Blender Suggestion: Launcher

Hello, I have a suggestion for Blender. I believe this is where to post a thread of this nature, excuse me if I’m wrong.:stuck_out_tongue: Anyhow, my suggestion is to replace the current command line startup GUI with a real launcher. Example: Maya has a nice looking launcher. http://www.nkoubi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Install_Maya_2011_001.pngBlender has a command line. If Blender had a launcher that displays the same info that the command line does, it would look so much more professional. Anyhow, that’s my idea. I’m not sure how plausible it is, but it would be cool to see happen.

But do you use Blender or not?
The launcher already exists…

no thats a splash screen not a launcher :wink:

The time it takes me to open maya is usually 30+ seconds… the time it takes me to open blender is about 3-5 seconds.

IMO Splash screen is not needed if the launch time is so fast.

Blender starts up so quickly that I have to ask if this is worth doing? The only AD products I use are the CAD program one and boy its a game of sit and wait and stare at a launcher but other programs like excel, word etc load so quickly that I barely register the fact that the have a launcher. Blender will be in that category of programs that launch too quickly for launchers to be worth while.

Agreed, this is pointless and a classic case of “lets copy maya so we look professional” without understanding the purpose.

Here, blender takes 5 seconds to open. Maya’s splash screen alone takes 4 seconds, and the program itself takes 45.

Also, if you have Mental Ray enabled in Maya you’ll always have an output window open (which is a kind of console, printing errors and debug stuff) which opens before the splash screen.

How does a launcher make a program more or less professional? Doesn’t it make more sense to implement more professional tools for professional artist to make it a professional application.

As others have mentioned, Blender starts in 3-5 seconds and that’s on a regular hard drive. The question is then, what benefit does it bring to the user to display nice launcher graphics for those few moments?

To welcome a user, there is already the splash screen which offers actual functionality (open recent, interaction presets, helpful links) and it looks good.

I would like to see much more a better look windows installer… it take some while to install and we could use some nice images there to make a good expectation in first time users. That’s a good way to promote nice artists too, today we only have one image promoted per release on the splash.

One thing I think that would be useful to include on the splash screen, especially for new users, could be links to the blendercookie getting started videos. They could be disabled to reduce clutter by advanced users. Possibly even links to “trending” tutorials or gallery images.

Like EULAs nobody reads what’s on a splash, they just dismiss them and get on with it. You could probably write the most ridiculous things there and nobody would notice.

I suppose that’s true but for absolute beginners it could be useful…especially when they don’t know where to start. As you say everyone else will not even notice:)

this proposal made me chuckle :smiley: this is the kind of trolling which actually increases the life expectancy because it gives good vibes.
thanks for putting a smile on my face!

btw
I don´t install Blender and use zip files instead and to be really humble in describing it,
I loath seeing "tips"which I either already know or worse which don´t improve my current needs.
Even on a dated harddrive(s), Blender starts extremely fast…

It´s just bad to get unnecessary unwanted information and makes it even
harder for starters to actually begin with learning.

I want a unicorn.

I have stared at that freaking loading screen for so many hours now that I absolutely despise it. Also as many people said already, Blender loads up in 3 seconds on a regular hard-drive and if you have an SSD you wouldn’t even have time to notice it.

I thought the commandline startup had already been removed on Windows for more than a year…

Also, this is a stupid request.

I really want a unicorn!

I know that Maya takes awhile to start up. Blender usually starts up pretty fast, but sometimes it takes a good 15-20 seconds to start up. When Blender does take forever to start, why not have something to look at?

See the above reply.

Dude, chill out. Think about it. You see a really professional software, and it most likely doesn’t start with a command line. Command lines don’t look professional.

What seems professional to you? Command lines or launchers? And yes, that makes more sense, but this a simple suggestion.

As for your first question, look at my first reply. If you don’t have a cutting edge, state-of-the-art machine, Blender can take awhile to load. Why not display something for users to look at then?
As for the second comment, a splash screen is not a launcher, I don’t think you can compare the two.

I guess that’s the general attitude of the Blender community in a nutshell.:stuck_out_tongue: Just like how the new UI proposal divided the community into 2. Maybe you all should be more open-minded to suggestions and changes.

No, there’s no reason at all to believe that it was removed. Look at the above reply, you proved my point. The Blender community just doesn’t want change.