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Unity 3.5 no new GUI system? (POLL)

Discussion in 'Immediate Mode GUI (IMGUI)' started by Rensoburro_Taki, Oct 2, 2011.

?

New GUI System in Unity 3.5?

Poll closed Dec 1, 2011.
  1. Very Important for me! A must have!

    87.7%
  2. Not so important for me anyway!

    4.3%
  3. 3rd party solutions are enough for my requirements!s

    2.1%
  4. 3rd party solutions are perfekt for my requirements!

    1.3%
  5. The integrated GUI system is good enough for me!

    4.7%
  1. Rensoburro_Taki

    Rensoburro_Taki

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    I saw the Unite 11 Keynote Videos and noticed that the new GUI system will not be ready for Unity 3.5?
    It wasn't even mentioned. For iOS developers this is a neck-braker to wait another year for a new GUI system. and the 3rd party solutions aren't making me happy.

    I'd like to make a poll for the importance of a new GUI system for Unity 3.5.
    wondering for what you all out there will vote.

    sorry for my bad english
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2011
  2. Eiznek

    Eiznek

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    Well that is a bit disappointing only because I heard it was going to be added with the roadmap.
     
  3. OldRod

    OldRod

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    I thought there was a page linked the other day that showed all the 3.5 features and it showed the GUI being included... it just didn't get showcased in the video at Unite.

    Maybe?
     
  4. sc3

    sc3

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    http://blogs.unity3d.com/2011/09/28/unite-11-day-1/

    "charles @Screenhog – We made the decision not to demo the new GUI system in the keynote because it simply wasn’t yet to the same level as the other features that we announced."

    ^ I hope this means it will still be in 3.5, as I'm REALLY looking forward to the new GUI system. I have so many problems with the current one, it's so time consuming and performance-wise it's a real hog too.
     
  5. Rensoburro_Taki

    Rensoburro_Taki

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    i can give that only back. yes - let's hope it will be in 3.5
    but if they realize it can't be finished at theyr desired release date, unfortunately then it will not be included. This is my apprehension.
     
  6. zipper

    zipper

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    All i want for Christmas is a new GUI... in 3.5.. ladada
     
  7. QFS

    QFS

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    Unity definitely needs a new GUI system. Everything in unity is painless and great ... except whenever you have to do something with GUI. Its such a pain in the ass, and not so user friendly when working with the GUI. It should be one of the simplest features to use, but its not.
     
  8. Rush-Rage-Games

    Rush-Rage-Games

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    I hope they include it in 3.5!
     
  9. deram_scholzara

    deram_scholzara

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    With the exception of the 2-pass setup, I honestly actually found the GUI system relatively intuitive myself. However, I can definitely see room for improvement - and honestly, I can't imagine how anybody could say no to any improvement. So I hope it's still on the list too.
     
  10. Lypheus

    Lypheus

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    My only concern is what we get in place of immediate gui. I'm not a fan of the current api, but there are worse things, such as something based off xml that hooks into my code ... please, if struts taught us anything it's just how evil configuration over code models can be.
     
  11. 3dsquad

    3dsquad

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    I can't say anything against the API, it is easy any clean to use. Performance is very poor however, lack of multi-touch support, lack of multiple resolutions support and lack of visual editor is what makes the current GUI system barely useable.
     
  12. Rensoburro_Taki

    Rensoburro_Taki

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  13. zine92

    zine92

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    I guess they are moving towards scaleform and i think scaleform is quite powerful for making gui as well.
     
  14. Rensoburro_Taki

    Rensoburro_Taki

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    i allow myself to push this post to the top!

    therefore... PUSH PUSH! :)
     
  15. mindlube

    mindlube

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    Because it was in the press release after the conference, I'm guessing it will be in 3.5. I think it just wasn't ready to demo for the keynote.
     
  16. mindlube

    mindlube

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    @zine92 I went to the Scaleform presentation at Unite11, and there was no indication it had anything all to do with the in-progress Unity GUI system. Scaleform seems to be a 3rd party add-on.
     
  17. Rensoburro_Taki

    Rensoburro_Taki

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    but don't forget they did not even mentioned the GUI system at the conference! no "sorry it's not ready yet" or so or anything! usually this is a bad stance for a feature that should be released! Think about it.

    I say it will not be released! but for sure, i will be one of the most happiest unity user, if it will be included.
     
  18. NicholasFrancis

    NicholasFrancis

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    Hey guys.

    I'm the lead GUI guy. I've worked my butt off on it for the past 9 months, and WHEN it works, it's really awesome. It's a retained-mode system, that integrates heavily with our animation system. This deep integration, however, means that there are many moving parts that are a bitch to get to work together.

    I want to get it in to 3.5 more than anyone, but to be honest we just don't know if it will be ready in time. We don't want to delay the release for it, but we're doing all we can to get it in.
     
  19. techmage

    techmage

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    Just a GUI system with better performance, and no animations, would actually suffice for me.


    Can you speak to anything concerning vector graphics? Or in the least does iOS support dynamic fonts?
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2011
  20. Rensoburro_Taki

    Rensoburro_Taki

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    no offense to your sure heavy work and doing!!
    but it's like i thought. and i can feel it deep inside of me, that it wont be ready for 3.5. :(
    i allready opened the window, just waiting for the last moment before i jump out!
     
  21. CriTaG

    CriTaG

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    The current GUI is good enough for me for now. But I'm curious about the new stuff for the GUI.
    It doesn't have to be active in 3.5 for me, no hurry.
    Nicholas, you are doing a real good job with the GUI, keep up the good work!
     
  22. duke

    duke

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    The GUI system is the single most important issue for me. The problem is the uncertainty - 3rd party developers are holding off creating GUI solutions in anticipation of the upcoming one.
     
  23. mindlube

    mindlube

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    @nicholas, thanks for all your efforts! I'm sure the new GUI system will be awesome once it's finished and rock solid :)
     
  24. techmage

    techmage

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    Could you tell us more about what's in it?

    Is there a visual designer?
     
  25. JakeT

    JakeT

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    Thanks for the update Nicholas! We are rooting for you and the revamped GUI to be implemented in 3.5. It's the single improvement my team is looking for and we're psyched to update our apps with a new UI.
     
  26. ant001

    ant001

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    you can do it, push a few evening brandys and bosh sorted!
     
  27. CriTaG

    CriTaG

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    I think I must rephrase my comment:
    Something I like to see is that you can change GUI textures.
    For example:
    A circular filling bar, based on time, or input. Usually, this is done with materials and objects, but for my current project, I need this within the GUI. Now I have to create gameObjects and place them in front of my camera...
     
  28. Jaimi

    Jaimi

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    I'm sure you guys are working really hard on this, but this is a big deal for many of us. I hope you are able to get this figured out, and into the new release, even if it's not 100%.
     
  29. orb

    orb

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    Thanks for that - and keep working at it if it isn't good enough. It's the single thing I care about right now as an improvement. Screw Scaleform - if it still takes a programmer to get an even half functional GUI (windows that open/close/move) we're no better off with that. I've found a temporary solution for fixed windows, but windows which exist as game objects I can tell to show/hide would be so much better. Don't release anything unfinished. That would make all that hard work seem a waste ;)
     
  30. orb

    orb

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    iOS can load TTF and OTF (starting with 3.2 for iPad and 4.x for all devices). It's reliant upon the OS controls etc., though, not loading as a bitmap font. I guess it could take an expert programmer as much as an hour to hack together a working solution :p

    If you're interested in hackery on your own, fontWithName: is the method to look at in UIFont. It might have some quirks, like only giving you two variants (possibly two pre-defined styles).
     
  31. tonyd

    tonyd

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    So, does this replace the current GUI system, or will we have the option of using either?

    Because I may be in the minority, but I love the current GUI system... it's one of the main reasons I chose Unity. It is extremely powerful, and while a more graphical WYSIWYG approach would be useful at times, I really need to be able to create GUIs in code.
     
  32. Lypheus

    Lypheus

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    Take the time to get it right, but you know that already.

    So perhaps in the meantime, can you show us some examples of how things are going to look? Are we talking MVC or a more modern MVP approach? Is this configuration based or programmatic?

    A couple examples for discussion on our end would go a long way and probably give folks a chance to decide if they will wait or move to one of the third party solutions.
     
  33. techmage

    techmage

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    I suspect protesting in front of unity offices if no new GUI system is released in the next month.
     
  34. Mixality_KrankyBoy

    Mixality_KrankyBoy

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    Delay the release for it. It's a MAJOR feature. Pretty please?
     
  35. ColossalDuck

    ColossalDuck

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    Thanks Nicholas.
     
  36. sonicviz

    sonicviz

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    ty for the update!
     
  37. U7Games

    U7Games

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    hmm.. i don´t understand,, why don´t you guys want the current GUI system?, i haven´t problem with it until now, not sure what are your purposes but, i can do beautiful thinks with the current gui.... the only think i want, is to import swf movies so i can apply bg made in flash movies and not to loosing resolution with a video playback..

    or maybe i´m missing some new gui visualization styles ? ;-)
     
  38. ColossalDuck

    ColossalDuck

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    One of the biggest reasons is the performance. It isn't too great.
     
  39. U7Games

    U7Games

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    good point... that is a problem..:\
     
  40. mindlube

    mindlube

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    At Unite they said it does not replace the existing unitygui system. Existing gui code won't break.
     
  41. tonyd

    tonyd

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    That would be great.

    As I said, I don't have a problem with them adding a more visual GUI system for the non-programmers, but the current GUI system is too damn convenient (and powerful) to remove. Plus, several of my classes and helper functions require the current system.

    Of course, I do wish they could improve GUI performance.
     
  42. techmage

    techmage

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    So thus far we know the new GUI system is done on what is called "retained rendering", and it won't break current OnGUI code. And it has been stated there will be a Visual Designer.

    I've been doing some reading on retained rendering and as I understand it, it's a way to draw things that will stay in the framebuffer, and not be required to be redrawn every frame...

    What I suspect is the current OnGUI system will be rendered through this 'retained rendering' method, as that appears like it would solve the performance issues. Even if the GUI still takes 40 drawcalls to render, it won't matter because it won't have to do those 40 drawcalls every frame, because its done on retained rendering..... Or not.... I literally just read the wikipedia page on retained rendering and thats what I am infering. I would like to hear more about what exactly this retained rendering is, and how it's helping.

    Then on top of that there will be a visual designer to automatically generate the OnGUI code.

    Atleast thats what I hope it is.... because I actually rather like the current OnGUI code. I think it works really well. It just needs better performance, a better way to layout user interfaces and perhaps something to automatically manage animated GUI's. AND HOPEFULLY some kind of vector rendering functionality, or atleast a comprehensive, highly automated system for generating UI's for different resolutions
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2011
  43. Techdread

    Techdread

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    I hope the folks at Unity take their time with this new GUI, because with a decent GUI it will make LOB Applications viable.
     
  44. techmage

    techmage

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    This is very true. I don't think the people at UT quite realize how valuable Unity can be to the non-videogame development world if they just got a really solid, flexible, UI system. More and more companies are wanting very high end 3D functionality in their business applications, and really Adobe's offering (Flex) is just not up to par for this when it comes to serious applications.
     
  45. goldbug

    goldbug

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    I would rather they released whatever they have now, and call it alpha.

    That way, we would not be so completely in the dark. We would have an idea on what is coming and whether it is suitable for our projects. We could even start development using the new API knowing that it will be stabilized in the future and that it may change.

    Right now, all we have is a vague "retained rendering" reference that integrates with the animation framework. There are rumors that there will be a visual editor, and hints that it will be faster. This is more secretive than the Federal Reserve.

    Currently you are faced with a choice: hold off work on the GUI until an indefinite time, or work on it and potentially throw it away on a rewrite a month from now. Anything they can give us beside "we are working on it", would make this choice easier to make.

    I am not saying: Rush it out the door even if it has tons of bugs!. All I am saying is that what they have now would be useful even if it does not work yet.

    It could be worse: At least they are acknowledging the current API is not so great and are doing something about it.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2011
  46. JakeT

    JakeT

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    Second this! Managing multiple resolutions is a huge pain. We've got an app on iphones, ipads and macs and it's terrible trying to manage all of the different resolutions.
     
  47. jashan

    jashan

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    Wow:

    Very Important for me! A must have!
    186 people, which is 86.51% of 215 people who have voted


    While I can totally understand that you guys really want to get 3.5 out as soon as possible (the roadmap does look impressive even without the new GUI system) - please do include the new GUI system in 3.5. I'd rather wait a month or two more for 3.5 than having to wait many more months for a 3.6 or 3.7 to finally get my hands on that new system.

    We just had two rather quick minor releases (3.4.1 and 3.4.2), so if the next release takes a longer moment in time but 3.5 does finally have the new GUI system, I think a lot less people will be disappointed than when 3.5 is released earlier and it's YAVWTANGS (YetAnotherVersionWithoutTheAwesomeNewGuiSystem).

    Kudos to Nicholas - I loved the old UnityGUI and still do love it but it became kind of obsolete when Unity moved to iOS. Even we could just get the old UnityGUI system but have it "retained mode" (i.e. single draw call) I'd already be quite happy (it would also mean I wouldn't have to rewrite lots and lots of GUI code I already have) ... if that's one thing you're planning ;-)

    So take your time but give it to us with 3.5 ;-)
     
  48. Rensoburro_Taki

    Rensoburro_Taki

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    Since the 3.5 version is still underway i'd like to push this thread up again!

    Let's stop discussion all the possibilities, 3rd party solutions and "what if" or "why not"..... let's just vote for the poll and give a short message for what you are voting in this poll

    keep it going.... the ball is on the roll!!
     
  49. mindlube

    mindlube

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    Um the new Unity GUI didn't make it into 3.5 so the whole subject title of the poll doesn't seem to make sense anymore. Also it says "poll closed". By the way, in December, NGUI was released, and has rocketed to the top of the charts in the Asset Store
    http://u3d.as/content/tasharen-entertainment/ngui-next-gen-ui/2vh
    Since I started using it I haven't looked back. Just sayin!

    edit: 3.5 is in RC3 currently. RC means release candidate and they are polishing optimizing, and squashing showstopper bugs. So you won't be seeing any new features added that were not in there since early beta versions.
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2012
  50. TheCasual

    TheCasual

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    The poll should have been whether or not 3.5 makes it out this year.... haha, just my two cents.