Blenderr 2.5 beta - build 23116 - Major Interface Changes!

This is the only compiled windows beta. You can get the source and compile it yourself if you wish or grab this already compiled version: http://www.graphicall.org/builds/builds/userbuilds/878_23116.zip.

There are huge changes to the interface enough to warrant everyone who turned away from this program looking at it again.

Enjoy.

Big enough to piss off current users, as well?

I just finished playing around with it and tossed it in the trash can. It just seemed so un-Blender like. Key mappings seemed to have changed or at least the ones that I use no longer functioned. The interface itself seemed to be very uncustomizable. Since it is only a beta and a Windows version at that, I'm going to assume it's incomplete and maybe I'll try it again later or wait until it's officially released. If it turns out that this is the way the interface will be in the future, then I'll end up learning over again from scratch.

Kitsy ^.^

OMG! I'm just starting to get used to the first Blender and they're changing it? (T_T)

Nice enhancements as i can see on first glance, but i have the feeling, that it is more alpha than beta Does anyone know, how to enable scripts ? I tried it, but my copy either does not see the scripts, or i made a mistake while entering the folder path. BTW for me it still looks pretty much the same as before except some nice graphical GUI enhancements. I am sure the major new features are hidden in the background. There was a rumour about a new Multires to come with better behaviour...

As soon as Domino's scripts run on it, i am tempted to investigate a bit more on it... Will the scripts run out of the box or do they have to be reimplemented ? Is there any schedule for the release of 2.5 ? When will we have to renew the current tutorials ... many more questions in my mind ...

I'll be rewriting Primstar for Blender 2.50 - the new GUI is fully Python driven, so it's possible to do a lot cleaner integration. Things like sculptie specific menus that only appear when a sculptie is selected are possible. That's why I made bake options object specific in the current Primstar, I've been watching 2.50 development for a long time and preparing the way for a smooth rewrite. Sadly the Python API is the last thing on the todo list so I'm not likely to be able to start the 2.50 rewrite of Primstar for awhile yet.

It won't be until the Durian project finishes that 2.50 can really be considered as production ready, but it's a massive step in Blender's development. See http://www.blender.org/development/current-projects/blender-25-project/ for a taste of what's new. The November 2008 picture of the Window Manager on that page is about the first version I tested. Those green boxes were all it did

Scene navigation and interface layout are much smoother and user friendly making it easier for people to jump between applications. Dare I say it almost looks like a cross between C4D and Modo.

You say that as if it's a bad thing

(speaking as a non Blender user)

He He.....

As someone who only looked at Blender for the 1st time last night (old/current version) I was not even able to workout how to make a new mesh.

Just downloaded the beta and managed to create a sphere got into edit mode and drag some point about.

Nothing, I will admit, but more than I could work out last night

Yes, that's one thing that is different about 2.50 - where previous Blender versions really forced you to learn how to use it first, the 2.50 interface does allow you to get started and learn just by clicking around.

I particularly like how the interface also helps with writing python scripts by displaying the equivalent python for each item. That alone will save me a considerable amount of time. Not to mention real time GUI updates while you code UI sections http://vimeo.com/5137477

It's not too obvious in that video, but the rotating bird is the animation system running while doing everything else. This even works during mesh editing and other tasks.

Another interesting feature is "Render Targets" for particular rendering engines so that Blender only shows the options specific to the target. Primstar 2 may well use this to provide a SL target.

I just can't get my 3D Space Navigator to work with Blender. (either the old or the new Beta)

I downloaded the plug in (terrible instructions all cumped together in one mass of writing)

and dragged the one file they say to drag (ignoring other files which can with the plugin, which kinda seems odd) into the Plugins folder in blender.

and nothing happens.

Wondering if I need to tell blender to use it, or go into some "mode" to use it.

At the moment, nothing.....

Do you know if blender-2.5 is backward compatible regarding scripts ? Will primstar 1 already work on blender-2.5 ? And if so, how would i have to load it ? I figured out, where the system information has been moved to and i located the file environment settings menu. But after adding the user scripts directory there, i see no scripts popup in the gui... Probably it does not (yet?) work ?

Blender 2.50 is the only Blender release that breaks forward and backward compatibility, the reason for this is the new Python APIs. So all old scripts need rewriting for Blender 2.50

There's no support yet for a user scripts directory, though there have been a few posts discussing it on the BF-Taskforce25 mailing list so it'll probably be added soon.

It is if you're used to the short cut keys and find they've been reassigned... O.O

Once I stopped trying to do things with the keys, I was able to navigate around a bit better.

I believe like that the OP said earlier, that this is an alpha build for Windows, not a beta. Hopefully, they'll release an official Windows beta build shrink wrapped in an install program for us non-developers to work with.

Kitsy ^.^

Nice. it's really coming along. You can tell it's still a work in progress though. I don't know if it's going to be a permanent change, but Ctrl Tab goes into what looks like vertex paint mode or something now. They still have it listed in the tool tips for switching between the different component seleciton modes that the previous versions used it for.

I think when 2.5 is done it will net Blender a lot of new users. Opening up the UI to customization and allowing scripters and coders access to the GUI and otherwise making it extensible is a very smart move, even if it does upset a few of the older users. Of course now they should be able to change hotkeys back to way they were used to them being set up (or build a custom retro Blender UI!), just like people coming from other apps had been asking to be able to do for years. May be that it wasn't such an unreasonable request after all? I can't wait to see what tricks Domino will be able to pull off with the new systems.

Now if they get Bmesh code in 2.5 I will be really excited.

Yeah, even when 2.50 is out it'll be a work in progress.


It's after next week but I don't think they know yet


Me neither


We probably won't see bmesh brought in until after Durian, it definately won't be in 2.50 though.

Aww, bummer man.