What about Softimaging Blender? SoftBlender?

[Shenan]

Regarding Softimage keys in Blender, if they've done it for Max and Maya, it would just take someone to volunteer to do something similar for Softimage. This is where volunteers can help. Here's a message from Ton where he was looking for volunteers to maintain the Max and Maya presets: http://lists.blender.org/pipermail/bf-c ... 40003.html.

It would be quite a bit of work, like someone has already mentioned, and would probably require experience in both programs to understand certain subtleties. Also, like someone else mentioned, because the programs are fundamentally different you cannot expect to completely replicate the experience, so key presets may only serve as a temporary crutch or training wheels until you get familiar with Blender. Either that, or perhaps if you only use Blender very infrequently, the presets could help you stay up to speed when you keep using another software as your primary one.

[waffleface]

To do it properly will require actual coding not just key re-mappping, and more to the point it will actually require re-coding parts of blender for some many of the basic (as well as advanced) ways in which the tools actually work, if you want it at all similar. This will result in an immediate and unfortunate fork ( I strongly suspect ).

If there is a way to do it without a fork or breaking compatibility with someone using a non-altered blender UI fine, but I suspect there isn't, and you will never retain the original subtlety of the softimage interface just by trying to mirror/clone as close as possible the keymap on it's own, it's nearly a wasted effort to do it, but maybe some small help or temporary crutch as you say. On the other hand, then your learning a whole new software, with completely different way of interacting, and just getting a crutch that doesn't work like you quite expect it, and fail to learn the default hotkey scheme that would make it easier to work with other native blender users.

I've looked down this road before, but for now, I'll leave it at that. Good luck, I shall pester you folks no more unless I am called upon

[iamVFX]

I imagine you already fully understand Softimage's hotkey interface/interactions/sticky keys/etc., and have the whole thing (in it's core at least), memorized by heart as all great soft modelers/animators/etc. users have. If not, you might want to skip this entirely because your just going to do a copy paste job of the key and it's most similar tool and it's not going to feel anything like softimage as it will miss all of the subtlety.

I think I was not using all those features, my experience with Softimage was a little different from what most of you probably had. It was basically "lets just remove all keys assigned for me by default and reassign them as I like, each one at a time". As simple as that. You pressing the key, you get the tool. You pressing another combination of keys - another tool is enabled, no hidden states or fancy logic, just enogh to get work done.

To do it properly will require actual coding not just key re-mappping, and more to the point it will actually require re-coding parts of blender for some many of the basic (as well as advanced) ways in which the tools actually work, if you want it at all similar. This will result in an immediate and unfortunate fork ( I strongly suspect ).

That's why I wouldn't do that. Otherwise, I would anounce like "Hey, I want to make Blendimage, I forked it and will spend a few years on redesigning workflow of every tool behaviour available in Blender."

[waffleface]

Fair enough, thanks for any current or future efforts though, and best of luck to Blender.

And yeah, completeeeeetly different experiences. I moved from 3D Max, to Maya and finally to Softimage over a 10+ year stretch and I've been in Soft for a bit more than 6 years. The first time I tried to learn it on my own, and then for a brief few weeks at my second school/college, I did it just like you said above, with my own custom keys, then I sat down with a teacher and he was open to me doing it either way but when he showed me what I would be missing out on I was blown away, so I learned the default setup and it's 'fucking amazing' and its still better than anything out there today, Max and Maya included.

cheers to you, thank you very much for pitching in, it's appreciated, best regards to you

[iamVFX]

It would be quite a bit of work, like someone has already mentioned, and would probably require experience in both programs to understand certain subtleties. Also, like someone else mentioned, because the programs are fundamentally different you cannot expect to completely replicate the experience, so key presets may only serve as a temporary crutch or training wheels until you get familiar with Blender. Either that, or perhaps if you only use Blender very infrequently, the presets could help you stay up to speed when you keep using another software as your primary one.

Exactly. But the current process of assigning keys is old fashioned "here's a list of all possible hotkeys, they're have names, but not that much else, so go figure out what they do." It's not different in other DCC's, Softimage was an unique exception, it's quite impressive how beautiful Keyboard Mapping window is, I would highly curious to know who did it.

waffleface, I think all of that can be defined as a next step, but I'm more concrete guy, you know, that kind of a person, framework first, goodies later

[dewf]

I wonder if Softimage might have fared better if its community had evangelized it more like Blender's community does and not let a great software languish in obscurity.

Yeah, that's really my overwhelming impression upon dipping my toes into the Blender world: these people are PASSIONATE about their software, and love sharing and helping each other out wherever possible. It's pretty inspiring, and goes a long way toward dissuading me from any objections I have to using the software.

[Mr.Core]

Moderator edit: I WON'T ALLOW DIRECT PERSONAL ATTACKS LIKE THE ONE I JUST EDITED OUT ON THIS FORUM - HB

[luceric]

I think I was not using all those features, my experience with Softimage was a little different from what most of you probably had. It was basically "lets just remove all keys assigned for me by default and reassign them as I like, each one at a time". As simple as that. You pressing the key, you get the tool. You pressing another combination of keys - another tool is enabled, no hidden states or fancy logic, just enogh to get work done.

I doubt that this is true. If it were, how could one debate the possibility of softimage interaction in another product anyway. There is no softimage user out there that isn't using sticky/supra keys, it's fundamental to the experience. The other fundamental bit is how tools and selection are structured, without it emulating the keys will be mostly for naught.

[iamVFX]

I'll try to decompose what Oleg tried to tell (in a insulting form, but still).

My "obsession" with open source have a concrete reason:

You will never see "Anti-Blender Foundation Strategies" thread on Blender forum. The reason why this thread called "Softimaging Blender" and not "Softimaging Maya/Max/Houdini" is because people see the value of being open. Computer software was always made of open source components, you and me know C++ because C++ Standard Committee made it freely available for public to build software without worrying that someday someone will make decision to stop it from being develop, as it was in case of Softimage.

[iamVFX]

I think I was not using all those features, my experience with Softimage was a little different from what most of you probably had. It was basically "lets just remove all keys assigned for me by default and reassign them as I like, each one at a time". As simple as that. You pressing the key, you get the tool. You pressing another combination of keys - another tool is enabled, no hidden states or fancy logic, just enogh to get work done.

I doubt that this is true. If it were, how could one debate the possibility of softimage interaction in another product anyway. There is no softimage user out there that isn't using sticky/supra keys, it's fundamental to the experience. The other fundamental bit is how tools and selection are structured, without it emulating the keys will be mostly for naught.

That's why I wrote "I think I was not using all those features". I could, but subconciously, in the process of work, without realising it.

Anyway, that's how I started using Softimage and that's how I start to use Blender. By removing all standard keys and assigning new ones. And you know what? In my little expirence with Blender and hotkey map like that I see no big difference between the packages now. Of course it will be different at some degree, but for me personally the difference is so small that what will make my experience with hotkey interaction complete is that convinient window Softimage had for assigning keys visually, so I could see how my keys are mapped and what they do. Maybe it's just me and nobody wants it, but hey, it seems I'm the only one who can program thing like that and nobody is interested in it as I am, so why not?

[Shenan]

iamvfx, the visual keymap tool you're describing sounds great (I don't remember it in XSI - not sure that I ever used it, or if I have it's been a long time). If it's a clear improvement over what Blender currently has and is presented the right way, I am sure that the Blender community and developers would be thrilled for you to write it.

A good idea might be to start a new thread on the blenderartists forum to describe what you are planning to do, with some clear explanations and screenshots of how it works in Softimage vs. how it works in Blender. I'm sure you will get support, feedback, ideas, tips on the best way to implement it, and alpha/beta testers. Good luck!

[bb3d]

Blender 2.70 is out, with a bunch of nice new features, including some UI improvements:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:R ... Notes/2.70