[Bf-committers] blender UI state

Knapp magick.crow at gmail.com
Thu Jan 19 18:14:54 CET 2012


On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 1:59 AM, Jorge Rodriguez
<jorge at lunarworkshop.com> wrote:
> I'm glad that this topic is being discussed, as it is one of the primary
> motivations for me beginning work on Blender. Here is my list of things
> that I would like to see fixed, from a newbie's point of view:
>
> * There is a "+" to open the N properties (and other panels) but no "-" to
> close it.

+1

> * Panels can be opened by dragging them out, but can't be closed by
> dragging them back.

+1

> * The toolbar on the left is a good idea but is rough, some buttons are
> pointless and it needs to be neater. I would love to see the background
> panel disappear, and the buttons therein presented as floating buttons on
> top of the UI. Like how Silo does it. (http://goo.gl/7HChk See left.) This
> would give more area to the 3D view, which is what's really important.

> * I would like to see right clicking on things offer a "Delete" option.
> * When right clicking for some things there is no "Rename" option.
??

> * I would like to see a right click menu that provides copy and paste when
> right clicking text areas.

Currently ctrl v,c and (x?)

> * Why does pressing Ctrl-S prompt the user to save? Why would anybody ever
> not want to save when they just pressed Ctrl-S? What other program does
> this, ever?

You clicked it by mistake and do NOT want to save. I have done this many times.

> * Someone already mentioned that the button rows need to wrap and make a
> new row if they run out of space. I'll bet a lot of people don't know that
> you can scroll those things. But, you shouldn't ever have to.

My idea but sometimes it is better to have the space so it should be
an option and not a must, perhaps per panel.

> * When dialogs like the file dialog are open I always find myself clicking
> the Windows X button to close it, which closes Blender, often without
> saving my work. Needs another smaller (X) up there for closing the dialog
> without choosing a file.

Yep, done that too but I have never lost my work due to Blenders
rather odd way of saving stuff.

> * I think it is inane that saving user preferences saves the entire current
> .blend to be loaded again with the File->New command. If I want to rebind a
> key in the middle of my work, it saves my entire project, and then I
> continue my work and next time I load Blender I am presented with an old
> version of my project. It should save only user preferences, like it claims
> it does.

Yep! +100 but we also need a way to save our start out scene.


> * In general I think the default Blender screen is too cluttered and should
> contain fewer panels. I think we can do away with the outliner and
> properties on the right, and also with the timeline on the bottom.

I have tried a lot of ways and totally disagree. The outliner keeps
you from getting lost  for example when you accidentally make some
thing hidden or whatever and lets you quickly rename stuff. You need
the properties all the time, what would you do with them? They used to
be on the bottom but with large screens they are quite nice on the
side. The time line is small and does not take up much space and is
needed any time you do animation or anything else with time like
particles.

The very best thing an artist can do is buy a large HD screen and the
second is to buy a second large screen!

> If the
> user wants more panels, the user can create more panels. Advanced users
> already have their layout customized how they like it, presenting new users
> with 8 panels causes information overload, and turns people off Blender.
> So, a new user loading Blender for the first time might see something more
> like this:http://i41.tinypic.com/8yu et5.png

The link is dead. I never had this problem but I do think it would be
nice to have a very basic start up screen with a nice head there so
that the first render comes out nicely with nice lighting and not a
gray cube on a gray background with bad lighting. Talk about ugly. The
new version of cycles that render a few good looking heads seems much
nicer to me. I would like to see more of the presets up where it says
default. AS a new user I always wondered what default meant. I think a
bunch of screens there with settings of each common job set up by pros
would be a much nicer way to learn. You might need a wide screen an a
narrow setting for each one. A lot of clutter but it would have helped
me!

> I plan on working on many of these things, once I'm done with my work on
> the basic controls (see the Transform tool tweaks thread.)
>
> --
> Jorge "Vino" Rodriguez
> jorge at lunarworkshop.com

Best of luck, you are fighting a lot of sticks in the mud, including me. :-)


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