Settings inside blend file

[twisted]

As Michael demonstrates in this lecture, the settings of the tool used to edit 3d models, the Blender IDE, are saved inside the .blend file itself.

Am I alone in thinking this seems a messy design decision? I would expect data relating to the thing being modeled being inside the .blend file and data determining the layout of an IDE being in it’s own setting file.

Leaving aside spreadsheets containing macros, if you open a spreadsheet in Excel, you don’t expect it rearrange the user interface all over the place.

Anyone want to tell me why I’m wrong?

I’ve no experience of other 3D suites and would be interested to hear if other software mixes the two types of data together like this.

[FedPete]

This is because of the many Blender functions.
Not everybody is busy with mesh modeling. Some people are busy with UV-Mapping the whole day.
Or his job is to do the lighting. Other members of the team will build procedural texturing.

So at start-up you can have your own Blender working environment. You can see a reflection of this process also in the Blender TABS ‘Layout’, ‘Modeling’, ‘Sculpting’ … It’s based on 3D design processes.
Also Blender wants to be an interesting alternative for 3D professionals, using Maya, Pixar, etc.
These people are used to a different UI. So If you can tweak your basic start up to be the one, you are using in other packages it’s a big win. Like keyboard shortcuts, or GIZMO’s>
If you understand the interface of an other software package, it’s easier to switch over.

You compare it with Excel, but it’s for a fair compare. In fact Excel is the world leading standard. There are no competitors (except for half baked copies). Blender is in a market with other (professional) competitors. Blender is free, while others cost you about 3000,- dollars per year.

For you Blender is just a funny, cheap, maybe a hobby tool. But the Blender organization has other goals. Meaning to be flexible enough to handle other users needs in design, workflow and UI. Trying to tap into to the group of 3D professionals. It’s a business model.

[twisted]

Thank you FedPete for an interesting perspective

@FedPete

For you Blender is just a funny, cheap, maybe a hobby tool

Yes, I am a hobbyist user and the Blender ui does seem idiosyncratic. Whether aspects of it are funny or not, I don’t know, because I don’t know how other 3D systems work. What I do know is that people are producing wonderful things using Blender.

[Baiswith]

@FedPete

This is because of the many Blender functions.
Not everybody is busy with mesh modeling. Some people are busy with UV-Mapping the whole day.
Or his job is to do the lighting. Other members of the team will build procedural texturing.

So at start-up you can have your own Blender working environment. You can see a reflection of this process also in the Blender TABS ‘Layout’, ‘Modeling’, ‘Sculpting’ … It’s based on 3D design processes.
Also Blender wants to be an interesting alternative for 3D professionals, using Maya, Pixar, etc.
These people are used to a different UI. So If you can tweak your basic start up to be the one, you are using in other packages it’s a big win. Like keyboard shortcuts, or GIZMO’s>
If you understand the interface of an other software package, it’s easier to switch over.

This…doesn’t actually answer the question?

So you have your guy who does task X and sets his blender workspace how best suits his workflow for that task. Let’s say he’s where the blender file starts, so he’s always able to open to his preferred setup by default.

But then he passes his file on to the next person in the team who does task Y. Because the file remembers the first guy’s setup, that person (and every person after), has to adjust the workspace to their preferred setup every time, rather than the file just opening into that setup.

@FedPete

You compare it with Excel, but it’s for a fair compare. In fact Excel is the world leading standard. There are no competitors (except for half baked copies). Blender is in a market with other (professional) competitors. Blender is free, while others cost you about 3000,- dollars per year.

The comparison with Excel etc. is perfectly valid, because you can modify the toolbars there too, but if someone moves/adds/removes things in their copy of Excel and then sends you the worksheet, Excel doesn’t suddenly overwrite your toolbar setups with theirs. I fail to see how competition comes into this.

I’m with @twisted here: regardless of what type of user I am, I’d be interested to know whether there’s an option to override the workspace saved with a file so it loads into your setup (that presumably is the one you want and need for what you’re doing) and not someone else’s.

[FedPete]

@Baiswith

But then he passes his file on to the next person in the team who does task Y. Because the file remembers the first guy’s setup, that person (and every person after), has to adjust the workspace to their preferred setup every time, rather than the file just opening into that setup.

You forget that in large teams, they don’t reuse .blend files. But import (LINK) the content they need from these files. This a completely different workflow! Goal is not exchanging .blend files. But use the data these .blend files contain.

[Baiswith]

@FedPete

You forget that in large teams, they don’t reuse .blend files. But import (LINK) the content they need from these files. This a completely different workflow! Goal is not exchanging .blend files. But use the data these .blend files contain.

You can’t forget what you don’t know. That would, however, appear to be the answer to the original question (presumably also asked by someone like me who doesn’t have that level of insight into team workflows), thanks.

[Marcello]

Also if there is something specific you always want the same way. Then just open a new file, adjust what you like and then save that as a startup file (File>Defaults>Safe Startup File).
Blender will then always start with what you saved (still saves additonal changes in their own files of course).