For the upcoming 2.5 release of Blender, the interface will be under investigation.
One of my ideas for the UI revolves around making the buttons window always be in vertical mode. Why would disabling a view option improve the useability of Blender?
Well, the main reason is that this would allow for variable height of panels, which would help unclutter the UI. The Modifiers and Constraints panels are examples of panels that already expand in height to acommodate the needed information.
Having all panels not fixed in height would instantly help remove clutter, because not all button panels include the same ammount of information. The current fixed height is the main reason, IMO, behind the Buttons Anarchy (trademark) we are in now, where buttons are more or less placed where there is space - not where it makes the most sense. (Hence Blenders learning curve;) )
So here comes my poll question: Does anyone actually find the horisontal view useful in any way? I say be rid of it! :yes:
I like to use both vertical and horizontal options in my layouts. They have their uses. I would rather refactor buttons window (no edit mode tools, context sensitive object attribute editor, less clutter overall) than remove horizontal option.
I like the vertical placement, but then I find that I’m scrolling the header to get to all the buttons. I know…I should know all of the hotkeys to get to them but I still find my self needing to click on them anyway. Because of this, I typically end up in horizontal mode as a compromise. If the header was refigured at the same time, then it would be great for vertical.
One of the great things that I like about Blender (after the initial learning curve) was that it’s UI was somewhat flexible compared to some other software I’d used. You like a 4 view main window… fine you can have it. You like vertical button windows, fine. To force someone into a single UI might loose some of the flexibility that makes this software so neat.
I only use vertical panels now but they still have problems. The zoom function on panels is not really needed IMO because I’ve never seen any interface ever where that’s been implemented and I’ve had absolutely no problem whatsoever. It does however cause problems because often the interface scales to an odd size. I don’t particulary mind the zooming ability but if it would automatically zoom to the current panel size.
Scroll limits should be defined in the panels too so that we can have scrollbars and therefore know how much content is in a given panel. Disabling zooming should make that easier. When I scroll in the current system, I can even scroll some panels that are clearly at the top of the window up even further.
To be honest, the only panel that bothers me is the buttons panel and we actually don’t need it at all. We have the node workspace for textures and materials. The edit tools and options can be put into a floating window like they are for sculpt mode and weight paint mode. The render panel can easily become a popup which transforms into the render itself (no separate window).
I think the scripts and logic stuff can go into the node space too, just add buttons beside the ‘composite nodes’ button. That leaves particles and maybe some others but they can go into floating panels too, maybe just have quick links in the header.
I think even if that happened though, we’d still need vertical headers because the outliner tends to be narrow.
I for one prefer the horizontal layout, the main reason being is that it’s the most natural for my eyes. We read from left >> right, not up >> down…so it’s easier to quickly spot what you are looking for with this configuration. Oh…and lets not forget the popularity of widescreen monitors. If you have a widescreen monitor, It would feel like lunacy to be limited to a vertical button system.
The current fixed height is the main reason, IMO, behind the Buttons Anarchy
I disagree with this too. The main cause of button anarchy (at least for me) is the panel system itself. I often find myself in situations where the panels have been switched around and the tool that I’m looking for is in a different part of the screen than Im used to looking for it. It’s a minor annoyance, sure, but it certainly disrupts your train of thought. It would be my personal preference to do away with the panels altogether, and still have the ability to switch between horizontal and vertical layouts.
And I can’t answer your poll, the question is too loaded.
There are a couple off reasons why I agree with the vertical buttons layout.
For one, looking left and right is easier looking up and down, thats just how our eyes have adapted over millions of years.
Two, there will be more space, especially for those with wide screens.
Three, I suggest of getting rid of the constraints of buttons to the windows, and recommend of making them free, however this will require that all other functions be unclustered from there destinations, for example you can’t get to ambient occlusion without going to materials and the world.
Also, having the buttons in the panels more of an order, like by there usefulness or function.
I actually use both on occasion. As for clutter or buttons I almost never use I minimize those options in those button windows.
I am not expecting a huge change (visually that is). i believe they may be just cleaning the code up to the point that it will be easier for someone apply different guis easier, like with Linux you can choose between a Kde or a Gnome style interface for your operating system, its still Linux though.
pros to doing this:
increase in a user base
change
1/3 fewer gui threads
cons to doing this
many old tutorials may have to be re made
a possibility that the number of gui threads might triple.
I prefer the horizontal layout. I have tried to use the vertical, but after like ten years my brain just expects things to be in a certain place. I am also American, and I read left to right (not up and down), so it is easier for me to scan the window right to left, reading the labels and noting the settings. I usually use the bottom of my view for things I don’t often use, like the buttons, and keep the main upper space for working area. Putting the buttons up on the side takes away from “work” space. The little triangles collapse the windows nicely for me. I split my buttons window in the Nodes layout to be a little UV/Image window in the corner to display my Viewer node in the bottom right-hand corner of my screen, allowing a nice 16:9 area for noodles.
As one of the few active wiki authors, I can state with some certainty that the wiki will not be updated because of a horizontal/vertical thing; that is a waste of life. We do try to snapshot individual panels where possible to reduce the likelihood that an image will go out of date.
i’m using Vertical buttons window always
it’s more natural to me compared with what i used to
hopefully in 2.5 there will be a Vertical toolbars
this will make the vertical buttons more easy to use
I use horiz mostly cos I like working in the widest possible view with buttons below, but I use vert too when dealing with the long panels, and sometimes have 2 open -1 vert 1 horiz. Depends on what I’m doing. I love being able to whip open windows of any sort wherever I want on the fly. So…
I’m sure I could get used to vert only if that’s the only choice, but I’d rather the panels be made however long they need to be -but still have the option to open them in a horizontal window if I want.
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I use also both…Horizontal and Vertical!
…and i must say i love Blenders GUI because its very Flexible and Fast!
I agree with KevinW in this points:
the whole point of a more flexible UI is to allow the user to adapt it to whatever they feel is most efficient.
We should let the user make that decision.
I you open Blender and the Buttons Windows is always Vertical and you canot change to Horizontal thats not flexible…!
um…there are vertical panel arrangement now…right click on the background and choose Vertical Panel alignment. I don’t think he’s talking about making the header on the side of a window.
There already is. just resize the window, and right-click on the background are re-select the arrangment (h,v). The panels are re-sized to best fit in the space allotted.
I’ve tried vertical, and I like horizontal much better. Doesn’t matter on my laptop or dual monitors at work, it’s always horizontal.
If variable height panels would fix the problem, wouldn’t variable width also fix it?
I liked the panel idea when I thought they were going to be floating panels (like in photoshop or something) but the panel ui now is useless (the panels, not the ui itself) I was just as happy with the pre-panel releases
