[Bf-committers] Blender App Central / Add-on Manager

[Mango Jambo]

Hi all,

At Blender Pro, the Blender conference Brazil, I was talking to Ton, Dalai,
Pablo Vasquez and other artists about a great idea for Blender: the Blender
Addon/App Central.

*The problem today:*
- It is hard to find an add-on if you never did before;
- Even if you did it, you need to find it again: Blender.org > Download >
wiki Python Scripts (add-ons?) > Script Catalog;
- Some of them gives an outside link to download, like blenderartist,
dropbox, etc.;
- To install you need to Download and then install by Blender Add-on
install button or copy straight to the add-on folder (and find this
folder). Some Add-ons has folders and other files, so the install button
doesn't work for it;
- We never know if there is a new add-on version (Contrib and External);
- We don't know which add-ons are most downloaded or even users feedback
about it. Well, there is some Blenderartists threads, but nothing more
"official" about it;
- Every time we need to install Blender in another computer, we need to
copy/download add-ons again. Some people makes use of Dropbox for it, or
copy the Blender user Preferences Folder, but it is not a casual task
(mainly for artists, thrust me! ;] );

*Proposal*
To transform the current Script Catalog into a friendly and intuitive
Add-on/App Manager inside Blender, showing votes, comments, updates,
favorites, etc. and, optionally, being able to log-in and automatically
install "my add-ons" in another computer/Blender installation.
An image is better than a thousand words:
http://www.pasteall.org/pic/show.php?id=24117 (initial layout proposal from
the designer and my friend Allan Carvalho)
Probably being inside Blender it should be more Blender colors and layout
like.

*Goals*
- To make add-ons looks more friendly, like apps. This could attract more
users and more developers;
- Being able to log-in for easier management and consistence on any user
machine(laptop, home and work pc), like in Google Chrome. This could work
for preferences too;
- To have vote and comments, increasing user participation, feedback and
sharing;
- To manage channes (repositories), like on Ubuntu: Official and Partner
channels (to exempt Blender Foundation Servers from some "Contrib Scripts",
how already is today);


*References*
- https://chrome.google.com/webstore
- Unity Store;
- Android Market.


The big problem is: I can´t code! So I need help, ideas, suggestions from
you developers.
There is more ideas that I want to discuss about it, so lets keep it warm
if you like it! :)

Cheers

Moraes Junior - aka mangojambo
Animator & 3D Artist
+55 43 88133399 <http://www.oniria.com.br>