[Bf-funboard] New Keymap: selection

[Knapp]

On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 8:06 PM, Nathan Vegdahl <cessen at cessen.com> wrote:
>> * It's complicated. Selection should not be complicated.
>
> IMO this proposal is the simplest option proposed so far.  How do you
> propose to accommodate 7+ frequently used selection tools with a
> single mouse button, with both 'add' and 'remove' options for the
> applicable tools?  Arguably for some selection tools it's not useful
> to have the full range of replace/add/remove, but I think for most of
> them it is.
>
> I'm trying to avoid hand-cramping mouse/key combos here.
>
>> * It's modal. When something works differently in a different modes it only
>> confuses.
>
> How is this any more modal than putting everything on LMB?  I agree
> that my proposal still has some modal-ness to it, but it's precisely
> the same amount of modal-ness we would get when cramming every
> selection tool into LMB.  The only way to avoid this being modal is to
> give every unique selection tool from every mode its own unique
> mouse/key combo, which unless I'm missing something seems somewhat
> unfeasible.
>
> I'm open to alternative proposals, of course.  But I would like to
> avoid over-complex key combos for frequently used selection tools such
> as loop and ring select, at the very least.
>
> --Nathan

There is a basic problem here. People are used to icons or keys. This
makes it easy to remember and is why the desktop is way more popular
than the CLI. On the other side is modal programs that are much harder
to learn but they do make usage very easy once learned. Modal creates
a steep learning curve and this is hard for the newbies. The problem
is that blender has no MANY functions that you can use up the whole
keyboard if each key does one thing and these keys change based on the
current mode blender is in. Blender is very modal from the point of
view of the VSE being one mode and the 3d editor another etc.

I really don't know what the best answer is but it is clear that we
benefit if blender uses the same key combos as other programs thus
making blender more "intuitive" and easy to learn. The other HUGE
factor is the number of key presses the normal pro must use per day.
A bad key/mouse combo can bring this the 3 times what it might be! So
keep it simple, low key press counts and intuitive and easy for the
hand. One hand on the keyboard the other on the mouse and no looking
at the keyboard ever is ideal. Last keep known keys there because that
makes it easy to use too!

-- 
Douglas E Knapp

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