Changed default background color

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GeneFC
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by GeneFC »

berniev wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 8:28 am if a candidate achieves serious popularity mark it default.
How would one ever know? I suspect, (with zero evidence) there are far more silent users than forum regulars.

I agree with the general idea that there is way too much head-banging and hand-wringing over this topic. Provide the starter preference packs with some level of notification and instruction. Let nature take its course.

Gene
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by adrianinsaval »

chrisb wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:33 am Good idea, but let's wait until Chennes has improved the preference packs to make such exchanges easier.
what's missing regarding colors?
chrisb wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:33 am Changing only the background color will most probably not do.
onekk wrote: Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:37 pm As it seems that some part of the interface are not easy to be put in a Qt stylesheet so some work as to be done even in code if there are hardcoded colors. There were a relatively recent post if a developer that says that there are 40 places on which a "default color" is present, but sadly I've not recorded in my mind and on paper the post link.
it seems you guys might have missed this part of the proposed process?
uwestoehr wrote:- once we have the gradient with the most votes, we change the different default colors of other WBs to match this background
berniev wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 8:28 am IMHO better to forget that and make all themes equal
already the case
, with one just happening to be chosen default.
but... that's what we are saying already? :?
Have an infrastructure that allows anyone to create a theme.
already the case
Over time one or more will raise to prominence by word of mouth, and if a candidate achieves serious popularity mark it default. Truly democracy at work.
as gene says, how would we know this? we don't run telemetry and it's unlikely that we will, there probably is already a "most used" stylehseet but we don't know which one.
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onekk
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by onekk »

adrianinsaval wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 4:34 pm
onekk wrote: Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:37 pm ...
it seems you guys might have missed this part of the proposed process?
uwestoehr wrote:- once we have the gradient with the most votes, we change the different default colors of other WBs to match this background
No I've not missed this point.

But as the work is done by others and I have little chances to be helpful (at my present level of knowledge of FC sources and C++) I could simply note some details, and probably not the most important ones.

Now I remember another detail about the 40 and other places.

The author said that colors are managed by Coin3D and Coin3D is not aware as the author has said of Qt stylesheets so you have to use another method, but I don't remember the author but is a well know developer, sadly my memory is "broken".

For now I will await the pools, to place my vote.

Kind Regards to all.

Carlo D.
GitHub page: https://github.com/onekk/freecad-doc.
- In deep articles on FreeCAD.
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by adrianinsaval »

onekk wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 5:15 pm The author said that colors are managed by Coin3D and Coin3D is not aware as the author has said of Qt stylesheets so you have to use another method
yes and the background colors are some of these, these are the ones that are stored in preference parameters and the discussion here is primarily about these.
For now I will await the pools
invite me, I want to swin too ;) (I know you probably meant poll but I couldn't resist the bad joke)
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uwestoehr
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by uwestoehr »

chrisb wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:33 am Good idea, but let's wait until Chennes has improved the preference packs to make such exchanges easier. Changing only the background color will most probably not do.
If we do a voting, we shouldn't exclude non gradient backgrounds.
Why should we wait? What we want is to find another default background color that average new users either don't notice at all being special or notice it as "modern".
According to the chosen new color we must then adapt the default of other colors. But this is independent on preferences packs. The result will be a new default preference pack.
I would start soon with the poll because it takes time. I think my proposed 30 days would be necessary to collect as many proposals as possible and because also users who like to send in a proposal need time to test their proposal a week or so to deliver a proper proposal.

---------------------

Concerning non-gradient backgrounds this post:
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 81#p601881
was interesting for me. Since then I googled around several times and all I found was that the eyes are less tired by a gradient because the 3D effect is important for 3D CAD. Then I searched the default backgrounds of other 3D CAD programs, and they all have a 3D effect. So apparently the human eye prefers this in the long run.

Then I looked closer how other 3D programs do this. There are programs with a plain background, here a screenshot from the program ChiTuBox (a 3D printer slicing program):
CHITUBOX_ekfPYcATUF.png
CHITUBOX_ekfPYcATUF.png (53.45 KiB) Viewed 919 times
They achieve the 3D effect my a light source. Then the background can be plain, the object's surface is then shaded 8has a gradient).

Now take FreeCAD with a plain background:
FreeCAD_pXVt3MWR2M.png
FreeCAD_pXVt3MWR2M.png (15 KiB) Viewed 919 times
This looks like a plain 2D rectangle with a stroke. So without a gradient background we have no 3D effect. That we need this for ergonomics is something, I think is out of question.

Therefore I see only two options:
A: background with gradient
B: new feature to set a 3D light source

However we don't have B yet (other CAD programs do) and I don't think we will get this soon.

(Personal: I used more more than 1 year a plain background and it was fine for me. however, now with the gradient of current master that I use since July, it feels indeed more comfortable and I will not return to a plain background.
I write my personal experience because only because I liked something does not mean it is the best for the eyes but a default should be a good ergonomic choice.)
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by adrianinsaval »

is there anything to support the claim that a diagonal gradient is better? is it possible to implement that?

Or how about a circular gradient :idea: :?:
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uwestoehr
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by uwestoehr »

adrianinsaval wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 6:56 pm is there anything to support the claim that a diagonal gradient is better?
I am not referring to a diagonal gradient, but the fact that a gradient creates a 3D effect and this is the important point. Without a gradient background we would nave no 3D effect since FreeCAD does not support 3D lights yet.
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by adrianinsaval »

Oh I fully agree with the gradient argument, just asking if your research came up with something about the diagonal stuff since that was the main point of that post.
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uwestoehr
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by uwestoehr »

adrianinsaval wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 8:15 pm Oh I fully agree with the gradient argument, just asking if your research came up with something about the diagonal stuff since that was the main point of that post.
No, I could not find anything about how a gradient should be.

Personal argument: Our eyes are used to view horizons. Looking in the sky we see every day a horizontal gradient. Therefore a horizontal gradient seems sensible. Other gradients would be a preference like to have a toolbar at the left or right side. Therefore with a horizontal gradient we would follow what the eye is used to and we don't prefer a certain side.
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onekk
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Re: Changed default background color

Post by onekk »

adrianinsaval wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 5:43 pm ...
For now I will await the pools
invite me, I want to swin too ;) (I know you probably meant poll but I couldn't resist the bad joke)
:D

Regards

Carlo D.
GitHub page: https://github.com/onekk/freecad-doc.
- In deep articles on FreeCAD.
- Learning how to model with scripting.
- Various other stuffs.

Blog: https://okkmkblog.wordpress.com/
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