From Softimage to Blender (2019)

[sirdavid32]

Hi Team. I was wondering if there would be additional questions you´d like to know about the new
realtime viewport EEVEE on Blender? or 2D tools on Grease Pencil mode?
You´re invited to ask your questions here (ask me anything about Softimage-Blender:)

[Bullit]

Nice. Thanks, will have to find some time then

[sirdavid32]

BTW: THANK YOU TO ALL WHO VOTED!! XSI MOD THEME is now part of the OFFICIAL BLENDER distribution!!! Thank you !! Read the news (bottom of the page):
https://3dcinetv.com/softimage-xsi-mod- ... ender-2-8/

[Bullit]

Hmm he seems to drop it in 29 Nov post.

[yashugan]

very very interesting, my respect man

[sirdavid32]

Yeah, please support the response to the drop:
https://devtalk.blender.org/t/call-for- ... s/3174/270

Experienced users recognize the UI interface colors quickly. Eye is guided without difficulty. First time users on the conferences I gave CLEARLY identified
every button and contrasted well with UV maps, Textures, NLA tracks and more.

1 guy comes to "copy" the theme, asks William to remove it as redundant, 90's interface, obsolete. Then 60+ votes on the theme are casted out?
Really, that guy has no other real valid point for UIX.

[Daniel Brassard]

I was reading the comments on the XSI Theme and some comments are valid.

The reason for a dark grey UI is based on comments from users in production, facing long hours of work among their peers. A light color UI stand out among the crowd and bring complaints from the people around you because your screen glare in their screens preventing them to see details. Its also an eye strain especially in a dark environment. Let's not forget that our own people did ask Developers to give us a dark theme UI way back in 2005 if not sooner.

The goal of the XSI UI mod is "workflow" not emulating XSI per say. XSI was and still is recognised as the best workflow 3D DCC app. There were reasons why Devs were unwilling to change the UI, uniformity and consistency in the workflow. Most complaints you ear from other DCC apps is about workflow, Maya forums are full of questions about that. Your goal is therefore to improve the abysmal workflow of Blender by borrowing lessons learned from the best 3D DCC apps, XSIMod is a starting point but nothing should prevent you to borrow from other app workflow if it make sense.

Considering your effort in the progress of the Blender UI XSIMod, I would seriously consider changing the light grey backgroung to a dark grey and light writing (pretty close to the Blender dark theme, and renaming the UI to remove the non-sense comments that you are trying to emulate XSI for nostalgia reason (which is not).

Keep focus on your original goal, "Form follows Function", workflow, workflow, workflow.... nuff said

[Draise]

I was reading the comments on the XSI Theme and some comments are valid.

The reason for a dark grey UI is based on comments from users in production, facing long hours of work among their peers. A light color UI stand out among the crowd and bring complaints from the people around you because your screen glare in their screens preventing them to see details. Its also an eye strain especially in a dark environment. Let's not forget that our own people did ask Developers to give us a dark theme UI way back in 2005 if not sooner.

The goal of the XSI UI mod is "workflow" not emulating XSI per say. XSI was and still is recognised as the best workflow 3D DCC app. There were reasons why Devs were unwilling to change the UI, uniformity and consistency in the workflow. Most complaints you ear from other DCC apps is about workflow, Maya forums are full of questions about that. Your goal is therefore to improve the abysmal workflow of Blender by borrowing lessons learned from the best 3D DCC apps, XSIMod is a starting point but nothing should prevent you to borrow from other app workflow if it make sense.

Considering your effort in the progress of the Blender UI XSIMod, I would seriously consider changing the light grey backgroung to a dark grey and light writing (pretty close to the Blender dark theme, and renaming the UI to remove the non-sense comments that you are trying to emulate XSI for nostalgia reason (which is not).

Keep focus on your original goal, "Form follows Function", workflow, workflow, workflow.... nuff said

This is a valid and clear-headed outlook. I agree.

[yashugan]

One of the MISSING feature that really brake the "fluent edit mode" is the SNAP system. Blender have a snap system that require to call menù many times. In XSI this can be done with ALT key and nothing else.... This woul really important on the path to reach the desired workflow. Another one (unfortunately in blender is missing) is the SCHEMATIC view, that really make easy recognize a situation, expecially with complicate RIGs when you have many costraint and bones. This is a workflow important tool in MHO
Another stuff that ABSOLUTELY is a "kill" in BLENDER and is a winning point in XSI is the fact that XSI have the SAME COMMAND in every editor. I tryed to re-comfigure all the controls in any of the various EDIT mode in blender. I mapped X - C - V top scale rotate move and calssic key to interact directly, but some behave remain chained to blender logic. In xsi you edit a mesh simply pressing T , U, E etc etc. In blender you have to go in EDIT mode. We shoulf find a way go STRAIGT with this. When i delete something blender ask me WHAT and make me loose time. I know that is a second. but when you replicate commands may time it stress,like to go back in menù. We need the central mouse button on menù that call the LAST COMMAND, for example, that is ULTRA USEFULL. We should finad a way yo EXTRACT part of the menù (like xsi do with tiny cutter icon).
Another improtan thing is the 9 tiny button under the transform, it contain COG, REF, PAR, GLOBAL, LOCAL etc etc. Is super useful, would be faster work having it
but more that all a faster snap system.... one key.
Who know...

[Daniel Brassard]

As for the name .. maybe the community can help you found a name such as

- Montreal (I like that suggestion from the blender forum)
- XCalibur
- Sierra
- SIgma
- Silverado
- Singapore (the last Devs location)
- SIlicium (silicone in latin, mineral color is grey and the chemical symbol is Si)
- Selkie (a siren wearing a seal pelt ... sort of hinting the UI purpose)
- Silverback
- Silversmith

[sirdavid32]

Thank you for your observations Daniel.
At this point, a year's worth of work has been dumped because "ideologies". And just like I mentioned on the reply to William: When we go "emulating" keycomands and other settings, Maya, Modo, Lightwave, Max are mentioning without a problem.
Biased.
I´m pissed.
I´ll go on and keep configuring out of the spare time I got a custom version of Blender. I´ve been training people, and you can really see that the sense of association with the GUI colors reflect everywhere subconciously and naturally for them. I did a poll and everything I´ve brought to the table was fully backed up with MONTHS of work, research and testing.
I got stuf to pay every month. I don´t have time to fool around if it wasn´t to enhance the daily workflow.
Puny arguments on the other forum in reality.