0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

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MisterMaker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by MisterMaker »

Ok I just came up with this idea.
Why not add tips and tricks that change while loading.
Just like most games have these days?
https://wiki.qt.io/Custom_splashscreen_with_text
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adrianinsaval
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by adrianinsaval »

That could be nice, we would need a compilation of random tips and then make sure to keep them up to date though
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NewJoker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by NewJoker »

MisterMaker wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 4:43 pm Ok I just came up with this idea.
Why not add tips and tricks that change while loading.
Just like most games have these days?
https://wiki.qt.io/Custom_splashscreen_with_text
It might make sense if the tips are meant for new users. So something like "Start with Part Design if you want to use typical 3D solid CAD modeling workflow", "When working in Part Design, you have to create a Body container first" and "A single Body can only contain a single continuous solid". Just don't keep repeating "Avoid creating sketches on faces due to TNP" all the time ;-) And add an option to turn this off for more advanced users.

P.S. Such tips, in more complex form (with images, gifs) would make a nice start page too. I think that I've heard that one of the devs was working on that some time ago.
GeneFC
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by GeneFC »

MisterMaker wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 4:43 pm Why not add tips and tricks that change while loading.
When I start FreeCAD the splash screen shows for 2 or 3 seconds. Does not seem like enough time for tips.

I would certainly not delay the startup in order to show tips.

Gene
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NewJoker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by NewJoker »

GeneFC wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:46 pm When I start FreeCAD the splash screen shows for 2 or 3 seconds. Does not seem like enough time for tips.
Maybe it will take longer after TNP fix implementation ;-) Currently, the splash screen lasts for around 7 seconds on one of my computers. It might be enough to read a tip consisting of a single sentence.

But start page will likely be better for such tips.
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MisterMaker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by MisterMaker »

I timed mine, had 11 seconds on 0.21 en 29 seconds on Linkstage.
So with toponaming we got some time. although a daily release is probably not the best example!
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obelisk79
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by obelisk79 »

A small popup window with tips that appears once the software is loaded is more standard and probably a better option as various computer systems will have varying duration the splash screen will be displayed. My system is fairly high end and I'm fully loaded into FreeCAD 4.36 seconds from the moment I click the mouse to launch (note, the splash screen is visible for slightly less time than that).

I suggest we keep the discussion on topic and move this to another thread if further discussion is desired.
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NewJoker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by NewJoker »

I’ll just share a few thoughts on the entries selected for voting:
- A (planetary gear) - number one for me, cool colors, rather simple but good-looking, not a problem for me if it’s not fully functional (after all, my uni has a logo with incorrect shape of gear teeth)
- B (press) and C (bike fork crown?) - really nice but too few colors and the background ruins it all
- D (mecanum wheel) - cool but it reminds me of Link Branch and the background is a problem again
- E and F (sets of milling cutters) - it could be better if there were multiple different cutters in the set but those arrays in general don’t fit the splash screen, especially F which is way too large and looks rather weird (and again background is problematic and there’s only one color)
- G (some fancy sweep) - I like this one and the dark background but it looks like it was a new FreeCAD logo (and resembles car brand logos)
- H (Atkinson differential engine) - number 2 for me, really cool but those old-fashioned engines are so often modeled in FreeCAD that it’s not that original
- I (house) - nice but lacking good render and makijg an impression that FreeCAD is meant primarily for architecture (while it’s more inclined towards mechanical engineering)
- J (interface of some small workshop device) - pretty good but the number displayed on the screen is somewhat confusing (people may wonder if it’s related to FreeCAD version)
- K (rotor of Enigma machine) - very ingenious but not so good-looking, also the colors are poor and it’s lacking a good render
- L (ABENICS gear set) - number 3 for me, interesting design and good render but the colors are too faded and it’s hard to identify this thing
- M (padlock with key) - nice colors but it seems to have a symbolic meaning and yet it’s hard to say what it could mean (open-source? then what does the key represent?)

Too bad Aston and soldering station didn’t make it to voting.
nelsonstoldt
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by nelsonstoldt »

NewJoker wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 8:34 am I’ll just share a few thoughts on the entries selected for voting:
- K (rotor of Enigma machine) - very ingenious but not so good-looking, also the colors are poor and it’s lacking a good render
I'm glad you think my rotor entry was ingenious, but I'm curious why you don't like the colors or the render, or think that it is a good render. The render is straight from FreeCAD and as I said before (see my previous posts in this tread) I don't think that using external renders is good advertising for FreeCAD. The colors I selected were what I felt created the most realistic (true to life) rendering, maybe I should have chosen a different part to showcase. My goal was to show that FreeCAD is a great tool for creating real world designs. I use it for just that all the time.
NewJoker wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 8:34 am Too bad Aston and soldering station didn’t make it to voting.
The soldering station was my first submission. I'm glad that you liked it, but the people in charge didn't want to chance any legal issue, and I cannot fault them for that. In that submission I did include a high-quality render, but I was convinced by other posts on this thread that having a render that FreeCAD cannot natively create in the splash screen is misleading and could turn people off from using FreeCAD. FreeCAD is a powerful tool for designing real world parts complete with analysis (FEM) and manufacturing (TechDraw, and Path), showcasing a raytraced render just muddies the waters. So in my view splash screen options B,C,E,F,G, and L would all be misleading the public on what FreeCAD can do instead of showing off what it can do.

Just my 2 cents...
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NewJoker
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Re: 0.21 splashscreen contest: deadline 31 May 2023

Post by NewJoker »

@nelsonstoldt Your Enigma model is really cool and does a great job at representing the real-life thing but the problem is that, in my opinion, splash screen models should be more colorful and visually appealing so functionality becomes way less important. I know, it's a bit unfair but that's how it works when it comes to such showcasing purposes. I would like the splash screen model to be as realistically rendered as possible without using 3rd party tools such as Blender (you are right that it would be misleading regarding the capabilities of FreeCAD). The current splash screen model (for 0.20 and 0.21 dev versions) is actually from Link Branch so at least that software could be used for rendering.
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