WIP: UI: add Space Presets #111068

Jacques Lucke · 2023-08-12T14:16:03+02:00

Jacques Lucke commented

2023-08-12 14:16:03 +02:00

This patch adds the ability to store multiple editor configurations in the same area explicitly. Areas already store multiple spaces/editors so that they are not reset when switching the editor type. However, this has the limitation that one can store at most one configuration per editor type.

The need for a more general solution came up in a recent discussion about baking. The main use case we talked about is to be able to quickly switch between different configured outliner views. For example, there can be one outliner configuration to view all lights, another to view the full scene and one to see all the baked data (once that is implemented). For that use-case it is usually not necessary to have multiple outliners visible at the same time.

The main challenges here are:

What should this be called? The term "space preset" is basically just a left-over from when I started working on this. It's not really a preset anymore.
How to make the UI very compact so that it can fulfill its purpose of staying visible to make it fast to switch?

This patch adds the ability to store multiple editor configurations in the same area explicitly. Areas already store multiple spaces/editors so that they are not reset when switching the editor type. However, this has the limitation that one can store at most one configuration per editor type. The need for a more general solution came up in a [recent discussion](https://devtalk.blender.org/t/2023-08-01-nodes-physics-module-meeting/30528) about baking. The main use case we talked about is to be able to quickly switch between different configured outliner views. For example, there can be one outliner configuration to view all lights, another to view the full scene and one to see all the baked data (once that is implemented). For that use-case it is usually not necessary to have multiple outliners visible at the same time. ![space_preset_example.gif](/attachments/8f137e10-11b6-445e-844f-d4ede74a502c) The main challenges here are: * What should this be called? The term "space preset" is basically just a left-over from when I started working on this. It's not really a preset anymore. * How to make the UI very compact so that it can fulfill its purpose of staying visible to make it fast to switch?

space_preset_example.gif

238 KiB

👍 1 ❤️ 2 🚀 1

Jacques Lucke added 13 commits 2023-08-12 14:16:16 +02:00

initial space presets data 8145d1f97c

add initial ui 4abed1469a

testing 26ff740fb4

progress 8bc652806e

progress df0f4079bf

progress 950304c519

cleanup 1bfbea2c80

support adding new preset 56d59a5750

add popover 125d303f1d

add flag to show presets c61e1bff31

take new flag into account 9f31e3e660

cleanup 522dd87564

improve space copying

buildbot/vexp-code-patch-coordinator Build done.

Details

2764d29c95

Jacques Lucke changed title from ~~WIP: UI: add Space Presets~~ to WIP: UI: add Space Presets

2023-08-12 14:28:05 +02:00

Jacques Lucke commented

2023-08-12 14:47:17 +02:00

@blender-bot package

Blender Bot commented

2023-08-12 14:47:20 +02:00

Package build started. Download here when ready.

Package build started. [Download here](https://builder.blender.org/download/patch/PR111068) when ready.

Jacques Lucke added 1 commit 2023-08-15 14:37:48 +02:00

Merge branch 'main' into space-presets-testing 0a97b4b8c8

Duarte Farrajota Ramos commented

2023-11-13 02:13:45 +01:00

First-time contributor

Wow, I never even knew how badly I need this! Perhaps my envisioned use case is a bit different.

Any chance to make these so called presets "global" and make them available across different Workspaces?

This could help mitigate another already discussed issue of editors "changing" across workspaces. Like 3D Views having different points of view, different shading settings, or different visibility states when switching between workspaces, which can be disorienting.

If these presets could be made available to all 3D View areas regardless of workspaces, they could help port my tailor-made 3D view setup (including snapping options, overlays, shading settings, gizmo visibility, pivots, toolbars, etc) to other editors, which is currently impossible and quite tedious to replicate across many workspaces.

I'll look into the test build and see if I can come up with any constructive feedback about the UI.

Thanks for working on this.

Wow, I never even knew how badly I need this! Perhaps my envisioned use case is a bit different. Any chance to make these so called presets "global" and make them available across different Workspaces? This could help mitigate another already discussed issue of editors "changing" across workspaces. Like 3D Views having different points of view, different shading settings, or different visibility states when switching between workspaces, which can be disorienting. If these presets could be made available to all 3D View areas regardless of workspaces, they could help port my tailor-made 3D view setup (including snapping options, overlays, shading settings, gizmo visibility, pivots, toolbars, etc) to other editors, which is currently impossible and quite tedious to replicate across many workspaces. I'll look into the test build and see if I can come up with any constructive feedback about the UI. Thanks for working on this.

Duarte Farrajota Ramos commented

2023-11-13 11:38:04 +01:00

First-time contributor

Maybe this could fit into a popover similar to the one used for custom transform orientations, with a basic interface for adding, removing, and managing editor "States", the list would provide quick toggling. It place it right next to the editor selector, since they are intimately related.

I think this would suffice for quick toggling, but in your mockup there this concept of "tabs" that one can use to quickly toggle.
If multiple are selected from within the popover they would show up in the toolbar for quicker toggling.

In this mockup there are custom icons from default icons, but that seems overkill. It would require an interface to assign an icon, and I think that would be disproportionate amount of management for such a niche feature.

Maybe simple dots like in your mockup, or something akin to the old bit layers selector would suffice.

Maybe this could fit into a popover similar to the one used for custom transform orientations, with a basic interface for adding, removing, and managing editor "States", the list would provide quick toggling. It place it right next to the editor selector, since they are intimately related. ![Blender_EditorPresetsMockup_01.png](/attachments/217914ad-373d-4290-b5d3-afb69e55ed7c) I think this would suffice for quick toggling, but in your mockup there this concept of "tabs" that one can use to quickly toggle. If multiple are selected from within the popover they would show up in the toolbar for quicker toggling. ![EditorPresets_Mockup.gif](/attachments/6077c6e2-7a53-44a1-bb78-4f5bee475c32) In this mockup there are custom icons from default icons, but that seems overkill. It would require an interface to assign an icon, and I think that would be disproportionate amount of management for such a niche feature. Maybe simple dots like in your mockup, or something akin to the old bit layers selector would suffice. ![Bit Layers](https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/_images/animation_armatures_properties_skeleton_panel.png)

Blender_EditorPresetsMockup_01.png

19 KiB

EditorPresets_Mockup.gif

11 KiB

This pull request has changes conflicting with the target branch.

source/blender/blenkernel/BKE_screen.h
source/blender/editors/interface/interface_templates.cc
source/blender/editors/screen/screen_ops.cc
source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_screen.cc

View command line instructions.

Checkout

From your project repository, check out a new branch and test the changes.

git fetch -u space-presets-testing:JacquesLucke-space-presets-testing

git checkout JacquesLucke-space-presets-testing

Sign in to join this conversation.

No reviewers

No Label

Download

What's New

Blender Studio

Manual

Developers Blog

Documentation

Benchmark

Blender Conference

Development Fund

One-time Donations

WIP: UI: add Space Presets #111068

Checkout