A shortcut editor like Maya/XSI would be a good start.
There is no better solution then a visual and interactive one like this.
First you can see the keyboard and the buttons, which is perfect for memory.
Then it is interactive, you can click on keys and see what they do.
Its easy to find non-assigned keys which is very important.
You can see keymaps for editors and other sorted categories.
All this functionality makes it super-easy and even fun to discover what is there.
A endless list is a nightmare compared to that.
Yes, I agree, at least as much functionality as possible, especially the shortcuts, which isnāt always the case now. Itās a great way to learn them also, or to look them up when Iāve forgotten.
I think we mostly agree, I just find the term hidden a bit too harsh when something is in fact documented.
I am used to work with usability experts and thatās what they tell me all the time in discussions
If you analyze the tracking data of applications, it really makes a difference whether it is directly visible in the application or if it is just documented. That was at least the case in some projects I worked.
It will allow users to quickly preview a number of things for starters (such as the final render settings). Watch for more changes soon (as seen with the design patches also in review).
The thing is about all this, discover-ability vs being crowded and cluttered. Doesnāt all this get solved or at least partially solved by work spaces ?.
e.g Modeling work spaces gets only modeling tools , and without all the other extra non modelling tools in there, you get all the extra free space to add more modeling buttons that were only available as hotkeys before ?
I apologise in advance if this is not the place for this, but I have been considering a couple of suggestions for 2.8 and Iām not sure where to put them!
Workflow locked add-ons:
When enabling an add-on it should be possible to select the workflow to which the add-on applies, then as the user switches between different workflow contexts, add-ons are unloaded and loaded accordingly, ensuring that only as much memory as is required for the current workflow is being used.
When selecting an add-on with this model, the user should be able to select either āGlobalā or multi-select from a list of currently defined workflows.
If a new workflow gets defined, it only has access to the workflows selected as āGlobalā.
NLA (Video Editor) Image Sequence Extrapolation:
If an image sequence is extended beyond itās number of frames, currently it retains the last frame in the sequence. Would it be possible to select an extrapolation mode of either āLast Frameā, āLoopā, āPing Pongā.
In āLast Frameā the frames retain their current functionality: [{1,2,3,4,5}5,5,5,5,5,5]
In āLoopā, the frames repeat from the first frame into the extended section: [{1,2,3,4,5}1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4]
In āPing Pongā the frames roll back from the end and then forward as needed: [{1,2,3,4,5}4,3,2,1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2]
Please feel free to redirect me if this is not the place for these suggestions!
It seems that you did not realize that tools that are non modelling tools when you are in edit mode are global tools that can also be useful for modelling, too (snapping tools, transform tools, grease pencil).
Tools are restricted to T column. The rest in the UI are properties.
If a lighting addon is visible in T column when you are editing a mesh, it is because it was not written to be invisible in edit mode.
There could be a workspace dedicated to UV editing or Normal editing. But currently, they are just represented inside one tab of Toolshelf.
For the rest, there is no posing tool for armature visible when you are editing a mesh.
Globally, workspaces should convert global tools and some properties into 3DView widgets and restrict addons to their appropriate workspace.
There will be no work on UI if there was no hope to have a less cluttered UI as a result.
But donāt expect a miracle.
Although you are making a moderate use of modelling addons, you can easily reach an amount of useful modelling tools around 80 tools to respond to all cases inside a professional workflow.
(20 tools per component type + 20 tools hard to classified like PET, mirror, symmetrizeā¦)
Donāt expect any software to be able to show all of them at first sight.
The modifier system is scheduled to be back in place by the end of November, Multires and OpenSubDiv meanwhile wonāt be back in till early next year. Iām guessing 2.8 wonāt be ready for heavy work until next Spring or even next Summer by the looks of it (depending on how much volunteer help they get).
Going into 2.7x meanwhile (tying in with 2.8ās focus on workflow and usability). The suspending of the rule to not try to break tutorials and the like is leading to a meaningful reorganization of various UI elements (yes, in Blender standard, not Bforartists). https://developer.blender.org/D2876
Even though it is going into the 2.7x branch, the patch, in all likelyhood at this point, will see the release logs when 2.8 is done (no more 2.7x releases save for some critical bugfixes).
Iām guessing this will allow for things like the extrude widget seen in that one example (though right now the system is primitive and subject to numerous changes, so donāt draw conclusions).
Also, Sergey is going full steam ahead on depsgraph work, not everything he commits will be noticed by the user, but this should manifest in a more usable 2.8 as bugs get fixed and features like modifiers get re-activated.
Remember, the discussion is primarily for developers and module owners to participate in. Please refrain from posting unless you have a constructive yet detailed opinion of what it means for you (ie. no posts about compiling issues, no bug reports, no simplistic lines of praise, no āI donāt want itā posts, no one liners, ectā¦).
