pull shapes optimization.

[kollatt]

my pull shapes folder has become somewhat bloated, and whenever i switch over to the pull shapes module it takes a while before i can actually use it. it seems like alchemy is gathering all the folders to know what it is going to use for shapes. any way this can be sped up or optimized would be huge as right now it's a bit of a stall in the workflow. i'll be drawing with good energy and rhythm and then when i switch to the module it kind of breaks the energy. i think pull shapes is the best tool for keeping a diverse and easily customized 'shape language' in alchemy so i see this as pretty important. thanks again.

[Karl DD]

Thanks for the feedback.
Yes I can see than happening when you get a bunch of pdf files in there.
Right now the shapes are loaded every time the module is selected, so it is painless to change it so they are retained in memory and only loaded when the modules is initially selected.

The alternative is to load the shapes at startup I guess.
I am not a big fan of a loooonnnnggggg startup, and think it is quite nice to be able to launch an application without need for a startup screen and progress bar.

What would work best for your workflow?

[kollatt]

i would rather alchemy check for them on startup and only then, so that when i switch back and forth it wouldn't have to worry about if the folder has been changed. i don't really change my shapes setup while i'm working inside of alchemy ever, so that's not terribly useful to me. being able to effortlessly flow between modules is much more important for my workflow. having to wait a while each time i switch really jerks me out of the alchemist trance pretty quick.

[Zyphre]

I'm going to side with kollatt on this matter. A long load time isn't really detrimental to your work. Photoshop, painter, maya, zbrush, all these programs have a load time; thus I am sure most people have come to expect it to a degree. I can say full heartedly that nothing messes up my mojo than encountering a bottleneck during creation that forces me to wait.

I'd compare it to someone demanding your attention on something similar.

I'd suggest rather than having them load on startup by default, just have it be a toggle-able option. That way you keep your load time for most users, and help those of us with extensive shape library's.

[Karl DD]

Sure guys, I'll sort out something to load them on startup and see how it goes.
Might be time for a startup screen...

[kollatt]

i know this might sound a little cheesy karl, but if a startup screen ends up being the answer to the problem, i would love to see some random inspirational messages at the beginning. whenever i start up skype on the opening screen it always says "take a deep breath". it actually really helps me when i don't realize i'm a little tense. it'd be cool to see some text relating to alchemy's philosophy on startup i'm hoaky, i know.

all in all, i think the pull shapes module is probably going to be the hardest to get right because of it's open ended possibilities, but i also think that's what makes it very important. it just really lends itself to what i think alchemy is and what it needs. i'll try to think of some other solutions as a lowly artist :> you guys amaze me with your programming skills.