CompuServe Messages

David, Hmmm. I gave you a lousy answer. I'm just spread real thin with this book project, etc.. Anyway, You have complete control over every tool's icon….size, shape, color/no color, what's "printed" on it, how they're grouped, where they go, etc.. Or whether they're there at all. Personally, I've always had mixed feelings regarding fixed interfaces vs configurable floating interfaces. There are strengths & weaknesses with both. Personally, I want as much screen real-estate as possible for viewports, I don't like long complex pull-downs, and I like to touch the keyboard as little as possible. Windows or Motif-style interfaces are nice, but managing all the windows to prevent intrusion over the workspace can be a problem, too. So, I want a one-click method readily available on-screen, but I don't want to interfere with viewport space. When you create banks of icons, even when they're much larger and no matter how they're labeled, it doesn't help me much 'cause I'm about blind <g>. Believe it or not, all those little buttons you see are just a *fraction* of the program's tools & functions. So, in consideration of all of the above, I created the banks with tiny buttons to conserve space. But, I left the bank window's title bar toggled on. When you run the cursor over a button, it's text description is displayed in the title bar. So, I just quickly run the mouse across the buttons in a bank, and observe the readable text in the title bar, 'til I get what I'm looking for. With me, this has proven to be faster than navigating the extensive pull-down menus, and minimizes me having to re-orient my body to get at the keyboard to use hot keys. The icons at the bottom pop-up full-screen viewports and other modal windows for color, camera control, rotational controls, etc.. The other buttons are custom. You can create combinations or brand new programming language functions and assign them to a button of your design, if you feel so inclined. So, those are a few I'm working on getting implemented. You can also save interface designs, and load in as necessary for a specific task, if you like. So, this is what I've found that works best for me for modeling. Believe it or not, it took a long time to design that monster. I should have known some people would hate the way it *looks*….but, you haven't used it. If you still hate it, change it most anyway you want. Create your own from scratch. Create a bunch of different ones for specialized situations. What else can you ask for ? Maybe John can take it from here. At least , this is a little better answer I hope. Regards, BILL