[Bf-committers] Group selection menu

[Daniel Fairhead]

>   Something + Tab = Tree Walk Mode (TWM)
>   A = select all children and exit TWM mode
>   1,2,3..9 = open / select child (like menu)

The trouble with a new mode, is that it is editing the same properties
that can be edited from another mode (object/default mode). In Blender
currently we have:

"Normal" mode - allows selecting/moving/grouping/etc objects.
Edit mode - allows editing of *one object*, and the verticies/points of that object.

And other edit type modes (paint/pose/etc) are all modifiers of that one object,
and leave the other modes properties (rotation/location/size/etc) alone.

This new mode would not be an "edit properties that cannot be got at from
normal mode" but more of a "show the same data/properties, but in a
different way" mode.

Thats part of why this is a difficult question to solve. We dont want
to add loads more buttons and hotkeys to blender, _but_ the current
method works very efficiently and logically (once you get your head
around it). There are many illogicalities in blender, and irregularities, but
it would be better to remove them, and come up with a new proposal on
how to cope with so many modifiers/editers/hotkeys/buttons/modes, so
as to keep blender logical, rather than adding new modes and new 
buttons and new hotkeys, especially if they don't fit into the current
way things work.

I personally think new hotkeys is the best current easily possible
solution. We really need a new proposal for doing a largish change
on how hotkeys and modes work, keeping the basic blender way of
working, but removing illogicallities and inconsistancies, and allowing
blender to be extensible easily in the future. Without a new proposal/
system for this, we will have continual problems with every new feature,
option, etc that is added "a new sub-surf type? great! what? oh. theres
no space in 'edit-buttons'... lets add a new buttons-block 'subsurf-type' "
and so on and so forth.

I have been thinking about this for quite a while.

http://www.blender.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=1837&sid=bf20928e452ae940e8216e521192f769

Has some interesting ideas, with something along what I was starting to
ponder. _If_ I get any inspirations, or ideas which I can't find big flaws in,
I'll try and proposal it, for proper discussion (funboard and here).

Dan