Thinking about a brand new interface...

[ebola]

Hello,

I'm just a very new user of LuxRender but love it very much (of course I need learn to use it:))... So because sometimes I make 2D or 3D graphical designs, and photography is also a loved hobby... I just started to view over the forum about the GUI project, and also started to make an idea about one final new interface... I know that the custom, graphical interface is the nightmare of lot of programmers (and more programmers told that a pro. application not need a good and nice look and feel, because just the 'knowledge' is the important... but I could not agree with it from more aspect...), but I think if we believe in future of LuxRender, and want to make it the best render engine of all, could be very nice if the interface could be also a modern, professional looking thingie... with innovative feeling in it's own category... Of course my basic think is just a basic yet, but try to work with it more and more, as my spare-time allow...

Please check it just for a minutes... and hope that in the near future I could show you a complete brand new interface... I just made it for show the feel, not to force any stupidity... but want to finish this work as maybe any of the developers change his mind and think about the new GUI...

Could you tell me please your opinions? what is good, what is wrong, and in the future I will try to find the way what all of you could like... My plan is to finish the base thing in 2 weeks, and later try to polish from all aspect if needed...

Now I have a lot of idea for it, just had not enough time yet (place a logo, make possible to change between server, client in the future... etc, etc...)... of course basically follow the current line, just make it hardcoded own for make the look equal on all different platform... I will finish theses of course... and try to implement anything what you throw as good idea...

So could you please explain your opinions about this thought?

15% presentation of my imagined new GUI

Thanks a lot in advanced...

(ps. of course the image is not mine!!!, and hope that Alexander don't care about it to use just to show how the GUI idea could be looks like...)

[psor]

Well, what to say - it looks nice. ;o))

Have you seen the new QT interface? I'd say it's quite good and QT supports skinning, so it should be possible to
get something like your proposal in there. I like dark interfaces more then bright ones cause light interfaces are
giving to much contrast between the interface and the content. It doesn't matter if 3D or 2D. When I'm using
3dsmax it's dark, blender is dark, ... all dark so I can concentrate better on the content.

To make it short, your proposal is nice and we will see what will be possible in the near future when QT is
the new default interface of lux.




take care
psor

[ebola]

Hi,

Yes, I saw the new QT development, but from my aspect, I mean from aspect of my letter... QT and all about it is now the windows handler /graphical engine itselft, but not really the real interface... of course I could missed something... Why I wrote my topic, and started the make an interface prototype is not to resist onto the current QT development, and in itself also not to resist onto any current plans about the GUI engine... just to make a real snapshot about how could be LuxRender looks and feel from my aspect with my taste... not as a real application, but a total finished idea what maybe in the future need to find the common segment with the current programming possibilities... The general skinable applications in the world in lot of times have no general correct GUI, and the developers just leave this question to open... From this aspect I generally not like those type of applications, because in lot of times will never have a normal interface... and now Im not writing about the subjective taste, but about the general high quality or low quality GUI question...

So thanks for the quick answer, I would like to happy if all of you would like to wonder about it, and the possibilities... if yes, as I wrote, I will finish my idea, from all aspect... maybe with your requests meanwhile... and if its done, we could maybe consult about how to put in practical...

Of course all of these are just ideas...

As you wrote, some people like dark, and some other like bright interfaces... in my mind the plan was 2 sided... I will make this interface in two color, specially not in 2 color, just in dark and bright... the 2 will be totally identical, but all colors aligned to the current style... in this case LuxRender could have only one preference... interface: bright/dark ... and users could use what they like... I think such style application not need to be skinable in real, but of course Im not talking about the the programming environment allow to customize the windows and elements...

Do I think this situation right or wrong?

Thanks for the reaction again.

(ps. hope that in a week I could show you lots more elements and global look... and of course hope that you will like it )

[lempour]

well, then you can start developing some nice qt themes according to your taste (get inspired at www.kde-look.org)

[jeanphi]

Hi,

To define a correct interface I think you should focus on 3 main items in that order (this also applies to lots of other unrelated stuff):
- what you expose in the UI (which functions and how you label them, it would be called the content in other contexts)
- the layout (how you organize the above items)
- the style (how it looks)

The first item will ensure a user understands what each piece of the UI is about, it's really the most important issue, and the one a standard developer most often misses completely because it will focus and the technical aspect and not the standard concepts understood by the average user.
The second item will allow the user to easily navigate the UI and be efficient using it. It's usually a matter of grouping things together, aligning things properly, hiding stuff, having similar functions always appear at the same place, having all needed information for a given task appear at once, ...
The third item is just the sugar and most modern toolkits allow the user to tweak it at will, a program should usually not try to mess with it too much since it's always disturbing to have programs with varying styles: you always have to adapt your reading of the informations.

Jeanphi

[Atom]

What is QT, is that QuickTime?

[SATtva]

Qt is not QT. :) See here: http://qt.nokia.com