Blender UI paper cuts

i find some of the 2.80 changes really unnecessary like in the toolbar
just look at the all wasted space…


when we could have something like this and then collapses to just two columns of icons. if it’s “too much” scrolling then bring back tabs in the toolbar and put them there or something.

1 Like

What you call “wasted space” I call “open space” to add more tools in the future, whether it’s add-ons or built into the software. Also, it’s more space for the viewport where you see your scene in, which the old UI didn’t allow when it was just a solid box.

Besides, you can adjust the toolbar the way you want by changing the entire size of it by holding down the ctrl and scroll wheel buttons at the same time and drag inside the toolbar (also works on the right side toolbar with all your add-ons and other settings). You can also customise the amount of columns from 2 to 1, or show the names of the tools by dragging on the edge, as well as hide it altogether. You can then save it for your own customised workspace, which works in every tab.

3 Likes

Can’t change the text color of the playhead. It’s broken since the scrubbing area was added.

image

3 Likes

Eyedropper Selection should be enabled for the outline, too.
I think they should allow you to use the eyedropper tool next to a modifier to not only select an object in the scene, but you should also be able to select one in the outline, like so:

7 Likes

IMHO it would be even to add a button (additionally to transformation locks) to set all those values to zero (e.g. “Cursor to center”)

1 Like

UI snapping bug

3 Likes

Eh, headers at the bottom are not a good idea. Put it on top. :wink:

But yeah.

when creating a new panel by dragging out from the edge and manually setting the panel type (shader editor, view 3d, image viewer etc) there is currently no way to set the panels default tool (move, vs box select) since the panel wasn’t present in the startup.blend file.

when I keep making temp shader editor panels, and trying to drag the nodes and instead of them moving, I getting the box select on drag. I have move tool toggles for that, so it’s very much apaper cut. And, no matter how I set the startup file… always happens.

(yes I know I could use layout configs, but I keep just manually remaking my layout anyway)

suggestion.
check the blend file for the last editted panel of that type and get it’s ui defaults.

(same thing happens with the import file browsers for likely the same reasons…)

2 Likes

Crosspost: https://blender.community/c/rightclickselect/Y4dbbc/

Currently lists with more than a few options can only be scrolled by using the mouse wheel or cursor keys. This leaves out pen tablet users and means you always have to take your hands away from the pen to reach for the keyboard or mouse.

Lists should be scrollable by either [Alt]-Click Drag, when hovering over the small arrow at the bottom of the list or should add a scrollbar (which still comes with its own problems when the list is very long and the bar becomes too small).

image

5 Likes

SidePanelTabs

Image from the Sorcar addon, could be handling things differently to fix the ‘issue’ but used as example here since it illustrates the problem I’m writing about well.

Sidepanel Tabs get squashed and truncated beyond usefulness.


What is happening:

  • Tabs get truncated, sometimes beyond the first letter even.
  • When trying to scroll the list of tabs it instead scrolls through the tabs, switching them.
    • A nice to have alt function to the scrolling but should reside under Alt modifier + scroll wheel instead.

What should be happening:

  • If too many tabs to fit them all, truncate up to first word but not beyond, if truncate at all.
  • Scrolling over them should move the tabs into view to reveal the ones outside of the view.
    • Scrolling while holding Alt modifier key should both scroll the view and at a similar rate switch through the tabs so that the active tab is always in view.

Bonus feature I’d appreciate, but not at all high priority:
Having a extra moveable sub area divider to be able to expand the tabs into two columns(rows?) in case there’s enough of them to warrant that need.

7 Likes

shift+c does precisely that

This is very much needed, icons are much needed as well… They could solve a lot of these things, as well as complement the text

3 Likes

I really lack the ability to assign keyboard shortcuts to menus with sub-items

3 Likes

The 3D viewport header has some settings.


You can disable the “tool settings.”

But why there is no way to do this:

Or, better, like this:

Why somebody will want to eliminate the tool settings that users need to use the active tool?

remove the viewport header is a long battle that nobody want to fight. You can actually put dowm making more easy to use.

I would like also prefer to set double X as “Remove prevous mode”
For example, if last X deletion was “Edge collapse”, pressing XX will collapse edges, until other option will be selected from menu.

Also, Smart delete addon provides contextual deleting, depending on current mode. It is not complete (no dissolve), but useful for repetative work.

2 Likes

Because it’s a feature that wasn’t properly thought-through and shows some stuff while hiding other stuff arbitrarily. I can see it going away in two Blender versions tbh.

1 Like

Unfortunately, I can cite only myself as an example.I rarely use tools. In fact, over the past year I used it only once, and this is because the blender does not have a convenient shortcut key for a bisect.
If your workflow is built by working with the keyboard (as they did in the old days), then the tools are not needed. And, as a result, their settings are not needed.

1 Like

thank you, last time I’ve checked it there was no possibility to set cursor rotation values to zero (except for manually doing so). I would still include the button though

Add a keymap entry to 3D View (Global) that calls wm.context_set_value

The context attribute you’ll need is scene.cursor.rotation_euler and the value should be [0,0,0]

The wm.context_... operators don’t have the best documentation, but you can read up on them here.

wm.operator_pie_enum is a fun one, too.