Blender raytracing build

It's showing promise and was mentioned over here.  I know it's just a build and not finished and all that, but a bunch of things are bothering me already.  Yes, I hate to complain about free software, and all the hard work, but I feel I have to.

 

The time wasting animated view changes, see for yourself, click any of the view buttons (numpad) and you get a little time waster.  It spins quickly, in large files/scenes it takes a bit of time and  I can see it being even worse once you start getting really complex with particles and things of that nature.

 

Default vertical button window.  Automatic resizing of the buttons to stretch to fit.  I hope shift+space will be able to be configured to maximize the current window, so much faster than ctrl+up arrow. Another is the having to hit the pause/stop button for playback of the timeline. 

 

While there seems to be some speed increases in the interface, I really am not digging the new cartoony feel it's got, much like I hate XP, OS X, and VISTA looks.  All those flashy little things might be cool and trendy but I don't need/want them in functional software.  Yes, there's probably a compromise somewhere, or it could be configured or whatever, but turn it off by default.  Please.

 

If it will be possible to download or configure a basic layout like the default setup of the past few releases, or something very close I'll be happy.  Over time I'll work with their defaults, but I'm finally getting the hang of it as is.  There's a steep enough learning curve already, so having to relearn everything in a cartoony (not high enough contrast theme, yes, sadly my eyes are getting older)

 

Will there be a render window or are we going to be limited to image editor?  Size presets? 

 

 

The single thing I dread the most is that there will not be current up to date documentation.  PLEASE guys, spend some time getting that together, at least a list of changed locations, key commands and combos, and/or a much better intro guide before you release this.

 

That's just my impressions on the first  few minutes of messing around with it.  I understand a lot of my complaints might already be addressed but I'm worried about having to relearn the interface and a whole lot more plus the unneeded/unwanted slowdowns that (and some of the features) bring with it.

Just got back from the Geauga film fest

There were 2 films I worked on (just supplying props to one) showing tonight. Interrogation and Jean Claude the gumming zombie (do I really need to provide a link, again?), but for me the big show stopper was a little film I hadn't heard of before. A Polish Winter.

From their blog:

It tells the story of a young boy who discovers an abandoned train cattle carriage in Eastern Europe. Upon entering inside and finding a discarded doll, memories are triggered of the Holocaust and the murder of countless children in Nazi death camps in occupied Poland.

Visit the blog and have a look for yourself. It's worth the time.

Another fun short was Visit China I didn't know so many folks I knew worked on this one, but it was good as well.

All in all it was a fun time with some good films.