my main issue, other than the great list of suggestion here, is to have a more stable throughput into Maya. For every time I use the Send to maya feature, I have to use FBX instead, as the send to does not pass the data correctly.
I can't even count the number of times I have used Send to, only to have an empty scene show up in Maya. On Sat, Aug 18, 2012 at 12:51 AM, Eugen Sares <[email protected]> wrote: > Impressive! > > Generally, for my part, I would love to see SI first and foremost evolve > in this directions: > - extensibility > - customizability > - consolidation (general bugfixing, SDK fixes/cleanups, UI fixes/cleanups) > > > Am 18.08.2012 05:05, schrieb Matt Lind: > > Here’s my short list, some dating back to v1.x:**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > 1) Inspecting a mixer source or mixer clip via the RMB context menu > displays a collapsed PPG that must be manually resized via dragging the > mouse to see it’s contents.**** > > ** ** > > 2) Transfer / Merge Attributes editor found in the Poly.Mesh merge tool, > GATOR, and a host of other tools only shows top two rows in the upper pane > of the dialog and is NOT resizeable.**** > > ** ** > > 3) Transfer / Merge Attributes editor defaults to pairing up cluster > properties (UVs, vertex color, user normals) by chronological order of > creation instead of by name.**** > > ** ** > > 4) Updating a mixer source does not update mixer clips pointing to it from > the mixer timeline.**** > > ** ** > > 5) No easily accessible UI for looking at image sources/clips on a mixer > timeline. Must navigate to the image clip folder in the scene explorer and > know to select the image clip(s) to see anything at all. Images should be > an available option from the mixer.**** > > ** ** > > 6) No SDK access to Spreadsheet view.**** > > ** ** > > 7) No option for scaling objects on axes other than local (such as > global, object, or COG)**** > > ** ** > > 8) Cannot adjust explorer view filter to only show custom properties or > other property type data without showing the rest of the object’s structure. > **** > > ** ** > > 9) Deleting selected object from the scene when in an explorer set to > “selection” scope causes scene explorer to go blank even when it’s locked > (auto refresh deactivated). Really? Can’t it just maintain the current > view? **** > > ** ** > > 10) Texture Editor relax tool doesn’t relax.**** > > ** ** > > 11) No place to hide custom userdata that isn’t in plain view of the > user. Would be very useful for custom tools.**** > > ** ** > > 12) No paint UI or ability in SDK to create a useful 3D paint system.**** > > ** ** > > 13) Performance very bad with many objects in scene regardless of object > complexity.**** > > ** ** > > 14) No ability to auto update self installing custom properties in a scene > after code changes.**** > > ** ** > > 15) No falloff icon/manipulator for point lights**** > > ** ** > > 16) No ability to send events/callbacks to netview for custom tools to > respond (example: on selection change, would like a netview based tool to > respond)**** > > ** ** > > 17) No ability to preserve work on NURBS Surface when converting to > polygon mesh….other than trivial geometry.**** > > ** ** > > 18) Realtime shader system overhauls that shows vertical improvement > instead of lateral.**** > > ** ** > > 19) Lack of UI customization throughout. Makes custom tool development > more difficult than it should be.**** > > ** ** > > 20) Ability to substitute operators/operator inputs in the construction > history outside of text and curves.**** > > ** ** > > 21) Ability to read/write the construction history from the SDK other than > a trivial XML dump. What’s needed is low level access to operator > inputs/outputs so the operators can be recreated exactly using custom > importers/exporters. Example: the ‘movecomponent’ operator does not > expose any parameters. Therefore a custom tool which needs to build an > object from a file description cannot recreate the movecomponent operator > on the generated object’s stack.**** > > ** ** > > 22) ASCII file format for all presets, scene files, models, and other > externally referenced data specific to the application.**** > > ** ** > > 23) A finished NURBS modeling toolset.**** > > ** ** > > 24) Ability to read / write NURBS data in parameterizations other than > Non-Uniform.**** > > ** ** > > 25) Ability to get access to a reference model’s Delta via the scripting > object model.**** > > ** ** > > 26) Ability to write to a PointCloud from scripting. Example: apply color > values to the points in the point cloud.**** > > ** ** > > 27) Ability to duplicate an object contained in a referenced model. That > is, the resulting duplicate should be local to the scene and have no > affiliation with the referenced model from which it was derived.**** > > ** ** > > 28) Ability to define presets / default values for commonly used tools.*** > * > > ** ** > > 29) An Image clip viewer available directly from the viewport menus which > allows panning, zooming, resizing, channel component viewing, etc… that was > written in the last 15 years.**** > > ** ** > > 30) Tools for selecting subcomponents from samples (eg: uv --> polygons). > Needed outside the texture editor.**** > > ** ** > > 31) Customizable context menus for tools allowing removal and rearranging > of tools, and allows arbitrary ordering/placement of custom tools.**** > > ** ** > > 32) Tear away controls from any toolbar that doesn’t require an entire > package of buttons/controls to be torn away with it. Example: I just want > to tear the snapshot button off the FCurve editor toolbar. I don’t want > the swap buffer, HLE, and other tools to come with it.**** > > ** ** > > 33) A toolbar/layout/shelf editor that was built in the last 15 years and > works on drag n’ drop and tear away editing principles. Heck, even the old > SI3D dialog editor was more intuitive than the XSI version.**** > > ** ** > > 34) Ability to put expressions, constraints, and other data types into > mixer sources via the SDK, AND the ability to do so without requiring the > parameters contained in a mixer source to exist in the current scene.**** > > ** ** > > 35) Why do primitive NURBS circles and squares default to having so many > control points?**** > > ** ** > > 36) Using any tool which creates a sample clusterproperty (UV, vertex > color, user normals, …) results in the newly created property being > inserted into the most recently created sample cluster. If you work in a > system which requires clusters to be named (oh, I don’t know, like a games > development workflow) you cannot control how data is generated resulting in > a lot of misplaced data breaking stuff.**** > > ** ** > > 37) Value locks that actually work would be appreciated when used in > referenced models.**** > > ** ** > > 38) When transforming subcomponents individually in local mode, there > should be a ‘center’ icon drawn for each subcomponent so the user can see > where each subcomponent will move.**** > > ** ** > > 39) subcomponents should transform relative to the selection’s center when > working in symmetry mode. Example: a character in a T-pose. If a ring of > polygons around the wrist are selected, rotating the polygons when COG and > Local are active should result in the polygons rotating around the wrist, > not the global origin.**** > > ** ** > > 40) Shadow icon colors should show up in the schematic, scene explorer and > other views.**** > > ** ** > > 41) There should be an easy way to view the R, G, B, and A channels in the > viewports. Important when working with vertex colors and other metadata > which isn’t necessarily used in the traditional context of beauty pass > color. Example: normal maps where the unused blue channel is used for > another purpose. Sometimes we need to see that blue channel on it’s own.* > *** > > ** ** > > 42) Ability to work on multiple texture projections simultaneously in the > Texture editor without having to lock any.**** > > ** ** > > 43) No tools available to convert instances to objects and vice-versa. > Same for clones. No tools exist for finding/selecting the masters of an > instance or clone. I’ve written my own, but it’s annoying I have to do so. > **** > > ** ** > > 44) ICE Modeling is restricted to the modeling marker within the > construction history.**** > > ** ** > > 45) XRay mode is per object. Doesn’t take occluded objects into account > for doing useful things like making translucent image planes for roughing > out the modeling or texturing of new assets.**** > > ** ** > > 46) sliders in the KP / L are lmitied to on/off states and cannot set to > other values. Example: a parameter defined as siFloat with range [0…1]. > In a PPG this shows up as a slider which can be set to any value in the > range, but when this same parameter is edited in the KP / L, the user is > restricted to 0 or 1 as accepted values when dragging the slider. Must > manually type values to get anything inbetween.**** > > ** ** > > 47) Cannot view an animation layer without the base layer. There are > times users want to only see the upper layers in isolation so they can see > only what has been changed beyond the base layer.**** > > ** ** > > 48) Snap to texel is missing from 3D snap toolset.**** > > ** ** > > 49) Proportional modeling settings apply globally, but how the values are > interpreted by tools are different depending on the view which the feature > is used. Example: in the 3d viewports the proportional modeling settings > are defined in SI units, but in the texture editor they’re defined as UV > values. The problem is falloff as used in the 3D viewports is usually on a > fairly large scale (several units) as objects are usually modeled fairly > large. But UV editing is usually in range [0….1], so any proportional > modeling adjustment defined for the 3D viewports will have no effect in the > texture editor because the falloff radius will be larger than the entire UV > space which texture editing takes place. Reducing the falloff to satisfy > the texture editor results in the falloff being too small for use in the 3D > viewports. ARGH!**** > > ** ** > > 50) Anytime those nested layers want to work is fine by us. Especially > with referenced models.**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > Matt**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *From:* [email protected] [ > mailto:[email protected]<[email protected]>] > *On Behalf Of *Paul Griswold > *Sent:* Friday, August 17, 2012 9:09 AM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: Small Annoying Things**** > > ** ** > > Is the new dev team making a list out of this? This list is gold. I'd > absolutely love to see this kind of stuff addressed in 2014.**** > > ** ** > > -Paul**** > > ** ** > > On Fri, Aug 17, 2012 at 9:56 AM, Eugen Sares <[email protected]> wrote:* > *** > > Am 17.08.2012 15:42, schrieb Jeff McFall:**** > > ** ** > > If the render tree window is open and one assigns a new material to the > selected object the window does not automatically refresh to show the new > material > > Not sure if this is intent or not but I often end up changing the wrong > material because I expected my new material to be there**** > > ** ** > > +1 > Even asked VRay support two days ago if this is related to the connection > plugin, but no, it's a SI bug.**** > > ** ** > > > everything else is perfect > > jeff > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Eugen Sares > Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2012 8:42 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Small Annoying Things > > Hi list, > Softimage has one of the slickest interfaces known to man, but nothing's > perfect. > Let's be nit-picky for a moment... what glitches, small flaws or > inconsistencies annoy you most in Softimage? > Any SPDL hacks worth doing when SI is installed freshly? > This is about polishing, not cool new features (borders are blurry of > course). > > Maybe the new developer team has nothing better to do (ha ha) and feels > motivated to do a little mop-up... > > Here we go: > > - Render Tree > When multiple objects are selected and all share the same Material, the RT > should not nag with the message "Update can't be done with two objects > selected" and display that Material. > (besides, it says "two", even when more are selected) 3ds max can even > display multiple shader trees... would this make sense? > > - Material Manager > ...should remember it's layout, expecially the horizontal divider. > There's a bug with the text input field of the Shader balls names. It > sometimes does not update, and you have to type blindly. After pressing > enter it updates, however. > > - Timeslider > When the Range Slider is moved, the timeslider should update with it > interactively (does so in Maya). > > - Project Manager > Would be nice if a double-click would open a scene in the list on the > right hand side. > > - Operator Stack > A double click on a Construction Mode Marker in the Explorer should > activate that mode. > Also, highlighting the markers in some way (bold or different color or > whatever) would clarify which mode is active in the Stack, besides looking > at the dropdown in the menu bar. > > - Operator Context Menu > ... should contain all Commands related to Operators. Now they are strewn > across the interface - some are to find in menu Edit > Operator, others in > MCP > Edit > Operator. > "Collapse Operators" is a good example. Would you go looking for that in > the MCP menu? > "Freeze" in the menu freezes everything below an operator, not the whole > stack. Thus it could be named "Freeze down" or "Freeze all below" or > whatever. > > - Texture Projection Operator Stack > The "Texture_Projection_Def" property has buttons "Reset" and "Freeze" - > somewhat hidden. Could reside in the Op Stack context menu as well. > > - Texture Support > ... should show parameters GeoX, GeoY, GeoZ by default. This can be fixed > with a litte hack of texture.spdl. > I see no reason why it should not be possible to set the size of a TS > numerically. I need this often. > > - "Texture_Projection_Def" property > Checkboxes U,V,W are off by default. Should be on, because when texture > coords are outside the 0,0 - 1,0 range, textures render black, and the > head-scratching begins. > 3D-Coat AppLink for example shifts UVs around that way. > > - UI graphics > The browse icon (...) besides a path input field tends to draw artifacts > when the PPG is resized. Could be graphics driver related (GeForce 460 > here). > Does one need to go for an expensive Quadro card for this? > > - Render Region Options > "Use current Pass options" should be on by > default. > Often enough I have drawn an Render Region, tweaked the render parameters > in the Render Manager and wondered why nothing happens... > > More to come... > > Thanks for reading! > Best regards, > Eugen > > > > **** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > >
