<div dir="ltr">After having a conversation with Albartus on Steam, I realize some of my idea exists in Blender, and that I need to describe how my idea differs and is beneficial. <div><br></div><div>Blender currently contains a panel layout option. This is a good portion of what I was suggesting. It allows users to toggle between different workflows and creates decent customization. </div>
<div> </div><div>The next step of the feature would be adding save out and load in of layouts and organization options. Save out and load in inbuilt with the layout function would make sharing layouts easily done within the program. If I were to innovate a change in my layout, I could then simply save the desired layout and share over google chat with a coworker. It encourages mod'ability between users. With this ability to share comes the need for organization, as the number of layouts might bloat. Folder groupings could allow shared traits to be consolidated for ease of finding. If those folders could be toggled open and close, it reduces clutter. Folders may also allow saving out groups of layouts for fast deployment or portability of users between machines.</div>
<div><br></div><div>The second step, now that you allow saving and loading as well as grouping of layouts, is to allow those layouts to also load interface options. Since we have the option now to have multiple layouts grouped and organized in an uncluttered and manageable way, you can now allow for more schemes and thereby more freedom with those schemes. Allowing users to also load preset interface options, like hotkeys, would allow individuals the freedom to figure out their own workflow that works best for their task. In a more practical application, as an employer, I could tailor the control system of my custom layouts to make teaching new employees Blender easier. For instance, I could tailor a texture layout that is reminiscent to photoshop users, and I could tailor an animation environment that's reminiscent to a maya user. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Step three is adopting true mod'ability in the UI. This UI layout loading not only loads panel layout and interface presets but then also custom panels with their own scripts. This way, someone with adequate scripting knowledge could build their own user interface. They could create a toolbar, dedicate panels to certain tasks or whatever innovation they feel is needed. This would, for instance, allow an individual to repackage features in a streamlined fashion. Someone could create a sculpting UI, putting the tools most pertinent to the task in a dedicated bar with a dedicated window to brush presets. It might also open up innovation, like autoriggers built into the scheme. Tools programming could be democratized and shared, and Blender devs could use it as test beds for other innovations, too.</div>
<div><br></div><div>These features would not supplant existing UI, but be an additive system that works with classic Blender. If someone wants a classic feature in one of these custom UIs, they need only drag out a division and populate it with the classic tools they desire. If they do not like the hotkey scheme, they can set them back to default and resave the layout. It allows classic power users to keep the program as they like, but then gives enthusiasts and production companies the ability to tailor the program to their needs in a share'able way. (Be a mighty nice feature for Steam Workshop..)</div>
<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Albartus did voice a concern about creating varying control schemes. If people do not use a common key set, could confusion hinder adoption? I cannot answer that, but I ask an opposing question. Wouldn't opening the UI to share'able modding create further user enthusiasm for the program? I believe the potential for innovation is more powerful than the concern of uniformity, and I know if this feature existed, at least some of us indies would adopt the program and pool together to get the most out of the feature.</div>
</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Oct 8, 2013 at 12:54 PM, Jan Albartus <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:albartus@home.nl" target="_blank">albartus@home.nl</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<div>PPS. with "UIs, like Model &
Texture, Animation & Rigging, Compositing & FX" you mean
something else than the 'Default, 3D View Full, Animation,
Compositing, Game Logic, Motion Tracking, Scripting, UV Editing
and Video Editing' screen lay-outs blender already provides using
the drop-down?<div class="im"><br>
<br>
On 2013-10-08 19:23, Colin Knueppel wrote:<br>
</div></div><div><div class="h5">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">Thanks <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">PLyczkowski
and Brecht,</span>
<div><font face="arial, sans-serif">And Thanks PL</font>ycskowski
for the complement on NS2. I'm primarily anim, but I can keep
my ear out with Cory, our art director.<font face="arial,
sans-serif"><br>
</font>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">For
UI,</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">I've
been trying to be very active in the discussion, and I've
been honing what I hope is a persuasive and compassionate
argument for UI refinement that can both leave the program
intact for existing users as well as improve learnability
and customization. I have come to discuss it here as well,
due to someone linking this as another way to bring about
some change. </span></div>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a href="http://www.blendernation.com/2013/10/06/developer-meeting-notes-october-6-2013/" target="_blank">http://www.blendernation.com/2013/10/06/developer-meeting-notes-october-6-2013/</a><br>
</div>
<div>Here is the latest revision of my argument in the
comments. </div>
<div>It has been refined after some discussion with a Blender
Institute representative. His concerns were that a lot of the
UI discussion was directed at making Blender a clone of other
programs. Upon reflection, I don't believe the hotkeys are
necessary, and it is kind of disrespectful to ask Blender to
just adopt other program keys, when we all struggled to learn
Maya, Max and ZBrushes funky keys. I have instead shifted my
focus upon a feature I described here before, a prominent task
oriented UI loading menu option. Below that, I then describe
concerns that I believe should be kept in mind while designing
features, or redesigning, in Blender that would probably also
address Blender's learning curve for new users. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I don't wish to belabor this too much, but the UI element
alone would be a hundred times better than Maya's beloved
shelves system, and it would allow studios like Unknown
Worlds, perhaps Wolfire Games and other indie studios to pool
resources and design friendlier environments for new hires,
speed particular tasks or maybe even innovate new features. It
takes pressure off the core group about conforming to other
programs, too. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As for the second point, I consider usability really a
concern that we all should have as we age. The perspectives I
put forth are perhaps extreme, but should be considered while
designing a program. They are also representative of the many
shades of difficulties that exist across the user base of any
program. I think we all can identify people in our lives that
aren't senile but have difficulty keeping on track, and are
especially burdened by disorganization that requires
searching. We probably all know people that don't have trouble
reading but navigate almost primarily by landmarks. These sort
of problems are what I consider the bigger issue to Blender's
usability.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>These two items would make great strides towards addressing
core difficulties of learning Blender. </div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Oct 6, 2013 at 6:34 AM, Brecht
Van Lommel <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:brechtvanlommel@pandora.be" target="_blank">brechtvanlommel@pandora.be</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Hi,</div>
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
On Sun, Oct 6, 2013 at 10:40 AM, Paweł Łyczkowski <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:pawellyczkowski@gmail.com" target="_blank">pawellyczkowski@gmail.com</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_extra">
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">@Colin
@Aubrey<br>
<br>
Hey<br>
<br>
An UI refresh is planned for the 2.7x series,
and the commutity has been very active recently
in proposing what the refresh could consist of
(you can see the biggest thread about it here -
<a href="http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?298932-Blender-UI-Mockups-and-Ideas-Requested" target="_blank">http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?298932-Blender-UI-Mockups-and-Ideas-Requested</a>).<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
<div>To be clear, there is a lot of activity around
this topic from users, but as far as I know, no
developers have announced any big plans to refresh
the UI.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
Ton mentioned something about refreshing the default
settings in the roadmap, but that's not the same
thing.</div>
<div><a href="http://code.blender.org/index.php/2013/06/blender-roadmap-2-7-2-8-and-beyond/" target="_blank">http://code.blender.org/index.php/2013/06/blender-roadmap-2-7-2-8-and-beyond/</a><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
Maybe with all the activity there is a good change
that developers will get interested in working on
this topic, but I wouldn't say that it is actually
planned yet.</div>
<span><font color="#888888">
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Brecht.</div>
<div> </div>
</font></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
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</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</div>
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