From: bobl@bobsbox.rent.com (Bob Lindabury - SysAdmin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics
Subject: Re: Imagemaster - what is it ??
Date: 13 Aug 92 15:48:36 GMT
Organization: Raven Enterprises -- Piscataway, NJ USA
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16e (7/4/92) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith

In article <12AUG199214512544@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov> smneyln@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Michael Neylon) writes:
> In article <James_Hastings-Trew.0i8o@telepro.UUCP>, James_Hastings-Trew@telepro.UUCP (James Hastings-Trew) writes...
> >In a message dated Tue 11 Aug 92 12:47, Katefans@chinet.chi.il.us (chris'N'
> >wrote:
> >
> > KN>    I have helped a friend with the program produce a "morph"
> > KN> sequence.
> > KN> Even though it is the only function I have used, I have had to write
> > KN> a
> > KN> "road map" in order to find this function again. Once you are there,
> > KN> the morphing part of the program works well and has a good, logical
> > KN> inter-
> > KN> face. But getting there is _none_ of the fun.
> >
> >Hmm...
> >Load a primary and secondary image. The compose button becomes active. Pick
> >Special Compositions (morphing is pretty special). Pick the Morph button.
> >
> >Whew. Boy. Yep, nothing logical about THAT. My God man, how did you find
> >your way back out alive?
> >
> Unfortunately, Morph is a lot easier to find that other functions.  Example:
> say I want to asterist a pic.  I see that 'Paint func.' and 'Process func'
> are up.  So I would click on Paint.  *BUZZ* its under process!  Why?
> I would consider that `painting' on to the picture instead of
> processing the picture (IMHO).
>
> There are other function like that, where they may seem to be inappropiately
> placed on the button structure.  If I were the developers for IM, I
> would have used menus, allowing the user to browse his choices before
> continuing (offer a continue/cancle requestor for each function to
> avoid missed menu selections.
>
> Another problem with the buttons is that it takes noticable time to pop up
> the next screenful of buttons.  Once a function has been selected, I would
> expect some time to create the custom structure, but I really dont
> want to wait around as the next level of buttons are created.  Very slow
> in this case on a 500.
>
> Michael Neylon   aka Masem the Great and Almighty Thermodynamics GOD!

To tell you the truth, this program is one of the ones that *sorely*
needs a user interface update.  If it just followed the 2.0 style
guidelines and had simple hierarchical pulldown menus it would be much
faster to use and more productive.  Probably easier to program that type
of interface for Black Belt also.  When you can't use an item it would
just be dimmed.  Once it was available it would be undimmed.  With
simple pull-downs, you can easily check through the hierarchy for a
command you need and along the top of the screen are you typical main
headers.  What could be simpler?  None of that overhead from rebuilding
buttons and such.  None of that hassle of trying to remember where that
pesky morph button was etc.

In all actuality, I found that the modeling program Vertex to have a
great interface.  You can chose between typical 2.0 style or you can use
a similar style but you can call up the menu bars with a simple click of
the left mouse button from there items are automatically higlighted
without you having to hold down the mouse button.  You glide the mouse
around to the options you want.  When you are done with a menu bar you
just move the mouse off of it and it disappears.  Vertex also has full
hot-key commands also.  Very nice interface I thought.

--
 Bob Lindabury

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