After getting annoyed by Unity’s default level design workflow I started a
user interaction experiment to come up with a better set of mechanics
for the level editing process.
The main guidelines for this interaction design are speed and visibility:
Speed: The most common functions should be quick to execute with a physical
action which allows the development of muscle memory.[ul]
[li]The left hand shouldn’t leave the base position for the vast majority of the operations.
[/li]> [li]The right hand shouldn’t leave the mouse at all.
[/li]> [li]No hunting for transform gizmos, drag anywhere.
[/li]> [li]No finding a button to switch coordinate systems, breaks flow and slow.
[/li]> [li]Changing navigation modes should be quick.
[/li]> [li]Navigation mode for detailing the map (lot of minor, precise tweaks of the view).
[/li]> [li]Navigation mode for broad strokes (convenient, ratcheting free way to cover greater distances).
[/li]> [/ul]Visibility: See only what you want to see at any given moment.
[ul]
[li]Quickly toggle visibility of particular items.
[/li]> [li]Quickly toggle visibility of categories.
[/li]> [li]See otherwise invisible properties like light radius or collision geometry on everything.
[/li]> [li]See everything in wireframe mode, without clipping or backface culling.
[/li]> [li]Ability to lock items when they stay visible but can’t be manipulated.
[/li]> [li]Numerical data and visual guides about transformations.
[/li]> [/ul]
It’s a very early release with limited feature set but I’d really appreciate
feedback on this as I’m really interested in different views on the level
editing process.