Blender for Windows 2.56 Beta

netean

Reviewing 2.5 Alpha (Nov 24, 2009)

Undoubtedly Blender is a very capable program, just looking at the features, and the gallery of users' work attest to that.

However it's interface... oh dear, what a disaster.
I'm sure if I just spend "some time" with it and numerous tutorials, I'll get the hand of the interface, but I really shouldn't have to. Having grown up using Original DOS 3d Studio, then lightwave, then 3ds max, Alias, Maya and Cinema 4d, I've used 3d programs before. I know how to do stuff Having learned the interface of methodolgy of one app I can move reasonably easily to another, sure I might not know how to use it completely, but I'm familiar enough to pick up most 3d modelling/rendering applications, build a model and render it.
But not with Blender. I shouldn't need to sit down and spend literally hours, wading through tutorials just to learn how to use the interface, I should be able to transition easily to it, knowing the basics of how to get stuff done and picking up the unique features of the app as I go.
As it stands right now, the interface is a barrier to learning the app. It's impenetrable lack of intuitive features mean it can't get a good rating.

If you're willing to invest a lot of time, and I do mean a lot of time, learning the interface then I'm sure you'll be rewarded with a capable application, but if this is your first exposure to 3d modelling and rendering you won't be able to transfer your newly learned skills easily into another application.

Yes it's free and that is great, but with such a monumental barrier to wide adoption it will (sadly) always been as the poor persons 3d option.

now having said all that. 2.5 goes a LONG way to addressing some of those issues, the interface has made major inroads and now resembles a lot of other 3d apps. It's not there yet, still a lot of work to do, but finally, the interface is getting usable-ish..

On my machine the UI was new UI was hideously unresponsive, very slow. quite buggy too, (but it is alpha software so that's expected)

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