Simple Ui wish

#1

Hi

I took the liberty to make a small adjustment to Messiah UI (in Photoshop) to something that i think would be a better integrated Graph Editor :

Since i like to have all my Key and Curves info at “hand” or at sight, i joined the Key info Tab with the Curves settings Tab, i even stole the Scene Keys Flat from the Edit Keyframe Tab into it, since i think it´s a bit more handy to have in there than hunting it down elsewhere where people migh not be aware of how handy this feature really is :applause:

Sure i can simply switch the UI to not use Tabs but still, i prefer something like this, everything at sight at the same time.

Of course that the new info would also be dockable when we move the Graph Window up and down, and it would automatically dock itself when we choosed the DopeSheet.

Well it´s just an idea anyway, some will probably like it, others will probably hate it and like everything as it is now, anyway post your comments :stuck_out_tongue:

#2

i like the idea…if Messiah’s UI could become as flexible as Modo’s :drool: that would be ideal.
and having stuff like scene keys flat closer to hand would be cool.

#3

I think when develop is eventually released…you’ll be able to easily modify that sort of thing.

#4

This would be cool! I hate opening that exta panel and rely more and more on the right-mouse-click-drag trick.
David

#5

…Well, and now let me drag that graph editor and everything else I whish to to the second monitor and I’m all set. :wink:

While we’re at the UI, I like the new time slider, but think it is time to improve the transportation buttons to something that better integrates with the rest of the UI and is easier to hit. The symbols are very small and the buttons too… or am I getting old?

Cheers,

#6

Right click in the graphic editor on a key and choosing between linear, TCB or FLAT would be quick and cooler than going to the tab and such.

#7

So far I am not aware of develop allowing you to do anything that the current SDK can’t? And you can’t do anything as far as the UI is concerned with the SDK.

Plugins can only surface in some predetermined areas using predetermined UI-elements and there was never any support to change the general UI at all that I know of.

Is there any deeper knowledge behind you thinking develop will make that possible or is it just hope?

Cheers!

#8

Hoping:) And who knows. We may be able too.

#9

I have not seen this thread! Now I have… :hmm:
Yeah, I think that would be absolutely beautiful. Not to mention that it would come across far more as the professional it has the heart of. I don’t know what’s involved in making this come true, but I think, too, it would be a bit of a dream come true. I’m so used to our garage-style-hardcore-“c’mon, just do what ya’ need to do, it’s all there”-mentality, that I sometimes tend to forget how much such a “make-up” elevation would change the whole tool and how it’s perceived. I know, of course, it’s far more than just make-up, but that aspect would be most likely more significant in terms of recognition than the actual functionality of it, believe it or not. The funny part is, that we’ve got pretty much the largest part of the functions covered and all to often it just doesn’t come across that way.
Thank you for reminding me of that. I’m sure we will have long discussions about that internally and we’ll find out how we can make our way there eventually! If we go there step by step, bare with us and just use it in the meantime, too! I keep saying it, but the more you guys show off what’s already possible…etc,etc,etc…you know all that. I want to see the state in which messiah’s gui philosophy will have caught up with all the flexibility behind it! :bowdown: … :scream:

Thanx for the mock-up! Great inspiration! :thumbsup:

#10

Great feedback Taron!

I know you know that, but it really isn’t just cosmetics, but streamlining the amount of interface interaction one has to go through for things like keyframing or shading. If you repeat a certain action hundreds of times a day, even little inconveniences start to hurt very fast. (Edit Tab f.i. and switching between Motion and Spline Tabs etc.)

3D is a monster in itself, so anything you don’t have to think about is perceived as big help.

Sil3’s mockup reminds me of tools like Inferno or other Highend “get the job done fast” apps. Everything you need for a specific task combined in one window.

:thumbsup:

Cheers :bowdown:

#11

Ha! I think I’ve said that bit about ‘a hundred times a day’ in a few of my posts - great to see that yellow marker change - that really was a 1000 per day gripe for me before! On this note, I’d like the selection of keyframe points looked at - I think we’ve discussed this before Thomas and seem to remember a LW7.5 selection (with messiah’s flexible channel concepts) of keyframes in the graph editor would be cool - I haven’t looked at it for a while so I’m probably not best placed to comment right now, but when I was last bashing away with animate, I seem to remember that was one of those 100’s a day scenarios…

#12

Sil3 got me inspired…

One thing I didn’t like about Sil’s approach was the way it was growing into the work space. I tried to solve this using the F2, F3 and F4 as successively opening fields. Its something you have to accept in the “messiah mindset” so it feels intuitive to put things you always use under F2, the things you use less under F3, and the seldom setting things under F4. The latter two are also things you close up when animating… hence, real-estate.

For the transform, copy and distort panels I resorted to Thomas’ suggestion of a pop-up window. It seems a waste to have these omni present, but when you activate them they shouldn’t cover your key editor. As a window, you can drag them to where you can see what you need to. Maybe its best to have it to the left of the object selector, though.

Laying it out really forces you to think about what you use and where you want it. Cool exercize!

#13

Althou mine might seem like is taking a lot of space, it still has everything right at sight, besides i see them as dockable so u can always collapse one or both if u wish, i didnt take the time to add the Modifiers into it (Strech animation blablabla) but i will :wink:

Your idea of the Channels right on the Graph with a Shift Select is F****** briliant IMO :buttrock:

#14

Thanks!
Doesn’t mean I’ll give up on my quest for shft-toggle channel activation though :scream:

#15

Sorry David - I think Sil3s approach looks much cleaner and clearer - and if you have a horizontal equivalent to F1, F2 and F3 that allows to show or hide the panels, I would vote strongly for this “Animation Powerhouse” idea. :thumbsup:
Shortcuts for Windows/Tabs are mucho importante IMO - I think even the current Spline/Motion Tabs could profit from the Animator being able to switch between them with the left hand on the keyboard instead of reaching with the mouse…

With Sils layout, you could have the item list fully hidden in animate, while still being able to work. Split the world view with “W” in two - one for the camera and one for another view for selection etc. and it should be very comfortable.
Being able to have something like a synoptic view in that second window would also be great. (My favourite Example: http://www.mrsolo.com/mrs_edgard.html)
While Armatures are cool, often such a schematic thing is way easier to grab, since it is independent from the current view.

I simply don’t know how possible detachable windows are for messiah. That would allow for everybody to create his own layout. I very much like the new AfterEffects 7 approach.

Maybe we should do some transport-key mockups too…

Cheers,

#16

I prefer Sil3’s layout to Dobermunks, but I like his idea if having the keyframe editing tools available below the graph editor. Maybe the ’ curve ’ and ’ angles ’ popups could be moved further left in Sil3’s example to make room for the ’ keyframe editing ’ popup from Dobermunk’s example, with the actual options appearing in the space left to the right in Sil3’s example :slight_smile: Having the channel buttonss to the left of the graph is a great idea.

As long as pmG didn’t make the UI ’ LW styled ’ with lots of those annoying floating panels everywhere ( they have tested my patience many a time over the past 10+ years due to not being rich enough to afford 2 monitors :stuck_out_tongue: ), I’ll be happy. As already suggested, dockable panels would be the best of both worlds.

#17

Guys guys guys… why dont u do mokups as well, pick up mine (i wont be upset) and Dober one also (hope he doesnt mind) and join/cut do whatever u guys think is the BEST, a picture shows more than a thousand words so, pick up PS and start Pasting and Cutting those UI´s mokups, its to benefit us all, so dont by shy :slight_smile:

#18

I don’t use tabs, I keep motion and spline open at the same time. Constantly switching tabs is just too annoying. I don’t think I’d want the spline/motion options below the graph editor like that, it just takes up too much space, especially when you switch to the dopesheet. I think hiding the motion/spline options every time I switch to the dopesheet would get tedious after a while.

I like dobermunks idea though, having the keyframe editing/edit sphere options available without having to go to the edit tab.

I guess it’s probably too much to hope for a highly configurable Modo-esque interface?

#19

No need to be sorry. I’m with Sil - if everyone lays it out the way it would suit them in photoshop, then we might get something that suits everyone in messiah.

Everyone works differently, and I always have the item list at F2 when animating. (The group filter is wonderful). So I can multi-select (this issuemakes it tough to do in the window) items as I need or switch etc. Also good when in dope mode. Hence - my approach.

#20

hmmm here’s my thought,

I basically like the UI the way it is. Call me crazy. There’s a couple of things, like toggling scene keys flat that I’d like to be able to click quickly durring playback, but most of the stuff in the other panels, I just don’t care about very often. There’s a few things that just don’t exist which I want, like tagging dope master keys with colors, and temporarily disabling keyframes durring playback.

I think some things to consider are a) frequency b) simplicity and c) real estate.
How often do I really need/want to click something?
Do I need to be clicking it anyway?
Monitors are way wider than they are tall. Losing 16 pixels on the side, I don’t notice much. 16 vertical pixels (I’m looking at you, big jaundiced slider) takes away space I could be using for looking at my animation. This is an even bigger deal if you’re at 1280x1024 or less.

Looking at the interface, there’s a whole lot of unused space there now. I don’t really need the bottom item selector to be 700 pixels wide, do I? Just having a toggle for something is fine, if all the sexy options are somewhere else. I probably don’t need 20 sexy options that often.

btw, I hate the Blender UI. Maybe I am crazy… :wink: