This is very true. Microsteps matter, especially the ones that don’t register with the developers’ concept of how things should work.
People on Maya’s dev team should perform this exercise: Create a small sphere on the far bottom left corner of the viewport. Create a small cube on the far top right corner of the viewport. Create a small circle curve on the far top left corner of the viewport. Create a small circle curve on the far bottom right corner of the viewport. Example 1: Look to the bottom left, select the sphere. Look to the top right and ctrl-select the cube. Point constrain the two. Where is the cube now? The last place you were looking? Or the first place? Exactly, it is in the first place you looked which is not where we intuitively expect it. We expect it to move to the last place we looked. Because that was the target. Target is secondary. Target is last in order. We have to stop, if just for an instant, and think about that prospect. Why did my target move to the source? Why did step 2 move to the location of step 1. That’s illogical. The sphere should have moved to the cube. I picked up the sphere first, I want it to move the sphere to the cube, but weirdly the sphere did not move, the second thing I picked up moved to the first. But I picked the sphere first. But this is Maya. So I guess its ok. Expected? Normal? Maybe? How does this work again? Undo everything. Select the cube first then the sphere then constrain. Now the sphere moves to the location of first selection and is constrained to the cube. I think. I know this is illogical, it feels awkward, but I have to accept it to move on. Who thought of this? Why does it do this? Did I do this correct? What does the outliner show me? Yeah it looks correct there, maybe, but just doesn’t feel right? Better play the timeline to make sure this behaves like I want it too? Yeah playback makes sense, oh well. But it seems like It went the other direction last week. That’s so weird. Yeah, about last week….. Example 2: Now deselect everything. Look to the top left, select the curve on the top left. Look to the bottom right and select the other curve on the bottom right. Execute Animate->Motion Path->Attach To Motion Path. Where are the curves. Right, they are both at the bottom right, the last place you looked. This doesn’t require a double take, doesn’t require the user to look back across the screen to where everything began, does not beg the question, why???. You are looking at the same place where action ended. This is logical. Next! Now I want to know. How many of you have experienced Example 1? -- Joey Ponthieux __________________________________________________ Opinions stated here-in are strictly those of the author and do not represent the opinions of NASA or any other party. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jason S Sent: Friday, February 20, 2015 2:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Maya thinks they're clever....and that's the problem I'd say both are happy(er) when things are consistent and predictable (however they work), with care to eliminate as many steps as possible, because sometimes even microsteps make all the difference. On 02/20/15 14:08, Rob Chapman wrote: So now we get to a crux of an issue of ui design, who is the more human, the artist or the programmer On 20 Feb 2015 18:43, "Ponthieux, Joseph G. (LARC-E1A)[LITES]" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: That really is the point, isn’t it? -- Joey From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>] On Behalf Of Mirko Jankovic Sent: Friday, February 20, 2015 1:13 PM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: Maya thinks they're clever....and that's the problem If programmer making something for artists shouldn't that follow what artists needs not what programmer feels it should be ;)
