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Author Topic: Improving the FP user experience  (Read 549 times)

WillBroForestpack

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Improving the FP user experience
« on: January 17, 2023, 03:05:50 AM »
I'm quite annoyed that there isn't an easier way to set the Viewport Display Type at the moment of object creation.

Objects always appear in viewport as Proxy pyramids by default, which is great for performance but insanely annoying when I'm trying to quickly and accurately place some trees in just-the-right-spot. My studio spends tens of thousands of dollars on this vital time-saving software and I think FP should offer more flexibility by giving us pros as many options as possible to suit our workflows.

How to make it better:
1 - Create an optional setting where FP objects always appear as Point Clouds when you're in Modify mode. When you exit Modify mode, they go back to proxies. This could be enabled/disabled with a checkbox for example.

2 - Make 'Viewport Display Type' a setting that exists on a per-item basis in the library. (e.g. you would open the library, right click a selection of items, and set the default display type for those items. Ideally I would set all grasses/mulches to display as proxy pyramids, and all large trees to display as Point-Cloud. These choices would be saved per each library item)

3 - In the FP Library, place a dropdown list to let the user specify the 'Viewport Display Type' (place it just to the left of the 'Load Selected' button). So if i'm about to generate a huge grassy field, i'd set it to Pyramid. If i'm about to carefully place a few large trees near the camera, i'd set it to Point Cloud so the camera doesn't get blocked).

4 - The simplest option - just expose a setting somewhere that allows the user to specify their preferred default Viewport Display Type globally for any FP object being created.

If there's an INI somewhere that contains the setting for the default Viewport Display Type, please let me know!

Point cloud is simply the best for people in a hurry trying to visualise the scene and set up cameras/compositions. I've seen it mentioned that changing the Viewport Display Type manually will ensure the next Forest created will use the same display type, but this simply doesn't work. I must have clicked the popup that suggests using Proxy, but have never seen any option to revert to using Point Cloud by default since.

Please don't use these one-time popups - they're traps for the user and once you've click 'Yes', there's no obvious way to change the setting back to the way it was before. (e.g. this is the case with the Limit to Visibility popup. As well as the 'We recommend using Proxies' popup)

Thanks for reading and considering these improvement - sorry if I come across as rude. I love Forest Pack

iToo

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2023, 09:48:45 AM »
Hi,

I agree with you. The popups system was introduced (years ago) as a help for non-experienced users, suggesting the best display mode for each case. But at this point, it's not very convenient for the daily use.

I've added your suggestions to our wishlist. I will discuss it with our team, in order to include a more flexible workflow for next updates.

Thanks !
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

WillBroForestpack

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2023, 06:23:06 AM »
That sounds great thank you!

In the meantime do you know if there's an INI file somewhere that contains the setting for default Viewport Display type?

Or I suppose I could code a custom script hooked into the 3ds Max callback for newly created objects, and set to point cloud that way

iToo

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2023, 12:08:17 PM »
No, i'm afraid there is not any setting to set default Display mode.
It's set to 'Adaptive' by default, and may be changed by the popup (i suggest to reply 'No' and 'Don't ask again' to it).
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

CM1251

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2023, 02:21:00 PM »
Just out of curiosity, have you tried setting up Forest Pack with the default settings you like and saving that as the default state?  Whenever I load my FP, it's always set to Point Cloud. My transform randomization is set, as are many of the max objects/faces limits imposed under Display and Distribution so I don't have to input the same values every time I make a new FP object.

I believe to do this, open a blank FP object in your scene - don't add any objects to it. Go to the Viewport Display settings and pick Point Cloud (and you can enable Shade and Use Colour ID too). Then under the General Tab, save this as "default" - no quotes. The next time you make a FP object, these settings should be saved.

iToo

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2023, 08:44:08 AM »
Just out of curiosity, have you tried setting up Forest Pack with the default settings you like and saving that as the default state?

That's it. Thanks for suggesting it !
I forgot completely the Presets approach when replied. :)

Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

ritoo

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2023, 10:25:44 AM »
Yes, the initial pyramid mode is a bad choice - user immediately need to have a clue how it will look in the render - only via point cloud.
Please give us ability to set initial appearence
Yet another display request: Could given  forest be completely  disabled in the viewport but still rendered?
« Last Edit: February 08, 2023, 10:30:04 AM by ritoo »

CM1251

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2023, 03:29:09 PM »
Yes, the initial pyramid mode is a bad choice - user immediately need to have a clue how it will look in the render - only via point cloud.
Please give us ability to set initial appearence

I did give the solution to dictate how FP looks by default: Set up your settings as you wish (particularly under display) and save it under the general tab as "default". Every new instance of FP will default to those settings.

Yet another display request: Could given forest be completely  disabled in the viewport but still rendered?

You could do this by reducing the max number of viewport items to 1 (0 will disable the value a.k.a. infinite max items).

ritoo

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Re: Improving the FP user experience
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2023, 08:54:08 AM »
@cm1251 thanks for valuable tips. It'd be nice to see 'toggle viewport  visibility' inside forest lister though.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2023, 03:20:31 PM by ritoo »