[Bf-committers] Freestyle branch - user point of view

[Vicente]

Hi all,

I've been reading the "Freestyle branch review" discussion and I would 
like to add something from a user point of view.
 From the beginning I've been using Freestyle and we use it on a daily 
basis in our company (www.anigoanimation.com), so I know it very well.

Till now we have been doing little scenes, where Freestyle suited fine, 
but recently we started the production of a film. Then we noticed we had 
a big problem.

With the current implementation of Freestyle, all the settings, i.e. 
LineStyles, are limited to the current blend file. So you can NOT create 
a character library and link it later from another blend file while 
keeping the LineStyles.
You are allowed to set all the LineStyles you need (we are using up to 
10 LS per character). But, if you link that character from another file, 
the LineStyles (that, by definition, are not "linked" with the character 
but with to the Scene->render layers) won't be linked. So you will have 
to, manually, copy every LS from the "character" file into the final 
file. Obviously this is not optimal.

Even if, a requested feature, the "export/import LineStyle <-> XML" is 
done soon, this will be only a workaround.

 From my (user) point of view, the LineStyles should be optionally 
linked to the Scene->Render Layers OR to objects (at least). Somehow 
like the textures: there are textures for materials, for brushes, for 
the environment...
In this way we could import a character/asset/set with everything we 
need in one single step.
In another conversation with T.K. we talked about using Freestyle with 
curves and with Grease Pencil strokes in a future, maybe these could use 
the same approach.

That's all. I just wanted to give you my focus because I think that 
solving this issue before Freestyle be merged can be way less 
troublesome than if you solve it later. But maybe I'm wrong ;)

Thanks,

Vicente