srtcy
10-24-2006, 08:03 PM
Hey everyone. I'm doing an assignmnent based on Lightwave 7.5's user interface. I would be grateful if uz could send me your opinions on the good and the bad to help me provide evidence of this. Cheers folks!
Stu
Stu
View Full Version : Lightwave 7.5 User Interface
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kevman3d
10-24-2006, 11:14 PM
7.5 is fairly old now - There have been improvements made in various parts of the GUI since 7.5.
What is it you're after exactly? The pros and cons on workflow (usage) or interface (layout and design)? And is this to compare with other applications? Just curious. :D
What is it you're after exactly? The pros and cons on workflow (usage) or interface (layout and design)? And is this to compare with other applications? Just curious. :D
Jockomo
10-25-2006, 04:54 PM
There is a huge thread regarding this in the Newtek forums. It was a big discussion before L8 was released. Try searching there.
srtcy
10-25-2006, 08:11 PM
7.5 is fairly old now - There have been improvements made in various parts of the GUI since 7.5.
What is it you're after exactly? The pros and cons on workflow (usage) or interface (layout and design)? And is this to compare with other applications? Just curious. :D
cheers for the reply. Not looking for any comparisons with other software. Just purely about how easy it is to use for lets say someone who just wants to start off with lightwave. Or even yourself? How easy did you find it to use when you first got started with lightwave? Another thing, do any of you think that lightwave is made based on process rather than design? In other words, is it supposed to look easy to use or simply just to do its job?
Yeah there are newer versions of lightwave available that I havent really had a look at yet. So are there any improvements that have been made to the new versions that people are happy with, when compared to the older versions and why? So talking about 7.5 only (as thats the only software I'm using at the mo) what would you improve with it or what has ben improved on? Cheers
What is it you're after exactly? The pros and cons on workflow (usage) or interface (layout and design)? And is this to compare with other applications? Just curious. :D
cheers for the reply. Not looking for any comparisons with other software. Just purely about how easy it is to use for lets say someone who just wants to start off with lightwave. Or even yourself? How easy did you find it to use when you first got started with lightwave? Another thing, do any of you think that lightwave is made based on process rather than design? In other words, is it supposed to look easy to use or simply just to do its job?
Yeah there are newer versions of lightwave available that I havent really had a look at yet. So are there any improvements that have been made to the new versions that people are happy with, when compared to the older versions and why? So talking about 7.5 only (as thats the only software I'm using at the mo) what would you improve with it or what has ben improved on? Cheers
3DDave
10-25-2006, 10:19 PM
Evidence of what???
srtcy
10-25-2006, 10:25 PM
Evidence of what???
well I want to find out what other people think of lightwave. One of the areas that I have decided to look in is this forum. So what uz tell me will provide evidence of your views. i can then draw my own conclusions as to what I think of lightwave based not only on my opinions, but yours as well.
well I want to find out what other people think of lightwave. One of the areas that I have decided to look in is this forum. So what uz tell me will provide evidence of your views. i can then draw my own conclusions as to what I think of lightwave based not only on my opinions, but yours as well.
Excepti0n
10-26-2006, 02:40 AM
I designed interfaces myself, and from this experience, I can say the ground work for the LW interface (whichever version) is very clever. It helps that Lw modeler was one of the first 3D application in existence, a lot was actually really invented rather than copied.
The text based interface pairs up with the shortcut key system. For the professional user, most commonly used tools are known by the shortcuts. When trying to find a tool that is not so often used, one doesn't spend a lot of time trying to figure out what icons mean. Something like 'Curve lathe' is easy in text, not so easy in icons.
The LW interface is very clean. It doesn't go deep, like scrollmenus within windows, 99.9% of the application is sitting right there at your fingertips. For truly advanced stuff, there is an additional layer. You;'re never more than 2 clicks away, and hardly ever more than one shortcut key.
The split between modeler and layout is very smart, although it's starting to show some inhibitions, that they're addressing now (giving you the option of modeling in both parts of the program, keeping modeler as dedicated modeling platform). you can render WHILE you're modeling, and you can have several instances of layout open while modeling in one modeler for example.
The interface is quite configurable. Every menu button and tab is removable and changeable, every tool AND plugin, can be added as a button or shortcut. This has been for a while. Preset files can be saved so settings are not lost, and are cross version (backwards and forwards) compatible, like most things in LW.
The interface is built for professional speed, not so much for novice learning. Once you get the jest of it, its easy to get further, you just need to 'get it' at some point. There's heaps of very smart interface stuff that was introduced in LW and later used in other applications, such as the 'expert' setting which makes sure you are NEVER confronted with dialog boxes to click away, instead a status bar at the bottom relays all messages in different colors.
The intertface and the way the program itself works compliment eachother, such as the layer system in modeler.
There's some additional things you should look at, i don't know if that's in 7.5 yet, but the spreadsheet system is really smart, allowing you to mass-change properties of large numbers of objects, the dope track, allowing you to poke around keyframes as in a linear editor, the graph editor, and the absolute pinnacle of smart interface design, the surface ditor. Such simplicity and power in such compact, clear and overseeable design, that's truly unique. The surface editor is one of the most pleasant things to work with in LW, it's so elegant.
Then there's the shortcomings, which are more functionality based and implementation based than actual basic interface logic flaws. Some buttons are just in the wrong tab, some naming conventions are different than other programs, some solutions are awkward. the naming convention problem sometimes comes from LW having implkemented a feature first, then other programs named it differently, so they kept it for backwards compatibility. Some names are just silly. Most of these problems have been or will be addressed, but can be solved within the current framework of the interface. The help system could definately be more integrated, its just a webpage or a PDF now, no tooltip rollovers. This became a hot point when in LW 9.0 the Node system was introduced. A lot of designs for an inline help system per node were suggested, but none has been implemented. I guess the philosophy is that one rather has a book in front of them, but really, it would be quite helpful.
Several important benefits of LW's interface (not talking about functionality here), and I have experience with 3ds for DOS, 3ds Max, Maya, Autocad, Solidworks, Microstation and Rhino, compared to most other programs is its, above mentioned, insightful simplicity, common sense and innovative solutions. It by far makes it the most enjoyable working environment for myself, although I too had to really 'get it' before loving it. I don't miss the days of hunting for options in 3ds's scrollbar-within-window or whats-that-icon-for-and-where-is-the-one-i'm-looking-for.
The text based interface pairs up with the shortcut key system. For the professional user, most commonly used tools are known by the shortcuts. When trying to find a tool that is not so often used, one doesn't spend a lot of time trying to figure out what icons mean. Something like 'Curve lathe' is easy in text, not so easy in icons.
The LW interface is very clean. It doesn't go deep, like scrollmenus within windows, 99.9% of the application is sitting right there at your fingertips. For truly advanced stuff, there is an additional layer. You;'re never more than 2 clicks away, and hardly ever more than one shortcut key.
The split between modeler and layout is very smart, although it's starting to show some inhibitions, that they're addressing now (giving you the option of modeling in both parts of the program, keeping modeler as dedicated modeling platform). you can render WHILE you're modeling, and you can have several instances of layout open while modeling in one modeler for example.
The interface is quite configurable. Every menu button and tab is removable and changeable, every tool AND plugin, can be added as a button or shortcut. This has been for a while. Preset files can be saved so settings are not lost, and are cross version (backwards and forwards) compatible, like most things in LW.
The interface is built for professional speed, not so much for novice learning. Once you get the jest of it, its easy to get further, you just need to 'get it' at some point. There's heaps of very smart interface stuff that was introduced in LW and later used in other applications, such as the 'expert' setting which makes sure you are NEVER confronted with dialog boxes to click away, instead a status bar at the bottom relays all messages in different colors.
The intertface and the way the program itself works compliment eachother, such as the layer system in modeler.
There's some additional things you should look at, i don't know if that's in 7.5 yet, but the spreadsheet system is really smart, allowing you to mass-change properties of large numbers of objects, the dope track, allowing you to poke around keyframes as in a linear editor, the graph editor, and the absolute pinnacle of smart interface design, the surface ditor. Such simplicity and power in such compact, clear and overseeable design, that's truly unique. The surface editor is one of the most pleasant things to work with in LW, it's so elegant.
Then there's the shortcomings, which are more functionality based and implementation based than actual basic interface logic flaws. Some buttons are just in the wrong tab, some naming conventions are different than other programs, some solutions are awkward. the naming convention problem sometimes comes from LW having implkemented a feature first, then other programs named it differently, so they kept it for backwards compatibility. Some names are just silly. Most of these problems have been or will be addressed, but can be solved within the current framework of the interface. The help system could definately be more integrated, its just a webpage or a PDF now, no tooltip rollovers. This became a hot point when in LW 9.0 the Node system was introduced. A lot of designs for an inline help system per node were suggested, but none has been implemented. I guess the philosophy is that one rather has a book in front of them, but really, it would be quite helpful.
Several important benefits of LW's interface (not talking about functionality here), and I have experience with 3ds for DOS, 3ds Max, Maya, Autocad, Solidworks, Microstation and Rhino, compared to most other programs is its, above mentioned, insightful simplicity, common sense and innovative solutions. It by far makes it the most enjoyable working environment for myself, although I too had to really 'get it' before loving it. I don't miss the days of hunting for options in 3ds's scrollbar-within-window or whats-that-icon-for-and-where-is-the-one-i'm-looking-for.
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