Some History - Chronology and Changelog

- 13th May - 1st step: quick prototype/demo of the main idea

• Hi all, It's JF, 3 days ago I started thinking about making some cool addons for brand new Blender 2.80, but I didn't know how to start and tutorials also weren't that helpful for noobs. I just have to start from 0 to learn some python and Blender API with just Blender API documentation, also coding forums weren't so helpful because the API from the previous versions of Blender to this new one, that is just a Beta software, has changed a lot and there's no much information yet, so it really was a challenge for me. Using VSCode for programming and Blender itself to test it and to look for source code seeing examples to make something working fine.

• Here's how the addon looks: (a modified tool header, the top bar) Link <--(High Res Image)

- 20th May - 2nd step: fixes and more advanced version

• So one week later I have understand the basics of the API and python, also if you were following this addon I was able to fix some important issues and to make a more advanced and stable version plus new and better ideas for future features.

• Check out the change! : HIGH RES IMAGE

(NOTE: Interface scale 10% more than original scale)

• DEMO VIDEO

[Updated] Features

[Tool Header UI] (Left to Right)

• Brush list and name of current brush + buttons for create new brush, reset actual brush and remove actual brush, with custom icons.
• Sliders and pressure toggles for brush size, strength and smooth value.
• Dropdown menus for brush options, stroke options, curves (falloff), and frontal faces setting.... with custom icons
• Mask dropdown menu and quick access buttons for invert and clear a mask, with custom icons.
• Quick one-click symmetry selector for X, Y, Z axis and a general button to activate/deactivate all symmetry options
• Quick selector of Detail Size for dynamic topology + toggle for Dyntopo activate/deactivate with dropdown menu
• Dropdown menu for texture settings + quick buttons for creating new texture and opening images for textures + A dynamic way of creating textures that detects if the brush has or not texture so you can easily asign it one in just one step (click+drag+release) or importing one and asigning with just 2 quick steps. Perfect for tablet users.

Purpose of this Project

• To have a cleaner UI for sculpt mode where you just need to have open the 3d viewport to sculpt, without properties panel and others, just to focus in sculpt!
• To improve workflow with quick access tools!

Future

I have so much ideas for this addon, I won't share too much of what I have in mind cause I want to read some feedback of this in order to improve its actual version and from there I'll just go and implement all the new features plus features or ideas to implement that you all can contribute :-) Some summarized ideas:

• Automation tools for some actions
• Add new menus for some other options and configurations plus using the header tool combined with the tool header
• Better integration of the existing tools
• Remake for the quick detail size selector + configurable and dynamic
• Big texture/image preview when hover -> in 3dviewport
• Context menus for brush list
• Brush list/sets: 3 subpanels: by brush type you have selected, for recent brushes, and custom sets + slots.
• When loading a new image to an empty texture then the texture gets the name of the image so you don’t need to rename them all time.
• Better and new shorcuts… nice alternative to the malefic sliders… plus a lot of free space
• Keyboard numbers for detail size(?
• Better filters for brushes/textures/images with user predefined
• Brush configuration so better variation more than built-in brushes
• Integration and support with new sculpt tools that will come (Pablo Dobarro's implemented sculpt tools like voxel remesher OpenVDB and other cool features, plus sculpt nodes :) )
• To be able to load an entire folder of images for textures -> create texture per loaded image with custom user settings and rename each texture like the image's name. (panel)
• [Crazy One] What about some kind of brush manager to create, configure, change, save, load.... brushes???
• [Crazy One] More presets plus preset manager for curves???
• Modified UI for other modes like texture painting and so on...

How can you help with this addon? - Feedback is required!

• I need your feedback to make it better!

About the price

• It will be open source as Blender is but it will also have a donation way to support its development.
• Also it won't be available until I manage to fix the problem that I have raised at the start of this post.

GITHUB

github.com/jfranmatheu/Blender_NewSMUI