[Bf-funboard] Lots of cool ideas on how to improve consitancy, ease of use ect. (with mockups)
William Reynish
bf-funboard@blender.org
Mon, 20 Oct 2003 17:39:36 +0200 (CEST)
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I have made a little collection of relatively small proposals that will improve our beloved program a great deal. Consider each proposal individually, and do tell me if you do or don't like the ideas. I'd really like to hear your oppinion, and even more so to see these things implemented very soon.
(I'm sorry about the HTML, does anyone know how to disable it in yahoo mail?)
Here they are:
Proposal 1 - Vertical text in collapsed horisontal panels
http://www.shadeless.dk/request1.jpg
Currently in the newest build, Blender only writes the first letter of the panel name when you collapse panles that are in horisantal mode. Wouldn't it be cool if it displayed the entire name? It would make it much easier to identfy the right panle once it is collapsed.
Proposal 2 - Consistant arrows and menus
http://www.shadeless.dk/request2.jpg
It is part of the plan to include menus in all the Blender windows, which is great! This means that you wont have to remember all the shortcuts for the IPO window for example. However, some people have shown concern that ading menus in all windows will minimize space the window headers. Why don't kill two birds with one stone, and include arrows just like in the main header (it hides/shows the menu), and increase consistancy (all the menus would have arrows to hide/show them), as well as optimizing space in the headers?!
Proposal 3 - Global Frames/seconds
http://www.shadeless.dk/request3.jpg
In the IPO window it shows the frame number in the bottom. In the sound window it shows seconds. What if you would like to use seconds in the IPO window? This would actually be really useful! And what if you wanted to show frames in the sound window? I propose that there should be a global Frames/Seconds toggle button, so that you could instantly change which you wanted to use. This would also add consistancy, because they would all show the same thing, minimizing confusion and maximizing logic and workflow
Proposal 4 - use tabs whereever possible
http://www.shadeless.dk/request4.jpg
Blender has introduced the super-userfriendly UI phenominon tabs to its repetoire of UI widgets. To add consistency, I think we should include tabs anywhere possible where it makes sence. A very logical place to expand on the use of tabs is in the ButtonWindow header replacing the old icons. I think the icons are hard to identify, especially for new users. We need proper text telling us what each button panel does. If preferred, we could combine old and new, and have the icons next to the text in the tabs.
Proposal 5 - include Grab, Rotate and Scale in menus
http://www.shadeless.dk/request5.jpg
I have already suggested this once on the funboard, but I don't think my idea came across properly.
Th official UI proposal says that all features should be accessable in the regular menus, while the Spacebar-Toolbox would include the exact same things, only designed context-sesitively so that only the relavant actions would appear. So why don't we have to most basic and important to know actions in the menus? Where is Grab, Rotate and Scale? Man they need to be in there, maybe just so that new users can see how this is done. You can't teach people how to flip normals before they learn the basics of moving, rotating and scaling.
Proposal 6 - More preset Screen styles
http://www.shadeless.dk/request6.jpg
A very small but still useful request would be to add in some more default screen setups. I have made my own Softimage and Flash lookalikes, but there could be many more. Ton also like to use the sound window (without header) as a useful thin animation timeline. And make sure you don't call them screen.001, screen.002 and so on...
Proposal 7 - New cool startup screen with new functionality.
http://www.shadeless.dk/request8.jpg
Firstly, I would like to propose that we add a link to a very basic introduction to blender in the startup screen. It could be written very clearly in easy-to-understand english, so that new users very quickly got to grips with the interface and a few other basics. This is a thing that would certinately help to not fright people away from the program when they first open it up.
Secondly, wouldn't it be cool to a new style of startup screen? It could be a .tga or something that included alpha for a cool look. I still have this mockup in a photoshop document with layers and everything, so I could easily make a tga with an alpha layer out of this design. I could easult remove the shadows/highlights if they are not desired (they are in a sepperate layer). We could go with a completely different design, but I think it would be cool with something new.
And thirdly, I think it is a bit odd that the current startup screen just disappears when you move the cursor - you anly ever see a very quick glimpse of something, you can never look at the startup screen if you wanted to. My proposal is to make it so that you would have to click to make it go away. This would alo mean that you could click on the link to the beginners introduction (otherwise the startup screen would disappear when you moved the cursor to click on the link)
I have considered each proposal quite a lot, and I think even though they are not major changes, they will all improve Blenders consistensy, coolness and ease of use. But tell me what you think!
-William Reynish (Monkyboi)
------------
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<DIV>I have made a little collection of relatively small proposals that will improve our beloved program a great deal. Consider each proposal individually, and do tell me if you do or don't like the ideas. I'd really like to hear your oppinion, and even more so to see these things implemented very soon. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>(I'm sorry about the HTML, does anyone know how to disable it in yahoo mail?)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Here they are:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Proposal 1 - </STRONG>Vertical text in collapsed horisontal panels</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.shadeless.dk/request1.jpg">http://www.shadeless.dk/request1.jpg</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Currently in the newest build, Blender only writes the first letter of the panel name when you collapse panles that are in horisantal mode. Wouldn't it be cool if it displayed the entire name? It would make it much easier to identfy the right panle once it is collapsed.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Proposal 2 -</STRONG> Consistant arrows and menus</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.shadeless.dk/request2.jpg">http://www.shadeless.dk/request2.jpg</A></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>It is part of the plan to include menus in all the Blender windows, which is great! This means that you wont have to remember all the shortcuts for the IPO window for example. However, some people have shown concern that ading menus in all windows will minimize space the window headers. Why don't kill two birds with one stone, and include arrows just like in the main header (it hides/shows the menu), and increase consistancy (all the menus would have arrows to hide/show them), as well as optimizing space in the headers?!</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Proposal 3 -</STRONG> Global Frames/seconds</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.shadeless.dk/request3.jpg">http://www.shadeless.dk/request3.jpg</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In the IPO window it shows the frame number in the bottom. In the sound window it shows seconds. What if you would like to use seconds in the IPO window? This would actually be really useful! And what if you wanted to show frames in the sound window? I propose that there should be a global Frames/Seconds toggle button, so that you could instantly change which you wanted to use. This would also add consistancy, because they would all show the same thing, minimizing confusion and maximizing logic and workflow</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Proposal 4 - </STRONG>use tabs whereever possible</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.shadeless.dk/request4.jpg">http://www.shadeless.dk/request4.jpg</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Blender has introduced the super-userfriendly UI phenominon tabs to its repetoire of UI widgets. To add consistency, I think we should include tabs anywhere possible where it makes sence. A very logical place to expand on the use of tabs is in the ButtonWindow header replacing the old icons. I think the icons are hard to identify, especially for new users. We need proper text telling us what each button panel does. If preferred, we could combine old and new, and have the icons next to the text in the tabs.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Proposal 5 -</STRONG> include Grab, Rotate and Scale in menus</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.shadeless.dk/request5.jpg">http://www.shadeless.dk/request5.jpg</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have already suggested this once on the funboard, but I don't think my idea came across properly.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Th official UI proposal says that all features should be accessable in the regular menus, while the Spacebar-Toolbox would include the exact same things, only designed context-sesitively so that only the relavant actions would appear. So why don't we have to most basic and important to know actions in the menus? Where is Grab, Rotate and Scale? Man they need to be in there, maybe just so that new users can see how this is done. You can't teach people how to flip normals before they learn the basics of moving, rotating and scaling.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Proposal 6 - </STRONG>More preset Screen styles</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.shadeless.dk/request6.jpg">http://www.shadeless.dk/request6.jpg</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A very small but still useful request would be to add in some more default screen setups. I have made my own Softimage and Flash lookalikes, but there could be many more. Ton also like to use the sound window (without header) as a useful thin animation timeline. And make sure you don't call them screen.001, screen.002 and so on... </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Proposal 7 -</STRONG> New cool startup screen with new functionality.</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.shadeless.dk/request8.jpg">http://www.shadeless.dk/request8.jpg</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Firstly, I would like to propose that we add a link to a very basic introduction to blender in the startup screen. It could be written very clearly in easy-to-understand english, so that new users very quickly got to grips with the interface and a few other basics. This is a thing that would certinately help to not fright people away from the program when they first open it up.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Secondly, wouldn't it be cool to a new style of startup screen? It could be a .tga or something that included alpha for a cool look. I still have this mockup in a photoshop document with layers and everything, so I could easily make a tga with an alpha layer out of this design. I could easult remove the shadows/highlights if they are not desired (they are in a sepperate layer). We could go with a completely different design, but I think it would be cool with something new.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And thirdly, I think it is a bit odd that the current startup screen just disappears when you move the cursor - you anly ever see a very quick glimpse of something, you can never look at the startup screen if you wanted to. My proposal is to make it so that you would have to click to make it go away. This would alo mean that you could click on the link to the beginners introduction (otherwise the startup screen would disappear when you moved the cursor to click on the link)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have considered each proposal quite a lot, and I think even though they are not major changes, they will all improve Blenders consistensy, coolness and ease of use. But tell me what you think!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>-William Reynish (Monkyboi)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><p>------------<br>
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