New features

[remus]

Anyone got any ideas for new features? not improvements, entirely new features that havent see the light of day in SU or any other modeller.

[plot-paris]

I would like to nick things from other applications.

• at first (as recently mentioned in another wishlist thread) a multiple context menu window - meaning, that if you hit the right mouse button, you get several boxes with context functions (you can find something similar with maya already)

• next instead of having the standart views as icons in the toolbar (or simply as addition to these) you have a semitransparent (aero style), animated cube in the top right corner of the stage where you can easily switch between different views

• as a third thing you have expandable icons. like that you can have one button for on surface tools and click-hold it to choose from the different tools

in addition to that multiple shortcut keys would be nice, so that you can enter lets say OnSurfaceTools with one key. while you are in this tool you can reuse your default keys for line, arc, rectangle etc. and when you hit Escape, you get back to normal mode...

[Edit] Shit, just reread your first post, remus. what I suggested was not what you want. sorry. give me some time to think of entirely new tools []

[remus]

Those are some pretty cool ideas plot, although they are more borrowing form other apps.

I was thinking of stuff that hasnt been thought of yet (ha.) As much as it pains me to use managerial talk, 'blue sky thinking' sums it up nicely.

edit: too quick on the edit.

[linea]

Good thread Remus

This is my third attempt at writing a post, I keep realising "oh I think that other app can do that".

1 So on a slightly diferent tack I am going to suggest a "laptop mode" that allows you to efficiently operate SU without a mouse. While there are loads of SU keyboard shortcuts I think it is still more efficient to use a mouse. As I work freelance I often find myself sat in stations or trying to draw stuff on a building site where there is no good surface for a mouse. The touchpad on my laptop is too sensitive for practical modelling purposes.

It would be great if you could switch to an alternative gui that was optimised for a laptop requiring no mouse. I'm sure some will see this as a backwards step reminiscent of ms-dos but I think it would be very useful.

2 Some cad apps can do this but I don't think any modelling apps can. A bluetooth facility to input dimensions directly into SU from a lazer disto measuring device - see link. This will automatically draw floor plans perhaps making use of the cursor keys to specify xy directions as you go around the space measuring. This would go some way to eliminating the need for 2d cad survey drawings prior to modelling when working on alterations to existing buildings. There would also be parametric symbols for doors, windows etc.

- Merlin Lazer Ltd

(www.merlinlazer.com)

[remus]

Good post jon, good ideas are hard to come up with, so i thought id try and give the google guys some inspiration (indirectly.)

With regards to the laptop mode idea, i think it would be cool if you could combine your idea with greater overall UI flexibility so you could save different workspaces. That way you could have a texturing interface or modelling or whatever you happen to be doing at that moment.

I think this could be a very powerful way of working once youve gotten everything up an working.

[linea]

Remus, Plot

I think you are both suggesting greater ui flexibility. In total contradiction to my laptop mode suggestion, the best examples I have seen of this is in an opensource cad program called Octree and in a modelling app called Real 3d. In Octree there are no toolbars at all, everything is accessed by right clicking to reveal toolbars. This allows you to take advantage of the whole of your monitor display for workspace.

Plot, for total blue sky thinking I LOVE the idea of "nicking things from other apps". Wouldn't it be great if you could run elements of different apps on an SU scene tab, a spreadsheet in one, photoshop filters in another. Or just fly in the face of copyright and create a function that would allow to bring in a set of tools from another modelling app.

Or and I'm really pushing it now, SU "Skins" for complex apps like Maya or Blender. You could run this skin in other apps to simplify using them. If Google came up with this they would really ruffle some feathers.

[remus]

contemplates a blender skin

[remus]

Perhaps a 'cloud' based version of SU. So you just pop along to the google site, sign in and start editing your models in the browser. Would give you loads of options for easily sharing models, and collaboration could be greatly simplified.

[linea]

Screw it, lets go for a whole SU operating system. All other apps will sit on top of it and be fully integrated.