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  • Published 19 Mar 2025

Make "Object Constraints" Tab Appear More Distinct

Blender's new interface is very sleek and minimalist, which I love. I've been using it for over a decade, and I remember when this wasn't the case. It's incredible to see how far things have come in that time.

However, some design changes are puzzling, like the choice to have the particles, physics, and constraints icons (all sharing the same "dots with abstract lines" theme) be the same shade of blue.

When the interface was redesigned, I constantly clicked the Constraints tab instead of the Physics tab, or vice versa. Though my accuracy in choosing the tab I intended has gone up, I sometimes make this mistake when through a project at 1 AM.

Things were not always like this, though. The constraints tab used to be a chain link icon, but this was changed during the redesign. I imagine this was intentional, as chain links in Blender are now explicitly associated with the asset management system.

I also understand that the choice to make Modifiers, Particles, Physics, and Constraints all blue is simply an attempt to communicate that they are all related by making them the same color. I find, however, that making them appear distinct is more critical.

I can reliably remember that my particles and physics settings will appear in my modifier stack when I'm tired late at night and don't need to be reminded of that fact by their shared blue color. When rapidly clicking through the interface, I can't reliably differentiate the icons using my peripheral vision.

I have attached screenshots from 2.5 compared to the latest release for reference. In my opinion, the full-color icons, though dated-looking, were better. Each tab icon was clear and distinct from one another. Screenshot 2025-03-19 at 6.45.03 PM.png Screenshot 2025-03-19 at 6.40.30 PM.png I am well aware I can just change Blender's theme, but I thought it would be better to open this up for discussion. If other people share my opinion, then maybe Blender can be made less confusing for everyone, not just experienced users who have been working with the software forever and have customized it to their liking.

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Development Status: Open

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rstolppi
19 Mar 2025

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