This isn’t a completely serious proposal. More like thinking out loud…
The header of the Properties Editor contains too many little icons now. We either need to make the whole thing wider than it needs to be or we have to scroll the icons side-to-side. This got me thinking of other ways of dealing with the the properties panels.
One idea is to break them into two levels instead of one. An obvious break is that some are properties for the active (selected) object while others are not.
The above should be pretty obvious. The first button selects whether you are changing things to do with the scene. The second says you want to make changes to the active object.
The third button is something new. It would bring up similar panels as the second, but changes would affect all (similar) selected objects instead of just the active one.
Again, don’t be the first doofus that cries “Don’t change my Blender - it’s perfect” because this is just a silly idea to discuss. And don’t get hung up on the icons I chose as I just selected from the ones that are currently in the project
I really like the first seperation (first and second button [scene/active]) and your idea behind it.
But as you said the third button for changing multiple objects with single panels would need a lot of work. If somebody will code that feature, I’d love it. But now let’s focus on the design.
A idea I got is to combine both of your approaches.
Scene and active object are seperated, while all buttons stay visible.
(sorry for the bad copy and paste job)
But I think in the end, it’s more important how the buttons feel, when using them and not so much how they look like
At the moment I’m really not sure about which layout I prefer.
I really like the first seperation (first and second button [scene/active]) and your idea behind it.
But as you said the third button for changing multiple objects with single panels would need a lot of work. If somebody will code that feature, I’d love it. But now let’s focus on the design.
A idea I got is to combine both of your approaches.
Scene and active object are seperated, while all buttons stay visible.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]240502[/ATTACH]
(sorry for the bad copy and paste job)
But I think in the end, it’s more important how the buttons feel, when using them and not so much how they look like
At the moment I’m really not sure about which layout I prefer.
Good idea!
I like more them in rows than in sections ( like in the first post),
Tho it’s not a problem for me to scroll and find what im looking for, I think its a greate idea for new users.
I like separating scene level settings from object level settings. And some way to adjust the material and other settings for multiple objects would be nice.
One thing I find iffy, is it really necessary to have two instances of the texture icon?
I mean if they do the same thing, then one of them is redundant. If both have a different purpose, then the icons should be differentiated to reflect that.
Ace, givingsights just did a quick copy and paste from mine. That idea seems more like the “2-row” idea, unless I’m mistaken.
In my idea, with the two levels, there is a texture icon for the object and another one for the world. Right now we have just the one icon but then have to switch between world and object texture on that panel, which I find a little odd.
I don’t think it is that hard to do. If more than one (similar) object is selected you display all the same panels. But for any value that is the same we show it, just like we do now. For any values that differ between the objects need a new state for the imputs that does not show the value, but does allow us to enter a new one. The apply that value to all selected objects.
I’m sure there would be harder to do, like the modifiers list. But this could be implemented without all the panels complete at first.
Personally I am not enthusiastic about the separation into two separate lines for world and objects, and it seems quite complicated to do.
What I’d really like is the third button, or rather, the ability to make changes on every selected object, but I thought it was in conflict with blender design, I hope is not.
I’m instead favorable to your proposal to make the expandable header in two rows when necessary, but that’s another thread.
Old-timers will remember that we used to have panel selection like this before 2.5. It was two levels, just arranged left to right instead of one over the other:
You might assume that this just means a doubling of the amount of clicks you need to select a panel. Click on the top row and then the bottom row, rather than with one click. However, we’ll quite often change multiple settings on a object or the scene, but not usually interspersed.
At least having them separated it is much easier to tell what properties are relevant to the object you have selected.
I would be fine with givingsigights mock-up also an option to activate text on buttons could be interesting (if you can disable it when it takes to much space )
In general, the Texture icons should clearly reflect their different purposes;
like with having the world icon in the left corner and the other texture icon with the cube on it
Scene settings separated form Active Object settings would clear things up a lot and will at least for me result in less searching.
I don’t like it, this extra click would be very annoying (it’s like having a scene settings edit mode and an object settings edit mode). The only thing I would do there would separate them visually with a space.
I’m one of those people who drag the properties panel+ outliner big enough to see the search bar of the outliner, there is space for another 3-4 icons on my setup.
But there is a problem currently it is with the textures.
We have [Material textures], [Lamp textures], [Particle textures] [World textures], [OTHER TEXTURES /brush textures/modifier textures]
It is really not clear how to access, view or change these textures. Half of the time for a displacement texture we will just add a material texture.
I do believe this is more of a fault with the texture properties page though, not necessarily with the header buttons. (it needs to show better what you are editing and what you can edit with the current selection)
interesting thought experiment,but I would vote no,I think.
While it would organize things a bit more I think you will lose a lot of speed with that extra click every time…
Maybe…you could scroll when hovering above the buttons to switch between Scene and object more quickly,as an extra input option. But I still see it creating more issues then needed…
I would however like an active versus selected option,as long as selected changes SHARED settings for all of them. That would be great,but I think that could be communicated differently as that would be something that could be used in ALL of blender,not only in the properties panel.
edit: @wolter: yeah vertical headers is something that I would like. I think it could work for a lot of scenario’s (=not only in properties panel). It would however perhaps conflict a bit with tool shelves,but I think it could work regardless
