0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

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nelsonstoldt
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by nelsonstoldt »

NewJoker wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 6:11 pm in my opinion, splash screen models should be more colorful and visually appealing so functionality becomes way less important.
Well....I do have a tendency to create things that are intended to be real, and as a result my designs are not always colorful. I did have one design that I considered as it doesn't include recognizable parts from other companies (except screw, nuts and such)... but I didn't think that it would be appropriate. So I will add it here after the voting candidates have been selected just to show off a little.
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NewJoker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by NewJoker »

nelsonstoldt wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 6:57 pm I did have one design that I considered as it doesn't include recognizable parts from other companies (except screw, nuts and such)... but I didn't think that it would be appropriate. So I will add it here after the voting candidates have been selected just to show off a little.
Wow, it’s really awesome. What does it shoot ? Is it 3D printed and working in real life ? That could be a cool post for the Users Showcase subforum.
nelsonstoldt
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by nelsonstoldt »

NewJoker wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:08 pm
nelsonstoldt wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 6:57 pm I did have one design that I considered as it doesn't include recognizable parts from other companies (except screw, nuts and such)... but I didn't think that it would be appropriate. So I will add it here after the voting candidates have been selected just to show off a little.
Wow, it’s really awesome. What does it shoot ? Is it 3D printed and working in real life ? That could be a cool post for the Users Showcase subforum.
To answer your questions, it shoots pistol crossbow bolts, yes it is 3D printed, and I have a mostly working prototype, but I'm still refining it a bit. It works pretty good with a 30lb draw but I'm "shooting" for a heavier draw. If you want, you can check out my HACKADAY.IO project for it at https://hackaday.io/project/188877-3d-p ... hot-pistol
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MisterMaker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by MisterMaker »

Just want to say that every CAD model here is freaking awesome. Really well done everyone!

I do think the 2D design of the splashscreen has nothing to do with those models.
It should be slick looking so when someone starts Freecad, they be damn this gonna be good.
One could argue that this would set expectations to high. But I think the other side is way worse.
User starts up Freecad sees an amateur looking splash-screen and is like: This look like someone made this in his attic. So they start with a bad first taste, and I'm pretty sure that this first contact is very important and can set the mood for how the user will interact with the software the rest of the time on it.

So in my opinion let some 2D artist make a template with our design guidelines discuss that template on the forum, and do a vote on the forum on which model we are going to showcase in the new release. then make an awesome render from it.
Then use the same template in every release, maybe update it a bit every year.

But like, I kinda feel I am explaining something very obvious since 80% of all programs with a splash-screen do this. Especially CAD programs, and maybe it's not original but UI and marketing isn't something we should care about if we are not original. It's just a way to sell the program and get more funding eventually so we can make a better program.

Want to add for example Oblisk 2D work is super awesome but his CAD model isn't really impressive. If he did the 2D work for one of those bigger CAD models we get the best of both worlds. We shouldn't expect from some one who is super good in Freecad to be also a good Splash-screen maker.


btw I am way to late for doing a discussion on this, so please ignore me for 0.21, but I would suggest we do something like this in 1.0.
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by nelsonstoldt »

MisterMaker wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:24 pm Want to add for example Oblisk 2D work is super awesome but his CAD model isn't really impressive. If he did the 2D work for one of those bigger CAD models we get the best of both worlds.
I whole heartedly agree. The splash screen by Oblisk97 is very nice to look at, my only issue with it is that it doesn't really show off how powerful FreeCAD is. There are a lot of programs out there that could have made that model, but FreeCAD can do so much more.

So I would love to see him, or someone else with similar talents, take a whack at a splash screen for the version 1.0 release that showcases the power of FreeCAD with a larger model. I think that I have talents in creating designs (some complicated and some simple), but my 2D drawing/composition skills are not that of a marketing/advertising artist.

I'm not sure how we could do it (without clutter) but showcasing TechDraw, FEM, Path and CAD would be awesome. Maybe something like a blueprint in the background and a model that does the fade from normal render to FEM render in the foreground. But somehow do it with pleasant eye-catching colors. Something like adrianinsaval suggested.
adrianinsaval wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 8:05 pm It would be cool to have a normal/render/FEM fade
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obelisk79
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by obelisk79 »

For what it's worth, I intentionally made the model in my submission simplistic. I don't view the splash screen as something that's needs to be a software showcase. When I started to add more appropriate details for an actual planetary gearset as you would find in the real world the extra details quickly started to become visually distracting, particularly when downscaled.

Nothing wrong with the criticisms of my submission, but I felt I should at least defend my modeling, as I've created much more complex (and functional) models than that lol.
nelsonstoldt
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by nelsonstoldt »

obelisk79 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 10:12 pm For what it's worth, I intentionally made the model in my submission simplistic. I don't view the splash screen as something that's needs to be a software showcase.
You have every right to be proud of your efforts, as just a cursory look through the voting to date says that the vast majority of people like what you created. If I didn't have my own entry, I would have voted for yours, so thank you very much for your efforts. I suspect that a lot of people are going to be seeing your splash screen in the near future.

Having said that I would love to see what you could do that did try to show off what FreeCAD is capable of. Maybe your simple model that seemed to be flowing out of a simple engineering print. That could be a very powerful image for version 1.0. Again, I'm not a graphics artist so I'm just spit balling here, but please give it a try as I would love to see what you could come up with.
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by kaktus »

I'm following this conversation and would like to point out some facts:

the conversation turned to the flow - not enough colors, wrong colors, not enough details :roll:

these are issues perceived individually by each viewer and have nothing to do with the choice of the model on the splash screen.

Gentlemen, everyone has different tastes and there is no accounting for tastes. :idea: :!:

I was prompted to these words by MisterMaker because he factually pointed out the fact about the lack of basic guidelines for determining certain features of the model.
Or maybe it was a deliberate action :?:


And at this point you can see how sharp and open mind this designer and designer nelsonstoldt has. :idea:

Just take a look at their presented works which bring a new perspective on the form of presented graphics and a new way unprecedented.

And believe me creating a very motley multicolored model is not a good idea. Although FreeCAD allows you to create artistic graphic works this is not its mainstream.

For me, it is not most important what actual model the "main graphic" of the welcome screen will represent.

I acutely pay attention to how it will be presented and what it introduces into my mind.
  • Facts: you will have noticed that the display time is 4-10 seconds
for this time the most appropriate is (in my opinion) the design rotor for an Enigma machine by colleague nelsonstoldt.
At first glance we see a seemingly uncomplicated model with sophisticated shapes in muted colors ....

And in the background?

In the background we see the magic of FreeCAD our eyes are revealed its power (both the model and the program) ....

This screen is memorable for a long time. Colors, of course, can be adjusted for our malcontents but that's not the point. :lol:

The second work that caught my attention is the ABENICS gearbox of colleague
MisterMaker from the post viewtopic.php?style=4&p=685077#p685077

Here again we see a fresh approach to a new layout and form and that's what counts.
Of course, the model itself is impressive (its form has stirred up a lot of controversy) but it is the whole that counts.

Personally, I would choose for this screen the model presented below, or even later as a transitional form from the schematic to the actual solid ....
Which meets the approval of many viewers of this discussion.

Subsequent viewers raised the issue that the text content displayed on the welcome screen is not very readable. This work is specific in that it allows you to add these texts in the form of a console with them where the text will be presented as in a standard console (it will be moved up as new lines occur). By which it will be visible a little longer.


Note:
  • new FreeCAD with new capabilities
  • new splash screen with unprecedented composition.



An interesting form are also puzzles from different fields where many different models can be presented.
Some very good works of the model itself have been heavily criticized for their content ... or for the fact that someone uses FreeCAD for his projects not directly related to mechanical engineering in the broadest sense ....
This is hurtful to these works. But also understandable because how would users of the program refer to seeing a model of a soldering iron, or a complex electronic circuit in a compact housing?
And that's why the composition of the puzzles with a wide variety of models from different fields is also noteworthy.

:idea: :idea:
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nelsonstoldt
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by nelsonstoldt »

kaktus wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:39 am At first glance we see a seemingly uncomplicated model with sophisticated shapes in muted colors ....

And in the background?

In the background we see the magic of FreeCAD our eyes are revealed its power (both the model and the program) ....

This screen is memorable for a long time.
Thanks for the compliment it was definitely my goal to try and showcase that FreeCAD is a tool that can be used to design actual real parts.

FreeCAD lets me take a design from the initial sketching stage, working out how things will fit and function, to getting an idea of what the finished product will look like, through analyzing its performance, and finally to manufacturing it whether that is though g-code or through engineering drawings that can be handed to a machinist. FreeCAD does it all, does it well, and does it for FREE. Unfortunately, when I design something, I tend to use colors that mimic the real-world appearance as it greatly helps me see how the part will look. As such my color choices might not be as vibrant as some would want. I wonder what that says about my design aesthetic. Again, thanks for the kind words.
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kaktus
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by kaktus »

;)

My main goal was to draw attention to your vision. However, I'm glad you liked what I had to say.
Often people who have worked hard are left with only gratitude for being noticed. :ugeek:

Again, this unfortunate topic of colors returns like a boomerang.
As for this project for me these colors are very well chosen. The project is not a painting and FreeCAD is not Gimp. :P

My compliments also to colleague MisterMaker for his equally good and individual vision of a new layout for the splash screen. :!: :idea: :!:

Of course, this does not mean that the other works are not good ...
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