[Eskil]

I think that programmers who program art tools should spend more time on boards like this one, so there for i would like to ask you people how you would like your tools to be. I have already done this on an other board and got some great feedback.

Don't bother to be realistic or think about the feasibility of your ideas that's my problem.

What tools are artist friendly and why? I am especially interested in how an application can be inspiring. Back in the old days I remember Dpaint and Brilliance to be great tools just to play around in. it was better then games! and I want that back!

A few days a go I rented the DVD of Star Wars EP:I and in a documentary one dude from ILM said something like "the film looks really cool and flashy, but it isn't at all like that making it, its tedious slow and anything but flash" and i tout to my self why does it have to be that way?

Just to let you know I am a programmer/artist and have been for about 12 years. I am currently working on a 3D modeling/sketching software called Loq Airou you can find it at: Quel Solaar

[zak]

instead of having the toolbars and shite like that in photoshop id rather have buttons going around the rim of the prog. floating toolbars suck ass. its also be nice to be able to drag around individual buttons to group them yourself. oh yeah, every copy of the software should come with an extra high end (looking at geforce) graphics card, and a 21 inch monitor for free!!!!!!

[[666]Flat]

I GOTTA PASS FOUR EXAMS IN SEVEN DAYS AND I DIDN'T DO SHIT FOR IT YET. OMG THIS IS GONNA BE DEVASTATING.

[ June 23, 2002: Message edited by: [666]Flat ]

[Eskil]

zak: Yeah I have compleatly got rid of floting windows (i find that you spend more time re-arangeing them the you use them...)

An other thing that i Work on is trying to have no menus where you do your editing, all editing shuld be on the art, you shuldnt let your eays go from the art ever.

Some times i have fomnd that my colors in my images are made to match the colors of the application.....

About the free graphics card and monitor, its going to be an expensive app....
E

[Zen_Drag0n]

Why are floating menus a problem? I would hate buttons lining my screen. I just hit tab in photoshop when I'm doing most things so that all the floating menus and brush toolbar dissapear. Most of the times shortcuts work, but when I need I just hit tab again and select what I gotta do. Seems easy enough to me to get that space and remove toolbars.

[Gort]

I just want to say in all fairness to the programmers out there: You cannot hold the programmers entirely responsible; the marketing weasels are - in my opinion - primarily to blame; they're the ones that intentionally hold back features to ensure future sales. Companies like Adobe do listen to and often heed the cries of the community, but the marketing weasels are the ones that step in say, "give 'em some but not all of it - you wanna sale this stuff in the next versions - right?"

Call me cynical - I don't care. My beer sure is cold.

[Eskil]

Wow tanks for the fead back!

In an old interview with the dude who created pong, he claimed that one of the greatest things about pong was that you only needed one hand to operate it. This was gerat becouse you culd hold a beer or a girl in the other hand. infact he had been contacted by coulpes who had meet while playing pong.

So I started thinking about it, traditional drawing is just like that, you draw while you are in meetings (especialy boring ones) or while on the phone, and lets face it girls dig dudes that are artists.

So I started this projet and I told my self lets see how far I can go without using the
keyboard. So far it has worked realy well.
(i did add some buttons for mac users and wacom tablets)

An other thing that is sort of diferent is that way back when people started making GUIs graphics where slow, so you couldnt draw large animated menus, so i am allso exploring that.

At this moment I am the only person working on this soe there are no marketing who can destroy everything....
An other problem with large apps like Photoshop is that every one already owns it, so even if Adobe spends lots on money developing it, it wont sell that much more

Yes it works whit wacom tables infact it is great! (A friend lended me a tablet to be able to test it, now that is a greate friend!)

Personal note: Tja kul att h�ra av dig, det var ett tag sedan! jag har skrivit det sk�lv programmerar en hel del nu.

E

[HawkOne]

Hi Eskil,

Interesting topic ... I agree with zak, floating toolbars are not very cool ... they always get in the way ... and shortcuts are cool, but when it is neccessary to use 10 different complex softwares, it gets pretty hopeless (for me at least) to remember all the different shortcut key variations.

I wonder if it is possible to have a more comprehensive right click menu, such as the one found in Mirai (3D software), Ctrl/Shift/Alt right/middle/left click trigger different menus.

Also cool is Softimages "Sticky Keys" which stay activated with a click-release, and if you instead just hold down the key, with E for Erase for example, that tool is active only while you hold down the key, when you release the key, it automatically jumps back to the previous tool ...

I've also been playing with the idea of using a "device" instead of the keyboard for all sorts of extra functions, rotating objects in 3D software for example, without changing tools for the mouse or pen-stylus.

There are some devices out there for 3D use, but they cost too much, and it is not possible to try before you buy ...

I've been thinking about this gadget with 72 programmable buttons, rotation and movement sensors ... etc, etc ...
Link to Strategic Commander-Microsoft SideWinder





It may sound like this only complicates matters, but I think it would be cool to at least try something like this out. From an ergonomic point of view I think it looks good too. The position in the image below looks a lot more comfy than having to play contortionist with your hand/fingers to reach Ctrl+7 (or whatever) with one hand, dont'cha think ?


and of course "The Commander" only costs US$35 (when it comes out...) instead of some of the other gadgets out there ... so it's less crap if it just doesn't work out than it would be if it cost a ton of money ... like those shown below costing from 400 to 800 US$ ...

Magellan 3D Controller

Space Ball 4000

From 3DConnexion

[ June 23, 2002: Message edited by: HawkOne ]

[merlyns]

on my other pc I got such a mouse and I'm selling it it so confusing maybe I'll get used to it
I argee with zak to the floating menus are a pain in the **s their alwas in the way

-david

[Jelo]

Personal in swedish: Hej Eskil det �r Joel
Vad kul att du h�ller p� med ett eget 3D program. Programerar du det helt skj�lv eller �r det n�gon annan.. Emil kanske

In english: One question.. I work exclusively with my Wacom pen, only using my mouse for gaming. I've found it to work 100% with Maya and 95% with XSI so when I wonder if its possible to navigate and do all the things with the Wacom pen.. it surely didn't seem so when I read the instructions on your site. Becaus pressing all 3 buttons at the same time whith the Wacom is impossible and as I understod you have to do it sometimes.

[Jelo]

Wow! kul att du gort allt skj�lv...

Har skj�lv funderat p� att b�rja programera... s� att jag skulle kunna skriva egna apps. f�r diverse saker och eventuelt en egen renderar i slut�nda.
Var det sv�r att komma ig�ng och hur l�ng tid tar det att bli n�gorlunda bra?