[Bf-taskforce25] New tools mockups

[Ton Roosendaal]

Hi Jason,

Our tools ("Operators") all have a provision to become temporarily 
modal, to catch user input while operate. This is already used a lot, 
from dragging screen edges to transform.

An interactive beveling tool can simply do the same, and we can also 
code special modal subdivision/cutting tools when required.

Another idea we'd like to test is a hotkey to move input focus to tool 
properties immediately, without moving mouse. That way you can probably 
tweak things quite efficiently.

My preference is still to first do a good test of this 
"Select->Action->Tweak" flow. I think there's very good ways possible 
to make it work outstanding. Obviously, in cases where this concept 
fails we just do it differently :) Painting tools for example already 
will have to work differently in some ways.

-Ton-

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ton Roosendaal  Blender Foundation   ton at blender.org    www.blender.org
Blender Institute BV  Entrepotdok 57A  1018AD Amsterdam The Netherlands

On 24 Apr, 2009, at 17:12, Jason van Gumster wrote:

> Hi William,
>
> William Reynish <william at reynish.com> wrote:
>
>> We've talked before about adding a 'Tools' subregion within the 3d
>> view for common 3d tools, and putting them in there. It'd be nice if
>> there was some way of customizing the contents of this, however.
>> Perhaps users can press a special key while using the menus to make
>> an operator a 'favorite' or a discreet '+' icon within the tools pane
>> can give a menu full of operators.
>>
>> http://www.reynish.com/files/blender25/tools_region.png
>
> How does this tools region play into the Select->Action->Confirm
> workflow? Many of the tools you have in your mock-up (Extrude, Bevel,
> Crease) work relative to mouse position when activated and I actually
> think that's still a good thing. However, pressing a button to perform
> them may put the mouse in a position to yield undesirable results. To
> see what I'm talking about, compare extruding with E vs. clicking the
> Extrude button in the Edit buttons in 2.4x.
>
> Also, I think that there are more elegant ways of controlling extrude
> options (if options like that are to exist). For example, Segments 
> could
> be controlled with the scrollwheel or number (a la the current loop
> cut). Of course, if the tool options were to more of a live feedback
> while you're using the tool, then I guess it's not such a big deal.
>
> Hopefully this made sense...
>
>   -Fweeb
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