[Eric Lagman]

To me the most professional interface is the one that's the most customizable--which is why I chose C4D.

Agree Completely! That is why I voted for it. Also the icons have some contrast and are clear what they do for the most part (Although a bit childish looking). Modo looks nice, but everything sort of blends together when you look at the tools. Keeping the icons with a family look, but differentiating them when the user quickly glances around the workspace is the challenge of UI design.

Studio definately needs to be more customizable for sure. I dont really like the way windows get added in the Studio workspace. Splitting multiple windows seems akward. The nice thing about Rhino and Cinema viewports is you can quikcly jump from a 4 viewport split to a Single large view and back. This is very handy when moving cameras objects etc.

[jdp]

It really depends on what you have to do.
I mean if you need to do precise stuff, and alot of 2d drawing, then you need to go for a CAD with great snapping and measure instruments. I think ACAD and ADT are a kind of standard, but this is also because I don't feel comfy yet with parametric objects and stuff.

but when you go for 3d in my opinion modo and silo seems to be the smartest and most customizable. blender has a great potential too and it's already highly customizable. they all have a professional and smooth interface, with good color layout which is not secondary in my opinion. for what it's worth I think maya is one of the worst nowadays, but this is most due to my skill.

Studio is great but a few thing needs to be tweaked: icons are a bit confusing (probably because they are tiny, unrecognizable and similar in colors), windows must have the possibility to be redocked, and mouse interaction has to be configurable.

my 2 cents.

[michaelplogue]

'Cause Whiskey's not here to say it...

COSMIC BLOBS!!!

Dang! You beat me to it....!

[jleckron]

'Cause Whiskey's not here to say it...

COSMIC BLOBS!!!

Dang! You beat me to it....!

[Burkhard]

SketchUp is not real shown up.
You have some toolboxes more on screen to open and shut down to title bar - Layers, Material browser, Outliner...

But i prefer modo

[chrislawes]

Form Z interface allows you to have only the pallets and tools you want on screen at any one time. Every menu and short cut is costomizable, the screen shot posted is standard but you can change it to what sutes you best

[SMB]

Good gimmicks are:
The "repeat last command" of Rhino and Silo.
The wonderful middle mouse menu of Rhino which accumulates all commands used so far in the session (if you want this menu, one can change that too).
And yes, both apps their customability. I for example have a real hardtime to change my habits of controlling the viewports. So an app should have that abled to customize.
Then one should be able to put any command at a keyboard shortcut.
To only be able to use the menu or an icon for a command may be good for CTS but not the workflow.
The viewport and some shortcuts is often all I need.
Whereas Rhino's shortcuts kick ass because one can stack keys, they have to be executed by enter or right-click. It needs a bit more work, but one can have not only some, but hundreds of commands shortcut.
steff

[pluMmet]

XSI has been the only thing that has ever tempted me from Max. The UI is one of the many reasons.

I still use Max but if I do switch!

[Stephen]

I've always thought Softimage had a unique workflow that others tried to copy to some degree. Houdini has the most difficult interface in my opinioin. Rhino gets my vote for custom GUI and ease of use, but obviously it's not as robust as other Model/Ani/Render packages.

[ivox3]

[quote="Polyxo"]Hey Tom, where, the heck did you find that old Rhino-screenshot? RhinoV1 (1998)?


LOL, .....yeah --- that's what I thought , ......ancient.


-edit Tom: Well, well I know.... I just quickly google-search it and put the links. now updated, thx for the screenshot.

Rhino .....very customizable ....this is just one setup from V4, ...I wish it had that cool 'dark' look .....that seems to be popular ....ala modo/maxwell/etc....

[Mihai]

Tom, I think you got your answer

The best interface is a fully customizable one. I mean look at that, some people even think Bryce has the best interface

[Hervé]

you're right... mybe XSI is a better app, but Modo wins by a mile... so customizable... and modern,


Chris... in Rhino, you have to first learn the Iconage... hee

[johann.dugge]

I'd like to add RHinno's command line. I find it way easier to remember words (+ they auto complete aswell) than where some icon is located. Just enter "rot" + enter and you can rotate objects that you have preselected or that will be asked as input for. Also RMB acts as "Enter" and "Repeat" (as s.o. pointed out already). This gives very good workflow.

[tom]

Tom, I think you got your answer

The best interface is a fully customizable one. I mean look at that, some people even think Bryce has the best interface

So, Maxwell seems to be on the right track being close to look of mostly prefered Modo and being customizable. Bryce? hehe their votes are the same with SW sadly....

[jjs]

Tom

You just could not resist asking could you - now you're going to have to design this interface by committee - lets hope we get a 'race horse' and not a 'camel'

I think NextLimit have don a good job with the interface - here are my points and comments.

+ plus side
Can have different layouts set so can change from material defining layout to rendering layout. Would be great if can add ones own Menu block with these 'macros' - see Solidworks for this and possibly other software. Or possibly like Macromedia Freehand one can merge the 'ripped out' menus into each other

Clean simple icons

- minus side
Lack of 'view control' icons - have to remeber the key commands.
Orange text - urgh - Argh _ I just remebered I have orange text on my web site - Change that - Orange text - brilliant
black background - very straining for me
Does this meet the EU regs on disabled use ? I am sure such regs exist - perhaps we could have a 'preferances' where we can tweek the font colours and background colurs to suit our own desires.


This is all I could think of , so you have done a great job so far - just follow your 'artist' direction

My humble advice is don't make it too fashionable - but rather aim for 'timeless' simplicity. Please don't change direction and start wasting
valuable screen real estate on frivoulous radiused dialogue boxes etc like Solidworks.



TTFN


Jonathan