Redesign the Attribute Editor

[trevor.adams]

(Copied from original User Voice forum)

"Clearer, smarter UI: Please overhaul Attribute Editor in similar way as the new Hypershade. 
Good example: In the new Node graph of the Hypershade I can choose between 
- show me all available attributes 
- show me just connected attributes 
- show me only the most common used attributes 
This is something which the Attribute Editor is still missing. 
AND there are two more important things, that should be easy to see at a glance: 
- Where have been default values changed (display tab colored?) 
- Where are MEL expressions hidden? (and maybe I can get them displayed just by hoovering with the mouse over that tab) 
As a photoshop user to me looks the attribute editor as if someone would put all possible adjustments layers in a layer document, regardless if they are needed or not. 
When I only for example change from a shader its Diffuse, it would be good, just to have that Diffuse tab highlighted (or colored). 
Furthermore: 
- If we could customize UI Colors for Tabs. That would help also in that gre desert. 
- If you would save more space with a better layout (I saw already an suggestion here in forum) 
- If it would be easier two compare two different nodes (I know, I can "copy tab", but maybe you will find a smarter way or make it possible to have two nodes displayed stacked) 
- If you could store all values before and after at each tab with a temporary preset. Of course we can save everything as presets, but it would get messed up. It is only a need, to compare values before and after a session (in photoshop this is layer comps) 
It would be similar to the bonus tool "store values" but it would not been saved at the shelf, but inside the Attribute Editor of that particular node. 
- search function for Attributes, that only displays the searched Tab 
- button: "show me directly this node in Hypershade" 
Just some of many possible ideas...

Thanks for voting and considering!"

"I don't like the tab layout in the attribute editor, where you have to scroll for ages horizontally to view all your tabs/attributes, it doesn't give you a good overview. So you have to scroll in order to find the tab/attribute you are looking for, then when you find the tab you are looking for you must click it, but you can't click it if it's selected, which it probably is since the scroll also moves the selection (but doesn't update the Attribute editor settings), so then you have to click another tab and then re-click the tab you wanted in the first place. This sometimes leads to a problem if you want the tab at the rightmost edge, sometimes when you click another tab it scrolls back a bit to the left, so you can't click the rightmost tab again, and you can't scroll to the right again in order to update the Attribute editor. In this case I'll have to resize the attribute editor until finally the rightmost tab is visible. If there's still too many tabs, then I'll have to select it in the node editor. Another thing regarding the attribute editor and the node editor, could you make it possible to remove attributes/nodes from the attribute editor without having to open the node editor? Regarding 3ds max: the stack in 3ds max is so handy in comparison to mayas history handling, couldn't you incorporate a stack into maya? (Or in best case scenario, could you take everything that's better in 3ds max and add it to maya, merging the two programs?) 🙂

I like both programs, but if Autodesk really want to stay top of the 3D software business you should aim to make the ultimate 3D-package. You already two of the top 3D-packages, why not merge the two of them to really set the bar high? :)"

"There seems to be a lot of wasted space at the top of the attribute editor. I have mocked up a way to make better use of this space below:

https://leegriggs.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/maya-attribute-editor/"

"The new May a 2016 interface looks modern and fresh, but I think there are few cases where the flat design has gone before usability.

For example the channel box window makes no visual indication what elements are just labels, what are category names, and what are the item you can click and edit. This is not very user-friendly, especially for those who are new to Maya.

The inputs part could be done with tree-view style component, that would make it much more accessible.

Attribute editor is nice, but why are all the important elements displayed on a horizontal tabs that you have to scroll through using little arrows.

I think attribute editor (and inputs in Channel Box) would be much easier to understand and use with a combined tree-view style view/interface that would show all the component of an object in specific hierarchical order. (Bit like the outliner but for indidual objects and their components). You could then click and expand individual 
component to edit its properties."

"I use them all and they are all important... but they could be smaller maybe. 
SELECT means, that if you navigate through the attribute editor, you can select the current displayed node, to watch bin in hypershade (e.g.) 
COPY tab: if you need to see two different tabs at the same time 
LOAD Attributes, if you have complicated systems that doesn't sync or show up correctly (experienced nHair, PFX; Particles with expressions etc...)"

[Anonymous]

I hope with all my heart that Autodesk is developing the attribute, improving it .. and making it beautiful and practical ..

[RonaldvanVemden3444]

Autodesk bought the ultimate 3D package and killed it 😉

[Kranos_Orphydian]

there is zero improvement to the Atribute editor in 2020 and there is so much to be improved