[Bf-committers] blender UI state

[Knapp]

IMOHO, the single biggest problem for first time users is that they
don't get it at all. So from this perspective I think we should make
the opening screen as simple as possible. What we have now can be left
as the default but then we can add a new one called something like
beginner. It would open with everything gone but for the edit screen
with a default monkey or cube (I would pick the monkey because it is
the blender icon and is good adverting and a more exciting first
render plus you have somewhere to go with it like painting it or
animating it.)

For first time users blender would open with a screen that has a good
picture like now but also some basic directions like right click to
select and R for rotate, S for scale and G for grab f12 to render and
E to extrude. Escape to drop what you are doing. Or something like
this, KISS. This would be the beginner mode. Normal users could turn
off this mode in the preferences and have our current normal Blender
settings. I think this would go a long way towards keeping first time
users. I would also not be against have a 3 point lighting on the
monkey and a ground plane so that the first render looks really good.
I think this would really help sell Blender to new young users.
Keys:
1 Easy to use.
2 Makes a really cool first picture.

For normal users I would also turn on by default rotate around
selected and new object enter edit mode. How often do you add an
object and not edit it? Only problem I can see is that newbies would
then keep adding in edit mode and that will lead to questions about
how to split meshes out of one object.

-- 
Douglas E Knapp

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