Is anyone else loving the MMB Panel as much as I am?

Looks the Side FX is adopting a bit of a modern look with it.

While its still has some questionable UI placement it solves one of the biggest pain points I have had with Houdini!

I wonder if SideFX is going to take the ‘fresh UI’ design of the panel and apply it to the rest of Houdini at some point. It would be cool to at least see the parameters pane under that design.

Not a fan, classic example of good intentions marred by poor implementation. Very restless alignment of elements and odd relative font size choices.

Will get used to it though, no doubt.

Agree on the font and alignment of some elements.

Is there a way to quickly change how the visualizer works?

For example, when you check the visualizer of an integer attribute from the info window, the visualizer assigns a random color to each unique integer by default.

I'd like to change it to "mark", in other words, just showing the integer itself as text.

I know I can click the edit button here:



But it's quite weird that while we can toggle the visualizer from info window, if we'd like to change it we need to find the edit button at an entirely different place...

kodra
Is there a way to quickly change how the visualizer works?

For example, when you check the visualizer of an integer attribute from the info window, the visualizer assigns a random color to each unique integer by default.

I'd like to change it to "mark", in other words, just showing the integer itself as text.

I know I can click the edit button here:

Image Not Found

But it's quite weird that while we can toggle the visualizer from info window, if we'd like to change it we need to find the edit button at an entirely different place... it feels like the old info window got a pretty face but its functionality is as ugly as before.

You can CTRL click on the visualizer toggle to bring up the visualizer customization options. This existed in the previous MMB info window as well.

You can CTRL click on the visualizer toggle to bring up the visualizer customization options. This existed in the previous MMB info window as well.

Wait what? Mind blown. :o

Sorry but I find it both harder to find stuff, and some things like attribute data MUCH harder to read. I have to CTRL+= to zoom it up then drag the window wider to expose everything again... every single time I open the window pane. It's beginning to grate somewhat. Also why add the visualizer button when you could already just click the attribute itself to visualize it.


A.

I like it, but ran into some annoying bugs that I’m trying to repro… e.g. had a pane on, added a comment… that comment seemed to persist as I switched the nodes.

But to me, the fact that I no longer have to MMB click 1000 times is a great step forward in the user experience.

LukeP
I like it, but ran into some annoying bugs that I’m trying to repro… e.g. had a pane on, added a comment… that comment seemed to persist as I switched the nodes.

But to me, the fact that I no longer have to MMB click 1000 times is a great step forward in the user experience.

How does the new info window change the number of MMB clicks for you? Genuine question.

kodra
How does the new info window change the number of MMB clicks for you? Genuine question.

There's a node info pane.

KaiStavginski

kodra
How does the new info window change the number of MMB clicks for you? Genuine question.

There's a node info pane.

Exactly. It removes one of my biggest PITAS with Houdini
I can have it open like the parameters view.

It's good to see Sidefx trying to improve these UI matters - so a big thumbs up for that. There are some good new technical features such as the panel docking which are really welcome.

Sadly, the visual design comes up short for me. Think about some of the very basic principles of good visual design: visual hierarchy, contrast, alignment, proximity, the good and appropriate use of colour and typography. I don't see them well employed here TBH.

My repeated and sincerely hoped for wish, is that Sidefx invests in someone with a high level of visual design / UI knowledge, know-how and experience, and gives them authority to deliver. It's important.

I really like everything, but a significant minus for me is the small font for the number of elements in the group. Why ? This is useful information, often necessary for debugging, and you have to strain your eyes to see it, while below there is a lot of rarely used information with large numbers that seems to have been created or modified with simply huge numbers. Who needs them? This is weird. Maybe you can think about the size of the numbers in groups?