Re: [Bf-committers] Patch [#36029] improvements to spline behavior with a SINGLE handle selected
ping... now that 2.68 is out can I get some feedback on this? I made two alternative patches here. They both fix the same set of bugs in spline-handles.. - add tooltips to the handle-type-set menu (yay!) - fix a visual bug where selected spline handles are highlighted incorrectly - allow (S)cale to alter the length of a single handle without changing it's rotation, just like double-handle scale does for two handles. They both also add a small visual. I know this visual isn't perfect, though it seems not terribly offensive, and it visually clarifies behavior which is currently invisible. Open to suggestions about better visuals. http://www.pasteall.org/pic/54987 The above changes are included in this patch, and I think they are rather conservative.. http://projects.blender.org/tracker/?func=detail&aid=36048&group_id=9&atid=127 - I also made another patch which includes all of the above, but goes a bit further. It makes a change to spline-handle set which makes it's behavior match the documentation, the English definition of the word "free", and IMO makes it more intuitive. However, the small amount of user feedback I've been able to collect about this has been mixed, with some users preferring it and some users preferring the current behavior. I understand if this change is less preferred.. http://projects.blender.org/tracker/?func=detail&aid=36029&group_id=9&atid=127 ___ Bf-committers mailing list Bf-committers@blender.org http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
Re: [Bf-committers] Patch [#36029] improvements to spline behavior with a SINGLE handle selected
I have uploaded the ALTERNATE patch ... I *strongly* urge people to try both patches. Using it makes the difference more apparent than thinking/talking about it. Set a handle-pair to "align", then choose one handle to "free" and see the behavior difference (summarized below). BOTH patches fix issues working with single-spline handles: - add tooltips to the handle-type-set menu - fix a visual bug where selected spline handles are highlighted incorrectly - add a (subtle) visual for a rotation-constrained spline handle - introduce a safer eHandleSetMode enum (necessary to make the tooltips work) BOTH patches have exactly the same possible spline handle behaviors for the same handle states. The DIFFERENCES between the patches can be understood somewhat by considering the tooltips and options in the handle-type-set menu... Patch [#36029] - match docs, fix behavior (IMO, much more intuitive) http://projects.blender.org/tracker/?func=detail&aid=36029&group_id=9&atid=127 "Free" - allows the handle to rotate independently from the other handle. "Align" - aligns the handle with the other handle "Align + Constrain" - aligns the handle with the other hand and constrains it's rotation Patch [#36048] - keep behavior, fix docs http://projects.blender.org/tracker/?func=detail&aid=36048&group_id=9&atid=127 "Free" - Align the handle(s) to the other. If the other handle is Free, Vector, or Auto, this will cause the handle to be rotation constrained. "Align" - Allow the handle(s) to freely rotate. To allow the handle to rotate independently, set the other handle to Free, Vector, or Auto. ___ Bf-committers mailing list Bf-committers@blender.org http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
Re: [Bf-committers] Patch [#36029] improvements to spline behavior with a SINGLE handle selected
FYI - After much deliberation about feedback on BA, I've decided to take a different route than I did with Patch [#36029]. I am going to create a NEW version of this spline-fix-patch which fixes the tooltips, bugs, and adds "rotation constraint" visuals -- while leaving the current behavior untouched -- where handle-set always affects only selected handles. I will also fix the wiki documentation to match the current behavior. Why? I created this patch because I want the documentation, tooltips, behavior, and visuals to all match -- it doesn't matter to me which way it works, so long as it's clear. When I started, the only thing that I understood was the documentation, partially because the current behavior is not documented and partially because bugs in the visuals make it confusing. Now that I fully understand the (intended) current behavior, I see a way to fix the tooltips, docs, and visuals which will be (mostly) consistent with the current behavior. Some factors in my thinking: - While using patch [#36029], I have seen that 90% of the confusion with the current system can be eliminated simply by showing visuals for "rotation constrained" handles. - I can see the desire for handle-set behavior which only "touches" the state of the handle(s) which are actually selected. But mostly: I've realized that the "behavior inconsistency" is not possible to eliminate with *either* approach without breaking file-format compatibility -- something which I don't think is worth it at this point. That inconsistency is the overloading of "align" and "constraint" behavior, such that an align handle in align/free is rotation constrained, but in align/align is not rotation constrained. The overloading also has the side-effect that there is no way to rotation-constrain both handles. Other features which have been requested are also not possible without some amount of file-format conversion/confusion.. including rotation constraining both handles, and length-mirroring both handles. ... new patch coming soon. ___ Bf-committers mailing list Bf-committers@blender.org http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
[Bf-committers] Patch [#36029] improvements to spline behavior with a SINGLE handle selected
After hashing it out with a few artists/users who LOVE the current spline handle behavior, I think I have a patch which will make single spline handle-set more predictable/understandable, while retaining 110% of current functionality. (not a joke, I added functionality by fixing bugs) http://projects.blender.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=36029&group_id=9&atid=127 Summary: This patch improves the usability of the spline handle set menu behavior when a SINGLE spline handle is selected. It does not change the behavior of spline handle modes or how splines are interpreted. It also... - adds a visualization for a rotation-constrained spline handle, and fixes a couple bugs in working with single spline handles. - allows any single spline handle to be scaled along the spline axis with no fear of rotating the spline (no matter what mode the spline is in). Previously this was only possible for both handles together. See the bug for the nitty gritty details... ___ Bf-committers mailing list Bf-committers@blender.org http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
