Linden Lab lays off 30 staff

[Free]

It's almost like they want to sell training.

 

[Chin Rey]

None of which has anything to do with the actual object editor.

It has everything to do with user interface though and that's what I was talking about in the post you replied to.

The basic functionality of grabbing objects and points and moving them in three dimensions

You mean that thing with the huge white ball for uncontrolled and those narrow hard to miss circles for controlled rotation? And with those little triangles for uncontrolled moving that will send you build off to Davy Jones if you touch them? And those tiny resizing markers that are so close to each other on a small object it's very hard to hit the right one?

I don't completely disagree with you though, at least not if you're talking about the v.1 viewer. This was 2003 after all and the GUI concept was still in its infancy both in the Windows and Linux/Unix world. Also, of course, much of the mess are caused by later additions, not the original UI and yes, it's not as if the big mesh editor programs are any better.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

It has everything to do with user interface though and that's what I was talking about in the post you replied to.

I think I know what *I* was talking about.

You mean that thing with the huge white ball for uncontrolled and those narrow hard to miss circles for controlled rotation? And with those little triangles for uncontrolled moving that will send you build off to Davy Jones if you touch them? And those tiny resizing markers that are so close to each other on a small object it's very hard to hit the right one?

As opposed to the more typical sometimes-its-keys-and-sometimes-its-menus for choosing modes with basically no feedback as to what mode you're in and a dozen key combos to memorize instead of different handles?

For small objects, disable camera limits so you can zoom in closer. I guess disabling camera limits automatically in edit mode would help.

And as for lost prims, undo actually works and undoes complete actions. I've run into programs where you have to hit undo a dozen times to get it to undo the action you took because everything's implemented as macros and what you see as one action is really half a dozen sub-actions that you have to step through.

The state of the art for 3d editing software is really appalling.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

I think I know what *I* was talking about.

As opposed to the more typical sometimes-its-keys-and-sometimes-its-menus for choosing modes with basically no feedback as to what mode you're in and a dozen key combos to memorize instead of different handles?

I can't speak for maya, because I don't use it; but casting back my memory to Wings 3d, Milkshape and much more recently Blender [and back through two former UI iterations; but its not 'sometimes its keys and sometimes its menus'. Its, there are several different ways to do the same task, JUST LIKE IN 2D ART SOFTWARE. Because some people do better with shortcut keys and others prefer menus. The only problem I'm having with Blender now is, while it matches the standards for most other art programs, its not what I'm used to -for blender-. Still, its just a matter of getting used to that.

 

[Chin Rey]

The state of the art for 3d editing software is really appalling.

We can agree about that at least.

 

[Kara Spengler]

It means there isn't a critical mass of people with vr headsets yet to support a purely-vr platform.

They really need to resuscitate the VR view of SL.

Definately!

Sansar is more restricted in more ways that one. You need virtual reality goggles AND a powerful PC running windows (so even windows users may not be able to run it). Plus it is not like it has a killer app feature, on that front there is nothing you can do with it (outside of VR) that you could not already do with SL.

 

[Wesleytron]

You mean that thing with the huge white ball for uncontrolled and those narrow hard to miss circles for controlled rotation? And with those little triangles for uncontrolled moving that will send you build off to Davy Jones if you touch them? And those tiny resizing markers that are so close to each other on a small object it's very hard to hit the right one?

I'm getting computer rage just thinking about them.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

I can't speak for maya, because I don't use it; but casting back my memory to Wings 3d, Milkshape and much more recently Blender [and back through two former UI iterations; but its not 'sometimes its keys and sometimes its menus'. Its, there are several different ways to do the same task, JUST LIKE IN 2D ART SOFTWARE.

Menu accelerators and shortcuts goes back to the '80s, sure, but in most 3d programs even the menus require memorization because there's so many of them. Second Life on the other hand has a small set of modifiers, all in the same corner of the keyboard, that you're already familiar with because they're used throughout the UI, and there's immediate and easily learned feedback as to what the modifier you're using does and what the handles are and where they are.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

Menu accelerators and shortcuts goes back to the '80s, sure, but in most 3d programs even the menus require memorization because there's so many of them. Second Life on the other hand has a small set of modifiers, all in the same corner of the keyboard, that you're already familiar with because they're used throughout the UI, and there's immediate and easily learned feedback as to what the modifier you're using does and what the handles are and where they are.

If you say so, but I personally cannot use the default LL viewer for SL, because I find it rubbish.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

If you say so, but I personally cannot use the default LL viewer for SL, because I find it rubbish.

That's a bit of a nonsequiter, since I don't either and so far as I'm aware all viewers use the same object editor which hasn't changed substantially since 2005 at least.