[Bf-committers] GSoC applications

[Mike Erwin]

Hello,
I'm still working on a proposal for non-trad devices, and will post
something tomorrow-ish for review. In the mean time, thanks to several
of you for the early feedback.

Shaul asks:
> regarding the intuos, what exactly is missing in current blender
> implementation ?

That's exactly what I was wondering, as I have a less-capable tablet
without pen tilt or hotkeys. A friend loaned me his Intuos3 (*much*
nicer by the way), and I've been looking for answers to this question.
For starters, nothing (that I've found) uses pen tilt. Matt Ebb
commented on this
(http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?p=1058775), but that
was a few years ago. Any change? I'll be getting an Intuos4 also, to
explore the implications of its different control layout to blender
workflows.

Seppo comments:
> One thing I'm looking forward to have is ability to use spacenavicator as in the backround
> controller that works even the other commands are active.

I'd always assumed it *did* work that way! One hand on the object
(SpaceNav), one hand on the tool (pen). I personally use keyboard
under left hand, mouse in right, with pen balanced in fingers when not
in use. Explored sculpting this weekend, with pen in right and numeric
keypad (2-4-6-8) under left, which I'd love to swap for the SpaceNav.
How hard would it be to interleave view changes with the tool's
functions in the event system?

Matt says:
> Spacenavigator support is in 2.49, you need to get a plugin to put in
> a folder under your blender dir to make it work. Support in 2.49 was
> ok, but quite limited due to the old events system. 2.5 is much better
> in this regard, the new event system/keymaps have lots of exciting
> possibilities to do some very cool things with the spacenavigator, but
> it's just not implemented yet.

Ok, there's a good first step to work on.

> I looked at doing this myself a little while ago on OS X, but got
> stuck since blender is now using 64bit/cocoa on OS X, and I was having
> trouble re-compiling the plugin to work on that system.

I'm familiar with Macintosh events, especially CoreFoundation and
Cocoa as used in ghost for Mac. 3DConnexion's latest driver is very
recent, and claims support for 64-bit and Snow Leopard. So the plugin
works fine with 2.49 on non-64-bit Macs, but doesn't work with 2.5 on
any platform, correct? The #include <carbon.h> and OSErr worry me, but
I'm getting their latest SDK now to look it over. The disassembled
driver binary doesn't have anything particularly funky, so that's
good.

> This would be really great to get back in 2.5, however it may be a
> little small for a GSoC. Maybe if combined with something else it
> might be better, i.e. some really good UI design/implementation about
> how to integrate it throughout with Blender's tools and take it to the
> next level?

I would consider nothing less. First it would be great to get these
devices working seamlessly, but the major task is exposing them
effectively to the artist. I've been collecting some ideas:

-- simultaneous view adjustment and tool use (as above)
-- swapping among related tools based on pressure
    -- think of cutting vs. scoring paper with a knife
    -- requires some sort of visual feedback to indicate current tool,
possible tools, and thresholds
-- updating the tablet's buttons (and illuminated labels!) based on
the task within blender
-- improving input responsiveness for quick movements
    -- smart smoothing based on event position and time deltas, not
the polling frequency
    -- this would be useful for many tools, especially when using a
drawing tablet
-- grease pencil improvements:
    -- pen tip vs. eraser for starters, which works sensibly in 2.49
but not 2.5a2
    -- partial line segment erasure (split segments or move endpoints
instead of killing the line)
    -- when pen is lifted to stop drawing straight lines, pressure
drops and the line is weak. compensate.
-- project brush/tool previews onto objects instead of simple circle cursor
    -- included here because of possible pen tilt dynamics
-- find some uses for pen tilt!
    -- painting and sculpting are obvious
    -- what else...?
-- interpreting SpaceNav events in context, rather than mapping to keys
    -- turning the knob means "rotate" in 3d view, but
"increase/decrease" for a value slider

My overall goal is to make these things feel more natural. I like
breaking this into several small improvements that each contribute
something on their own. What I mean is, having 4 of 5 things
completely done seems more useful than one awesome thing 80% done.
What are your thoughts about working on several related issues instead
of one big one? Would this help or hurt chances of funding?

I will of course prioritize the items that benefit the most people.
For example, pay more attention to tablets than 3d mice, and don't
bother with rare capabilities like pen twist. Some of the above items
improve the experience for mouse and keyboard users as well, so...
good for them!

Please forgive my rambling, I'm just trying to gather some ideas for a
productive summer.

Mike Erwin
musician, naturalist, pixel pusher, hacker extraordinaire
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Significant.bit

On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 2:41 PM, Tom M <letterrip at gmail.com> wrote:
> Students, the deadline is rapidly approaching - it is best to submit
> sooner rather than later - so that we can give feedback if your
> application is 'close' and thus give you the opportunity to make
> changes for the better.
>
> So please consider applying in the next day or so instead of waiting
> till the last minute,
>
> thanks,
>
> LetterRip