, Dec 05, 2003 at 12:53:32PM -0500, Karim Nassar wrote:
> 
> The first thing I did was assume that we can create a new type of 
> Object: The Container. This would be something like an Empty, in that it 
> can be both a parent and a child of dependencies. However, it would not 
> have any 3-d presence (it would ONLY show up in the OOPS/Object 
> Manager). This means that a Container has a Layer bit just like other 
> objects, so Containers aren't really Layers.

With Containers = Groups no difference from what I was thinking about.
 
> The second assumption that I made is that the settings we have 
> previously discussed as being added to Layers (display, lock, no-render) 
> can be set at the individual object level. This facilitates using 
> Containers as "Layers" in process if not in name.

Still no difference other than graphical representation.


> http://www.karimnassar.com/phoenix/images/Obj_detail.jpg

> 2) Shade Control - Collapse or Expand the Block display itself. (10)

I think this it not realy useful. You can't save space, because you would 
have to rearrange the layout all the time. There's not much to gain in 
clearness, but you need an additional control.

> 5) Layer Bit Indicator - Which Layer the object is on. Rt-click to change.

As Luke has brought up, using actual shortcuts instead of just numbers 
might be of advantage.

> 6) Primary Dependents - Shows the primary (default) dependency of the 
> object. Clicking the (+) shows Children, (-) hides Children. Rt-Click to 
> change settings. 

The (+) and (-) could be misleading: Look at the "Background" block that 
has nothing attached to it. One could expect that clicking on the (+) will 
add something. And as always with indicating states the problem is, it is 
not clear in advance if the current state, or the state to switch to, is 
indicated. It's better to indicate actions instead. But I have to admit that 
it's not easy and I have no idea how it should look like right now.


> Changes to a Parent's settings will change Children as 
> well. Shown as the Primary Dependency is "Interactivity" which includes 
> Visibility, Editability (lock), and Render Toggle. (9)

So childrens visibility is synced to that of the parent?
What if I want to hide just one of children?
Can one object be in more than one container in your proposal?
If so, you would need some way of resolving conflicts because 
of synced visibility. If not, that would be quite a limitation.


> 8) Access Object Details - Launches an In-depth object inspector with 
> access to all Object settings (like Object Edit Panels).

Looks to much like a disclosure triangle.
 

> http://www.karimnassar.com/phoenix/images/ObjMan.jpg


>From the addendum:
> Since a Container object does not have a "body" to select, selecting a
> Container automaticlaly selects its contents, but (?) selecting a
> non-container Object that has children does NOT select the children.

There could be a context menu option for selection of children.


The advantage of such a network view regarding grouping for whatever 
purpose is, that you can show show inclusion in multiple groups with 
showing the object in multiple instances. But you need much space 
for this, and keyboard navigation is problematic. 

Tree and network views could coexist in Blender. Both could have 
some options (filters) of what is shown and what not.

You basic idea of how to integrate grouping and visibilty management 
into a network view is interesting. But I think it would have to 
coexist with other things along the lines of parenting, tracking, 
constraints. So there's much more to take into account for redesigning 
OOPS window.


BTW, Karim, may I download all your images relating to layers to 
put them directly on my page? I've avoided this by only linking 
to them to leave no doubt about their origin, but I think for 
comparison it would be more fair to show them directly, and it would 
also be more convinient for visitors. Of course I would clearly 
indicate authorship.


---
Thorsten