[Bf-committers] I'd like to kill the soft body module

[Benjamin Tolputt]

bjornmose wrote:
> While the SB module seems to do no harm and seems to be working with 2.5 
> ( bad/ good luck ),  it is deprecated and needs a complete rewrite. 
> I did expect it to fail with 2.5.
> Keeping up the current code will sooner or later be an obstacle to 
> further evolution of the animation system.
> The rewrite needs to break compatibility with older file versions to 
> some extend I can no estimate right now.
> Since 2.5 did big quantum leap forward on animation , I thought it might 
> be the right time to cut off rotten parts of the tree.
>   

While I understand the technical issues you mentioned (not quoted), my
issue with the above is that you classify softbody as rotten, yet many
people use it. Were it a recent feature that just didn't work out, you'd
probably not have as big a problem. The thing is that softbodies have
been around long enough for people to be using them for more than a
simple "wow, check this out" fiddle with the feature.

The real answer to the problem is to FIX the problems with the softbody
module, not to REMOVE it. Yes, that will take a longer time and more
developer effort, but until cloth can do everything the softbody module
has been doing since Blender 2.37 - it is not a replacement and it does
cut out useful features (see email regarding the muscle system).

Quite simply put, you cannot treat features that have been in a previous
stable build (and in this case - several stable builds) the same as
those introduced in the latest alpha/beta. Even the major refactor
ongoing for Blender 2.5 is doing it's best to keep all the features of
2.49; just with different methods of accessing them. One the end-user
has a feature, especially one as useful as the softbody module, prying
it away from them is a bad idea. They'll get over a change in
button/keyboard shortcut. They will not be happy to see their powerful
rigging concept not only has to be rebuilt, but is impossible in the new
version.

-- 
Regards,

Benjamin Tolputt
Analyst Programmer