AbnRanger

I would get word from Andrew first (that he is still open to choose one) before you spend any time on this. Seems like he has already proceeded with his own ideas and that this whole effort among the community here is traveling down a dead end street.

Well, I was under the impression that he was still open to UI design ideas. If I had known Andrew already decided that he was going to use any of it, I could've saved myself the better part of a day trying to help what turns out to be a lost cause. Maybe that's why Shadow and Sonk have been silent lately. Oh well... I was hoping to see some real improvement...doesn't look like that's going to happen

I'm beginning to wonder how Andrew is taking all of this Interface mockup business. Frustrated with everyone telling suggesting changes in the name, logo and look of the UI? If so, I would just note how most of us look back at earlier work we've done and can see dramatic improvement over time. Creating a corporate identity isn't a trivial matter, especially when targeting industry stalwarts like ZBrush and Mudbox (Autodesk behind it).

That could work, and I had considered that a bit, but the small highlight in the upper left of the active button serves that purpose in a more subtle way...definitely not set in stone. What ever Andrew thinks...still waiting to hear from him to see what he thinks thus far.

Well, the reason is that they are functionally different. The "Rooms" button are just that....buttons. The tabs are just visual accents with the name of the dock/rollout on each. I agree that it was important to apply some continuity, that's why you notice that they match the dark grey accents throughout the UI. And instead of having highlighted text or buttons, I wanted to keep it less distracting and thus the little dot indicating the active room (that's also why the highlighted viewport will probably have to go...to bright and thus a bit distracting)

Here's a couple more variations...again I'm not focusing on layout, but the general appearance of the UI. I think a professional-looking UI is essential if this application is to be taken seriously in the industry. Too many folks willing to write it off...but if they like the UI, they will be more prone to give it an earnest look... I started out with one version with very little color, but it did look a bit bland...so I left in some of the green color accents.

Alright gentlemen, I've invested several hours today throwing my hat into the ring, to add some spice to the UI, appearance-wise...not layout. I just borrowed SonK's design which seems to be going in a good direction, and added to it. Let me know what you think. The sliders are super easy to scrub through. Instead of having to narrow your cursor to a little tiny knob each time, you can just place it anywhere in the window and drag it left or right...with both a highlighted indicator and numeric indicators in the same window. That's a feature I LOVE about Combustion (adopted from Flame, Flint and Inferno...so you KNOW it's as professional as it gets). I included 3 different highlight color schemes...

I guess I must me talking to myself. Funny, I thought it was a pretty straightforward question....you know, of the "Yes" or "No" variety.

Does this mean Shadows UI isn't being adopted? I really like it, as I think most here have said they do. I realize you're open to community input, yet can't please everybody. Nevertheless, I thought you had a really good thing going with Shadow's UI design, and it seemed like there was a consensus on it.

That's cool. Using the acronym could help even though the full name remains the same. Plenty of businesses use and acronym for their name...since it's more marketable than having to pronounce the full name each time.IBM, NEC, AIG, 3ds Max, XSI, etc There is no other software product in the CG marketplace to which it can be confused....3DC I think it sounds better than Mudbox

I agree...it doesn't sound like a professional application even if it does reflect the application's purpose. It's hard to name an application like this that does both (sculpt and paint) equally well. here's some more brainstorming: ClayPaint Studio CP Studio CPX (ClayPaint Xtreme or Xtended) CPXtreme ClayShop Studio SpeedPaint 3daVinci 3D da Vinci DaVinci 3D Da Vinci Studio SpeedSculpt Hyper CP HyperCX SpeedShop SpeedCX (CX=Clay Xtreme)

Why not stay with 3DC?...I like it. "C" could stand for Coat or ClayOr Clay Worx Clay Studio 3D Clay Shop 3D Clay Studio 3DC Studio (C for Clay and/or Coat) 3D 4Clay? By the way, I can see why Andrew would be reluctant to change the name again, but the point could be made that product as been largely in it's formative stage prior to this release and hasn't really had a market identity. I still think 3DC is good

One thing I like about Lightwave CORE's new UI is that it's cleaner and the entire look is contiguos/unified. Having a mess of icons and bright and boxy looking sliders will mess that up. You know how you go to the grocery store and you guess how much it's going to cost...then when it gets rung up, it turns out to be more than you thought? That's because all the little things add up. Same goes with UI design. A lot of minor elements "sticking out" adds up to an ugly, unprofessional design. Every division between tabs, buttons and modules/rollouts needs to be subtle so that the UI as a whole looks very clean and uniform=easy on the eyes. That's one thing I absolutely LOVE about Combustion (compositing application), it's context sensitive instead of trying to jam a million controls into a single UI (like After Effects), and instead of a mess of protruding sliders, you simply drag your mouse in the corresponding control box, left to right, and see some visual representation of the level changes. See the attached example of it and Houdini's UI (sliders using essentially the same concept). While Houdini does have too many icons for my own personal taste, the rest of the UI is clean and elegant. Whoever is working on the final UI designs really ought to take some notes (don't have to make it a carbon copy, but if something is done right, no reason you can't follow its example to some degree. Subtle divisions and elements=clean and comfortable-looking UI. Here's a link to see Houdini's UI: http://download.sidefx.com/images/stories/...yrofx_intro.mov Look at Matt's LWvX designs...notice the subtlety throughout: http://www.creactive-design.co.uk/lightwave_vx/ http://www.creactive-design.co.uk/lightwav...ject/after.html

I like the paint splat behind the text...good concept

I think just using the acronym 3DC is the best way to go. Just like 3ds (Max) is the acronym for 3D Studio..you don't hear too many people saying the full name (3D Studio Max). 3DC is quick and easy...and much more marketable.I'd be willing to work on a logo...create a mockup and let Andrew decide if he likes it enough to use it, or just stick with what he has. Off the top of my head, I was thinking of something like: The letters (2D spot color...no frills) 3DC in large, modern sans serif font, with the subtitle text below it..."SCULPT PAINT RE-TOPOLOGIZE" Then to the side or somewhere, interacting with the 3DC text, a generic character similar to the following samples (except smooth, rounded features), toting a large paint brush (maybe a smaller sculpting stylus strapped to his hip, like a sword). See the character in the 2nd and 3rd videos here: http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/blogs_k...ax_design_2010/ Another example with the same type of characature proportions in the first video: http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/tutoria...ating_with_cat/ By the way, Andrew, you can see some of my work at my portfolio site: www.dnash-art.com

Mudbox currently has the best UI of the group. That's the big draw for it, compared to ZBrush. It's so much more comfortable and easier to get into.

I like Shadow's UI since it is so Photoshop-familiar...and that will probably be the one thing that compels prospective buyers to choose 3DC more than anything. Having said that, I think it could be a powerful selling point if you can supply preset workspace configurations that mimic (as close as possible) other programs. Having the standard being Shadow's Photoshop style (familiar to all users)...but having one that is laid out similar to Mudbox, one to Modo, and if possible, ZBrush. Preset configurations (like the Mudbox preset having familiar shortcut key/naviagation commands) would further make 3DC standout from the competition by a wide margin, IMHO. Currently, the others have their own proprietary layouts, with no such concern for easing the transition from another program. Vue Infinite does this with regard to some keystroke/navigation presets for users of Max, Maya, XSI, etc. So, Andrew, perhaps you could work something out with your more experienced users, with experience in the other sculpting applications, to where they configure a beta version (with the new UI scheme) to match those applications (including remapping shortcut commands), save it, and send it to you...it would save you from having to do it personally. 2 other suggestions are: 1) Commission one of your most experienced 3DC users to create a comprehensive "Introduction to 3DC v3" DVD/Download (english and perhaps translated later in other languages), available only for registered users. This would make it as easy as possible for customers to get up and running as fast as possible, and provide you with a very valuable selling tool...ie, "Buy 3DC and receive the training DVD 'Intro to 3DC' for free" 2) Since 3DC is currently THE ONLY sculpting application with support for 3D Connexion devices (Space Pilot/Navigator), what better way to sell that point to prospective customers than to collaborate with 3Dconnexion about offering a bundle with their devices...maybe you can get them to work with you on a promotion, available for purchase from your site once v3 is rolled out. I would even ask them about helping you advertise the promotion (CGSociety, 3DWorld,etc)...a ZBrush killer WITH A SPACE EXPLORER for about $400 USD (still $200+ less than Zbrush and Mudbox). I think it would also be more enticing for current ZBrush, Mudbox and Modo users to add 3DC to their pipeline, seeing that they can also use the 3DConnexion device with their Major 3D applications ...3ds Max, Maya, XSI, C4D. If you can get the folks at 3DConnexion onboard with you in this, you could stand to gain $50 or more profit per bundle...and yet it would still be a major price break for the customer. The device is $299 retail, but is sold for half price at education resellers...surely they can make it available to you for the EDU price. https://3dconnexionstore.com/itemDetail.asp?itmNo=76826423N Academic Reseller: http://www.studica.com/products/product_de...productid=52865

Andrew, have you considered offering (like Modo and other software vendors have in the past) Pre-Release sales from now, the first of the year until v3 is finally released? Perhaps enticing fence-sitters, and those owning other programs, to essentially get in at the current price (or somewhere in between what it is now and what you plan to charge then) and get a free upgrade. And to keep current license holders from feeling left out, perhaps offer the pre-release upgrade at half price. This is one of those effective marketing tools that gives you an infusion of cash during the development grind, and you entice more prospective customers to enter the fold than otherwise.Newtek and Luxology have had similar promotions, and they work. It also helps provide funds to advertise the promotion and subsequent release announcement.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3...ream-everywhere Very interesting article. I've been researching whether or not I should stick with ATI cards (I'm a sucker for the Under Dog), which I have personally NEVER had the kinds of trouble some people claim ATI is known for. NVidia has had recent issues...SERIOUS issues with faulty chips in the past year, and they are losing big money over it. As if that's not enough, ATI has not only caught up with them performance-wise, but they have been eating NVidia's lunch over the past several months and NVidia can't do a damn thing about it. Just as they are supposed to come out with a GTX 295 to try and win back the performance crown, ATI's had plenty of time to prepare to ring their bell when they do. Even before ATI took the performance lead, they were eating NVidia's lunch in the "Best Bang for the Buck" segment. I was going to get an NVidia card despite all of this, just because of the Cuda capability...but this recent bit of news changes that. I had a feeling that it was in both ATI and NVidia's collective best interest to use a nuetral, common language instead of trying to push their proprietary code, such as Cuda. Seems ATI's already beat NVidia to the punch and already offer GPU acceleration for Adobe CS4, Microsoft Office, SilverLight, ArcSoft, GPU accelerated Video Encoding (for free), etc. Will NVidia drop it's development of Cuda like it did Gelato? Time will tell, but I think OpenCL is the new standard and where everything is going to be headed. Looks like an ATI Radeon 4870 it is!

I was just thinking about this topic recently when I saw the video on Tomshardware.com, where the Novint Falcon was being demonstrated. If I were in your shoes, Andrew, I would SERIOUSY consider working with the developers of this device in order to make it, along with 3DC, (still think using the acronym/nickname for 3D Coat- 3DC -is better to use for marketing purposes) THE defacto standard tool in the industry...making ZBrush suddenly look "Old School." Everything you're doing development-wise is very forward thinking and innovative. The same thing that helped Zbrush go from an obscure product to an industry standard in just a few years time. You also could contact the folks at the History Channel ( http://www.history.com/minisites/modernmarvels ), and see if they'd be interested in interviewing you for a demonstration for one of their future segments of Modern Tech or Mordern Marvels (they love this kind of stuff...makes for very interesting viewing. It's my favorite TV channel period)....cause when you pair 3DC with a Novint Falcon (custom software for sculpting feedback) and a 3DConnexion Space Explorer (http://www.3dconnexion.com/3dmouse/spaceexplorer.php) , that to me....is a Modern Marvel. Being able to duplicate the realworld feel of hand sculpting, with all the paint tools as well, and at a price STILL cheaper than a single license of ZBrush or Mudbox...could take this portion of the industry to another level. ClayTools has been available for some time, but it's way too pricy to be relevant. If you get this up and running, I would also be inclined to have a photo (of an artist working in 3DC) of it being used with one hand and a Space Explorer in the other, within the changing images on your mainpage. This is one of your strongest selling points...something that clearly distinguishes you from your competition. Work It! Maybe arrange a package deal (3DC v3 + Falcon and Space Explorer for $550-$600) and see if they'd list the deal on their site as well, exploiting the fact that it's even cheaper than a seat of ZBrush or MudBox! You'd definitiely have the "Coolness Factor" working in your favor if you work it out to where they can attach a pivoting stylus to it.

Andrew would be well within his rights to use the acronym for his software title, 3DC, short for 3D Coat. 1) There is no one else in the digital content creation segment to which the name would be potentially confused. 2) The file compression format that uses that name is so obscure and virtually unknown, virtually none of Andrew's potential customers would even know it exists. Trademark laws exist only to prevent other competing companies from coming along later and stealing your brand. For example, there is no trademark infringement between two different companies with the title "A+ Cleaning" in New York and Los Angeles. As long as their markets don't overlap in any meaningful way, there is no legal basis for an infringement claim. I think having the Current logo changed to show just the letters "3DC" next to the painted sphere (with 3D Coat spelled out in small text below it) would look great. Customers already have been referring to it as 3DC, therefore it serves to reason that it would catch on better in the industry than the full name. Simple and easy is the way to go forward, me thinks.