Order of Filter Controls?

Another issue I just came across is the upper limit of 10 user controls. It would be nice if that could go away in a later version. As for limited screen space - this could either be solved by adding a scrollbar or even better by allowing to order the controls into custom tabs.

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Quasimondo wrote: the upper limit of 10 user controls

Yes, that was my decision, and it was a subject of many heated discussions among our team. I insisted that we keep it. Here's why.

First, putting a scrollbar into the properties area will make it look more complex (we did several mockups but scrapped them all). Not a big problem for folks familiar with 3DS Max interface, but have you tried to show the scrolling panels in Max to a mere mortal? They flee in horror! We wanted the "user side" of Filter Forge to look as friendly as possible to make sure that nontechnical users aren't intimidated by it.

Second, the more controls a filter has, the more difficult it is to use. I wanted to physically limit the user-side complexity of a filter for the same reason -- to make sure that casual people can use the filter without being scared.

well, i've found a way around the 10 control limit...sort of. but, i'd prefer no limits on the number of controls. i constantly find myself having to cheat to get more controls. it's arbitrary and doesnt serve anyone.

i do NOT want scroll bars on the main edit window. i like it the way it is. let's not argue for no limits on controls and then turn around and argue for limits on the edit window!

however, it would be nice to be able to minimize the preview panel or toggle it on and off like you can with the control panel.

i would like to be able to move the controls around on the left panel. having 'black point' separated by 'hue' 'saturation' 'light' 'contrast' and then finally getting to 'white point' makes no sense from a user standpoint. this wouldnt be hard to do. you simply make each control space on the panel a separate item that you put the actual controls in. the controls are linked to the objects in a given space and you simply drag and drop those objects to a different space.

please, options, options, options! this is a toolkit! i want more tools, not less! let us arrange it and dont add arbitrary limits. it's the wrong way to go, always, when you 'dumb down' a program because some guy cant figure it out and complains. the right action is to make it smart and prod the user to 'smarten up!' of course, the other side to that is, why dont i simply learn to code so, i suppose you draw the line somewhere

craig

My 'uberRINGS' filter might have to turn into 3 filters if I add any more complexity I'm afraid.