I think all operations that can be applied to a mesh universally in editmode should have a modifier counterpart. For instance, remove doubles. If this were a modifier, you could put bridge segments together with a curve and array modifier and have it smooth properly along the would-be gaps. Among other uses, of course. And for the sake of consistency, a fractal subdivision option in subsurf, a shear modifier, a warp modifier (and speaking of that tool, it would be nice to be able to constrain it along an axis even without a modifier). Anyway, to be able to treat all these operations as modifiers in a stack, which can be disabled and rearranged while you can edit the base mesh would be useful.
While I think this is a good idea it can very quickly become messy. eg 3dsmax.
I vote on having fewer modifiers that do more rather than a lot of modifiers that do less.
For organization maybe have multiple modifier drop downs. You could click on the edit mode modifier drop down for shear and the geometry modifier drop down for subserf or if you didn’t know where the modifier was or what it was called you could chose the all drop down and get a list similar to the current 2.5 list.
Lazer
+1 this is a great idea
Ofcoarse you should be able to choose if the operator should be applied as a modifier or not. This is something that makes 3d softwares, as 3ds max and maya (as far as I know), very flexible and powerful.
I don’t know why many people think max 3dsmax has every poly tool as modifier, it doesn’t work like that. What you are saying are more in the lines of what Maya and XSI does.
And history in Blender 2.5, when it comes in at least, will not adress this issue?
How about a python modifier that works like pyexpressions?
Then you wouldn’t have a hundred different modifiers on the list but would be able to do all the edit mode operations.
The only problem I see is it would ‘abuse’ editmesh (or whatever) in the same way as Kai’s demolition modifier which was the main problem they had with it.
I saw an old patch in the patch tracker implementing a lathe (spin) modifier once, I say if we need editmode functions as modifiers, the devs. should select the most useful ones like the one I mentioned, the tools that have the most uses.
I saw that in blendernation. Nice idea to be able to edit the cross section and see what it looks like lathed immediately.