Hi D,
> Moi is all about fluidity of workflow, right? Less UI,
> more model, so to speak?
Yup, this is definitely a big focus!
> Well, how about an option for maximizing and minimizing
> the viewports by clicking an icon *within* them, either in
> the top left corner or next to the navigation buttons?
That sounds like adding UI, which is actually the opposite of less UI right? :)
Actually the main reason I did not go with this method is that it has one really big problem, which is that it takes multiple steps and clicks to switch from one maximized view directly to another maximized view.
Like for instance say you are working in the maximized Top view currently and now you want to switch to the maximized Front view.
With MoI's current UI for doing this, you go and do one click on "Front" and you're done.
With an individual min/max control on each viewport, you instead would have to go to the Top view's min button and push it to return to Split view, then go to the Front view's max button and click it to switch from Split view to maximized Front view. So that is 2 clicks and not only that 2 clicks in different areas of the screen and probably on what would be much smaller buttons.
So that's a big problem with that method.
With MoI's method the buttons to switch are quite large and always located in the same area of the window, and you can always get to your desired max or split view configuration with just a single click...
Yet another problem with a max/min button is that it would add to the general level of clutter of things inside the viewport, I really try to keep the viewport area dedicated mostly to the purpose of displaying your model and not have so many UI widgets get in the way.
> Those extra seconds used for rerouting brainpower to the
> bottom left of the UI and fiddling around for the correct
> icon to press really interrupts my... moment of inspiration.
Well, the thing is a min/max button does not automatically solve that - when you have a maximized viewport you still would need to travel your mouse to the far corner of the UI to reach its little button.
At any rate, these are the reasons and advantages for the current design.
There are several advantages to it that should help to keep your moment of inspiration humming right along! :)
Possibly if you have spent a long long time with the min/max method with other software this new method will seem strange until you use it a bit more though.
I think that eventually I can add a method for clicking on the viewport name to do this, but I want to think a bit about that before jumping into it, maybe with some other functions there should be a menu that pops out from there or something like that, which could be at odds with a max/min function, so it may be a while yet before I'm able to get into that.
- Michael
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