And I could add: User Experience Rule 3: If you can't do it in ICE use Fabric Engine :P
On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 11:34 AM, Guillaume Laforge < guillaume.laforge...@gmail.com> wrote: > User Experience Rule 1: Don't use ICE. > User Experience Rule 2: If the "user experience" doesn't provide what you > need, use ICE. > > :) > > > On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 11:23 AM, Alan Fregtman > <alan.fregt...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> To me ICE is an analog to a sort of *space-age programmable calculator*. >> >> Just like with a scientific calculator, if you know a bit of math, you go >> a long way! If you haven't grasped math too well yet, it's cool, it'll just >> take a little longer to understand and you won't be making the most out of >> your calculator for now. >> >> Of course it's oversimplifying it a little, but over the years from the >> types of ICE questions I've observed, a large chunk of them distills to >> "*what >> math do I need to do X?*" more so than the usability or intuitiveness of >> its interface, both of which I think are quite good. Context manipulation >> is probably the hardest concept to grasp after the math, but you do *get >> it* eventually. >> >> >> You know what was pretty hard though? Being in the beta for XSI7 when >> Moondu-- errm ICE didn't have almost any documentation and trying to make >> sense of the workflows and its potential. If you thought ICE was confusing >> on first sight, try picturing yourself without documentation or video >> tutorials existing and only a handful of developers to pick the brains of. >> :p >> >> >> >> On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 10:58 AM, Peter Agg <peter....@googlemail.com>wrote: >> >>> Yeah, I think there's a big difference between ICE being difficult to >>> understand and difficult to use. I've seen people with a good maths >>> background start doing shots after a half hour introduction and I've seen >>> people with no maths knowledge struggle to use it after years of experience. >>> >>> I do think it's objectively better than either Maya's or Houdini's >>> equivalents. >>> >>> >>> On 20 November 2013 15:37, Guillaume Laforge < >>> guillaume.laforge...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I agree with Sergio. >>>> >>>> Lets not oversimplify the user experience. Of course ICE is not a >>>> simple user interface as it is not just some menu/buttons/PPG to clicks on. >>>> But it is very well designed for what it does and it does is quiet well >>>> ! I'm still impressed by such technology knowing that XSI was not design >>>> for ICE at its beginning. >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> >>>> Guillaume Laforge >>>> >>>> PS: As soon as I'm hearing the word "user experience", I'm scared and >>>> run far away from any Apple store :). >>>> >>>> >>>> On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 10:18 AM, Sergio Mucino < >>>> sergio.muc...@modusfx.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I guess I'll have to be a part of the minority here. I had never >>>>> worked with XSI before 2 months ago (although curiously, I got started in >>>>> 3D with Softimage ~ 18 years ago). I jumped into ICE a few days, and it >>>>> literally took me less than an hour to wrap my head around it. Granted, >>>>> I'm >>>>> not using it for super advanced stuff yet, and my experience with XSI is >>>>> limited to the rigging department, but I found ICE to be one of the most >>>>> user-friendly node-based environments I've used (along with Modo's >>>>> schematic workspaces). I was delighted with how easy was to understand >>>>> what >>>>> the nodes do. Their names are clear, and their ports have names that >>>>> actually depict what they do (in contrast to Maya's nodes, which require >>>>> plain experience to understand what they do... and good luck if you're >>>>> trying a few nodes by yourself at first!). Maya's nodes could really use a >>>>> kick in the butt (a hard one) in the usability department, and Softimage >>>>> should be the model to follow here. >>>>> As for the rest of the Maya UI goes, I really don't understand what is >>>>> the problem people have with it. I find it easy to go around once you know >>>>> where things are (which will happen with ANY application you move into >>>>> anyway), and I can work at a pretty good pace with it. I guess it's just a >>>>> matter of familiarity... SI was difficult for me the first week. After >>>>> that, I was able to start being productive. >>>>> Anyway, I don't want to make this unnecessarily longer than needed. I >>>>> just wanted to share my experience with SI in the usability department >>>>> (and >>>>> being an ex-software designer, I tend to unconsciously keep an eye on >>>>> these >>>>> kind of things). >>>>> Okay... my only pseudo-nag is the overall plastic-y look of the SI UI >>>>> (and it's brighter-than-I'd-like, non-customizable gray color scheme). It >>>>> looks like my blender at home. That's all! *ducks* ;-) >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 20/11/2013 7:58 AM, Luc-Eric Rousseau wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Given the rate of development judging by past releases I'd say it's off >>>>> by >>>>> at least another >>>>> three years, and even only if you guys manage to cram Bifrost into it in a >>>>> usable way like ICE >>>>> was crammed into Softimage, and do some major rework of the GUI. >>>>> >>>>> ICE in a conversation about usability? It's the most complex thing you >>>>> need to spend time learning in Softimage, and I think most users have >>>>> not wrapped their heads around it (? would need some statistics). I'll >>>>> never be at ease with it myself, you need to need it and invest in it. >>>>> >>>>> This isn't the right thread for it, but it's always good in any case >>>>> to send feedback about what you think makes Softimage more usable. It >>>>> often boiled down to familiarity as opposed to actual ease of use >>>>> (which should be measurable on a new user). You will always find >>>>> your way around and be more productive in the software that you're the >>>>> most invested in, it becomes second nature to you. You've got the hot >>>>> keys burned into your muscle, you've got your habits (sometimes >>>>> workarounds), etc. It depends when you learn it, too. There is an >>>>> Anthony Rossano book out there about XSI that teaches new users in the >>>>> first chapter how to make XSI awesome by turning all the preferences >>>>> back to Softimage|3D emulation modes. F** those sticky keys and >>>>> manipulators, right? There is a certain age (the 30s?) when we stop >>>>> learning new things if we don't push ourselves in the butt.. >>>>> >>>>> On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 3:22 AM, Stefan Kubicek <s...@tidbit-images.com> >>>>> <s...@tidbit-images.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Luc, that sounds like Maya will finally have it's user interface replaced >>>>> with a usable interface. >>>>> It's still a pity, I'd much rather see you working on Softimage than on >>>>> anything else :-/ >>>>> >>>>> Five years ago I was arguing with a former colleague that if you'd start >>>>> to >>>>> develop Maya in >>>>> the right directions it would still take at least five years to get it up >>>>> to >>>>> the reliability >>>>> and userfriendliness we have in Softimage, and only if Softs development >>>>> was >>>>> stagnant during >>>>> that period. In hindsight this estimate was overly optimistic. >>>>> Given the rate of development judging by past releases I'd say it's off by >>>>> at least another >>>>> three years, and even only if you guys manage to cram Bifrost into it in a >>>>> usable way like ICE >>>>> was crammed into Softimage, and do some major rework of the GUI. >>>>> >>>>> In an attempt to think way out of the box I suggest we find a way to sneak >>>>> someone Softimage-affine into the >>>>> top ranks at AD$K to make decisions that are right for us instead of >>>>> shareholders only. >>>>> Any one around here with pointed elbows and a background in political >>>>> engineering willing to conspire ? ;-) >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >> >
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