Delete timeline
Hi everyone, I saw that Blender proposed to delete the timeline. I personally disagree with it. Although it is not very convenient to open the timeline every time you open the dope sheet, one advantage of the timeline is that it can be used when testing effects. I usually use the timeline instead of the dope sheet when doing simple tests. So I think the best way is to move all parts of the timeline to the dope sheet, but at the same time keep the timeline. What do you think?
9 Comments
I suggest anyone willing to comment about ongoing developent to first thoroughly learn about it before commenting about it. Because otherwise we just end up discussing on strawmen. You also get to see the discussion about the changes, the options considered, and why the current decision was made the way it is.
The current timeline is already a copy of the dopesheet, but with some bits removed from it and others added. Namely, the timeline header with some of its menus and playback buttons, and the cached frames' indicator.
It's redundant, confusing, and a weight on developers. They are moving the timeline specific header elements to a footer that will be displayable in every animation editor, and porting the cache visualization to the dopesheet editor. And then they will remove the timeline editor, since it would then be absolutely redundant.
The new header and dopesheet cache visualization are already usable in the 5.0 dailies:
With that in mind:
You factually used a dopesheet in disguise ;)
How is the timeline able to do that, and how would the future animation editors with the timeline footer not be able to do that? Identify that, and maybe instead of just keeping a poor dope sheet duplicate, we can make Blender truly better.
Sorry, sorry, because when testing I prefer to draw and mark directly on the timeline without opening the action dope sheet and action editor and selecting which action to choose. In fact, I only use the dope sheet when I am actually animating. This is my personal opinion.
But you don't need to do that in the first place. And again, the current timeline editor IS a dopesheet.
When we have all timeline specific optins in Dope sheet, there is no reason to keep the timeline. It is just a less capable Dope sheet. I dont get what makes it simpler to "test effects"?
Because you don't need to open the action dope sheet and switch to the action editor? The action is just for testing, and you can just delete it if you don't want it.
exactly, you dont have to open the dope sheet, because you allways have a dopesheet in Layout workspace. I mean you can always make you own workspace how you want it anyways. Again, you will have the same functionality as before, just more. You will basicly have "the animation tools in the timeline already"
I had the same request 4 years ago - to merge the timeline and Dopesheet into one with either name and also make it with a similar expanding arrow - like the N and T panels, but from the bottom - so that it can be used with maximised viewports (Ctrl+Space). But even merging the 2 editors would be great.
Building it into the 3D viewport would not realy make sense in Blenders UI system. I mean I get why it would make sense in some workflows. But in Motions tracking, compositing or in many custom workspace layouts for example with multiple 3d Views, you dont want the timeline tied to the 3D view. Or you want it on the side of the 3D view. And Shortcuts are editor dependant, so the dopesheet would need totaly new shortcuts being in the same editor. And then the whole concpet of having the same shortcuts everywhere is broken.
So that Idee is imposible but With the current efforts to make Blender UI usable on tablets with one Editor open and other editors in a pop up style "only expanded when you need it", we could get something like what you want.
Thank you. Now I understand a little bit now. I am just afraid that even a simple test requires the process of opening the camera sheet, selecting the action editor, and selecting the desired action. A simple action must go through more than 3 actions to complete, which is too tedious.Because drawing annotations are really common for me.