Ah, yes, sorry, I was “sleeping” when I see the message. Yes, now I know what you tell, but like always, I prefer to not make complex proposals and keep the actual behaviour of the T&N panels. But it’s true that work better with the N shelf before that header
One of the hard things to figure out for newcomers is one of the most basic: how do you add an object?
I think the top bar as a tool property shortcut bar is redundant and hard to read/use because all settings are collapsed behind drop down menus.
The top bar also needs to be context dependant, as it is now, but what context should be used? I think “mode” is the most obvious as it is app wide.
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In object mode, offer buttons to add primitives, duplicate, add subdivisions, that kind of things.
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In edit mode, show selector for edit level (vertex, edge, face) extrude, bevel, loop select, other types of quick and recurring single actions.
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Etc…
A collection of button shortcuts for actions hidden behind keyboard shortcuts, extremely useful for newcomers and tablet users alike.
This is the best direction for a top bar. People are used to finding a lot of buttons at the top of their software for common actions.
Search bar would also be a great way to make the search function that is central to blender more discoverable.
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quickly, I have other proposal for solve that problem, not using the topbar, I will explain in few time 
You seem to be missing one important thing. There are tools with only one option, or even no settings at all, and other tools with a lot of settings. And it can be frequently switched tools in one editor and mode.
And if you place the tool settings horizontally, it doesn’t matter if it’s one common top bar or per editor header, then you will either have a lot of empty unused space, or lack of space.
Also in this case you will have two different layouts of the same settings, one horizontally panel and the other in Properties editor, which is bad for remembering.
As I suggested earlier, you can see the screenshots here, the straightforward solution is to use a vertical panel for the tool settings, with exactly the same content as in the Properties editor.
This can be on the right, along with the Sidebar, or on the left near the Tools. It can be full-height or small panel when there are few settings. It can be opened by double-clicking on the tool icon and automatically closes when losing focus, etc.
Also there will be no problem if you need to add more settings to the tool in the future.
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The vertical tool settings panel already exists, it’s the property window, and it’s extremely helpful to keep one open on the left side when you work with setting intensive tools like grease pencil and sculpting.
Having it in the top bar is redundant and inconsistent since as you said some tools require more than others. A side panel with the same options duplicated would also be redundant.
I think action buttons is the obvious thing missing from the UI and it’s the perfect place for it!
I have checked all the current active tools and even the longest ones enter in this design in a 1080p screen.
If you check this proposal in the version for sculpt you will see that I propose something similar with the return of the tool options to the N-shelf. But I didn’t want to mix proposals.
But I don’t rule out the usefulness of having the Topbar with some basic options. Because in no
I’m not in favor of a popover constantly jumping in front of the user’s face.
You can see a few more of the sculpt proposal here
The tool options in the properties panel are by far the worst of the options. For many reasons discussed above.
- It breaks the hierarchy of the interface, mixing concepts
- He’s away from all work zones.
- It prevents to work correctly with several monitors without duplicating the area of properties up to 3 times.
- It does not allow to work in full screen with only one area.
That it is redundant is the least if it is useful and improves the work experience, if someone does not like the redundancy that hides the panel. Having the search box everything is redundant in blender, and does not ask to remove the rest of the interface, because it is faster and more comfortable to work with the controls on screen.
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It’s also not hideable via hotkey, like the old toolshelf was.
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Unless you’re left handed, there’s no reason to have anything on the left side (maybe the useless N panel could go there tho 
). But yeah, tools on the left are a curse.
Just put the toolbar on the right side (which is where it should be by default), and you’ll enjoy a better workflow. Your right hand will thank you.
Btw, those sculpting brushes icons they need to go, they are the worst thing ever. We need real snapshots, like in zbrush etc.
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85% of the world’s population is right-handed and their books are written from left to right.
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Totally unrelated.
All I want to say is that when you’re working, you want the least mouse traveling possible.
Try to work on a Cintiq, with an app where the tools are on the left. Nightmare!
It’s completely related. Almost the entire world population writes in one direction, from top to bottom, from left to right (even in China and Japan when they write horizontally that is the sense of their writing). Even if you look at studies of cave paintings these tend to follow the same direction, starting from the left and up and ending in the right or down.
That is to say, our brain simply sees better the information at the top left than the one at the bottom right.
Using the cintiq with a 3D suite is a nightmare, it is not designed for it. And almost nobody uses it. And since almost nobody uses a cintiq for 3D, designing the software for the minority that does it is a mistake.
If we look at how any normal person works, with a mouse or with a tablet, we will see that the movement to the left of the right hand is much more comfortable and healthy than moving the hand constantly to the right. For the simple reason that our hands evolved to grab things in front of us, not to our sides. This allows us to flex our hand to the left and towards the palm of the hand in a much more comfortable way than to the right and against the direction of the palm of the hand.
Without forgetting the carpal tunnel syndrome that is given more by forcing that hand movement of which you speak.
So your proposal, which is very comfortable without a doubt for those who use cintiq, makes blender uncomfortable for 99% of the remaining users.
That’s why 99% of the software places the tools on the left.
What I mean is that I agree with you that, because of your situation, it’s very comfortable to put everything to the right. But it is not so for the rest of users, and I think you should defend an interface that works for most and that allows you to work optionally as best suits you.
And don’t defend an interface that is uncomfortable for most users simply because you use a cintiq.
The beauty of using the properties window for your tool settings is that you can absolutely put it on the right if you prefer!
By the way I do use a cintiq with blender 
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It could be improved in the way it presents the settings for sure, but the panel is otherwise a great tool for all the problems you brought up.
You can duplicate it as much as you’d like, place it left, right, and reduce it when working full screen. This is a great principle.
It could, you know, live in a panel that would live on the side of the viewport, and could be toggled with… T, let’s say…
But that ship has sailed, it seems.
Maybe it could come back and be toggleable, in which case it could collapse to a vertical list of tools like at the moment and expand to a full panel with the tools icons on the side like the property panel? In that case it should disappear from the properties window.
The top bar is not a place where most people would look for these options, and it’s an awkward format to present them.
Search is never redundant, that’s a paradigm in every software. You can access functions through the UI, or through search when the UI is confusing. That’s a basic thing. On the other hand, accessing the same settings in several places is terrible UX.
I always will defend the back of the tool option to N.-shelf panel, Like you can see in my sculpt proposal. Allowing the user to have the tool panel inside viewport and in the left or right side.
The topbar is a good place to put some few options, main options an allow to the user change it without the T-shelf or tools panels in properties editor.
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Even for non-cintiq users, it’s more efficient to have the tools and the settings on the right, trust me.
Also, Blender should ship with layout variations, not just workspaces (which are terrible btw), so new users could see the possibilities.
If users have the possibility to change it, they will do.
In my case, like all programs that I have seen in 25 years working with PCs have the tools in the left or top, and properties in right or bottom… I preffer to keep the classic estructure.
I’ve expanded my reply in the previous post but I want to add:
The top bar is not a good place for a few reasons:
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The format means having to use drop down menus which increase clicks
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Different tools have different number of settings and eventually as blender grows this will become a kitchen sink mess or be incomplete. It’s not a long term solution.
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It’s a top bar so it could have any window underneath. You won’t want tool settings there while coding or doing compositing. It’s not universal.
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It’s far away from the working area which is usually the middle of the screen. The eye doesn’t go there unless on purpose and so it’s hard to tell which option is activated while working.
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It’s not a common pattern of UI which means people don’t have an instinctive understanding of it.
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Yes, it’s true. Even so, it seems to me as if in the case of the sculpt you often ended up wasting time looking for the panel, extending the one you needed at that moment…
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I don’t think the Topbar is currently seen as a place to put all the options of the active tool. Simply as a direct access.
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Yes, it’s true, that’s why I add my proposal in the editors who need it, only.
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Yes, it’s also true, although it’s also true that practically all the programs put there the properties of the tool and it’s a standard. Anyway, having a topbar doesn’t prevent having a popup on top of the mouse calling it with a key.
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I don’t agree, almost anyone who uses any software knows that this bar is usually used for tools or tool options. The weird thing is actually to see it where it is in blender2.8
Anyway, we’re taking the conversation to a point where I don’t want to take it. Because I just want to propose how to fix the topbar and not enter into a full debate about all the interface and other improvements it might need. I prefer to just talk about having to exist a topbar this is a better solution than the current one. And if in the future it is possible to implement an even better solution, welcome.
Mainly because I don’t want to scare the developers into thinking that they should change all that when none of it is necessary. With a very simple change, to put the topbar in a new header, almost all the current problems of the topbar are fixed. Can proposals be presented to improve the workflow? Yes, of course, and I’m doing it in other proposals as you can see, but I do not want to mix them with each other
Exactly.
That’s why, regarding topbars, I will only support proposals like this one:
Clean, clutter free and future proof. Tools settings belongs in the properties editor.
It seems like BF will learn it the hard way, when the topbar will be crowded as hell, with no more space left to put things. 
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