“This is it. Version 1.O.O is gold.” Reiner Prokein, the man behind Bforartists, proudly declares the development cycle to be complete after almost three years on his website http://www.bforartists.de and thanks his development team for their commitment. Most of the original goals have been achieved. Future developments will probably depend on the next major expected Blender update.
The ambitious goal of the developers is a 3D application with all the possibilities that Blender offers in the current version, but with a more user-friendly graphical programme interface, better documentation and comprehensible tutorials. The focus should be on ease of use and better understanding of the software rather than on speed and effective use of hotkeys. Bforartists is particularly aimed at Blender newcomers or occasional users who do not want to study the specifics of the Blender UI in order to achieve results. The name stands for “Be for Artists” and means: “for the artist, not for the programmer”.
Blender or Bforartists? It’s (not only) about looks
Like Blender, Bforartists is open source. It is available in English for Windows (the language change in the preferences works, but with the original Blender translations). An announced version for Mac OS X is to follow. Things are not looking so good for Linux users at the moment. The personnel situation at Bforartists is a problem. However, Linux freaks have the option of downloading the source code from Github and compiling it themselves (this should work in the same way as for Blender).
Blender’s user interface was often a point of contention – as with many complex applications designed for effective use by specialists. When the jump to version 2.5 took place, opinions were divided – as is so often the case when switching to something new – partly because of the (then) new UI. Blender is now more popular than ever. Nevertheless, Blender’s UI presents considerable hurdles, especially for the uninitiated. It starts with the fact that objects cannot simply be clicked with the left mouse button by default. In Blender, selections are made with the right mouse button (can be changed in the preferences). Blender users should be familiar with some shortcuts. Some programme functions such as the search function only seem to be accessible via keyboard shortcuts. The Blender programme interface is a topic of discussion in various forums and video channels. The Blender developers themselves are also aware of the complexity of the UI – and seem to be working on solutions for the next updates.
When you open Bforartists, you realise: it’s Blender – only different. The developers have endeavoured to create a high-contrast interface for the standard theme (customisable in the preferences). The start screen offers various interaction modes (e.g. “Blender” to follow Blender tutorials, “Maya”, “3DMax” or “Bforartists” – including an “Experimental” version). The actual differences relate to the user philosophy – away from a workflow optimised for speed based on the intensive use of hotkeys and towards graphical operation with (rather) reduced shortcut use. This should suit beginners and occasional users.
Although the differences between Blender and Bforartists are only external – under the bonnet it’s still Blender – the list of changes in Bforartists is quite long. Hundreds of duplicate menu entries have been removed. Many functions that can only be accessed via hotkey have been given menu entries (e.g. the search function – now found under “Windows”). Menu layouts have been optimised. A completely new icon sheet with several hundred native icons is used. The tooltips have also been revised.
The use of icons has saved space in the menus. This looks clearer and often saves scrolling (under “Display” you can switch between pure icon display and display with text).
There is a toolbar editor (menu item Editor Type > Tool Bar) with which customisable toolbars can be designed. Menu items (e.g. File, Meshedit, Primitives etc.) can be stored directly in toolbars. The respective call then only requires one click instead of the usual menu selection: a time saver. These settings can also be found in the Preferences, under Add-ons > User Interface: Toolbar Settings Bforartists.
The position of the menu bar(s) at the top shifts when the working window is zoomed in and out. This is supposed to be a Blender bug, but you can accept it. In order to achieve a better overview, a new keymap has been introduced, reduced to the necessary hotkeys (you can of course define your own shortcuts or switch to Blender’s interaction).
No improvement for experienced Blender users, but those who are new to the software have the advantage of being able to use shortcuts that are probably easier to remember. Add-ons such as Reset 3D View or Important Hotkeys (shows or hides frequently used hotkeys) should make working with Bforartists more pleasant. Smaller helpful details include an option to hide the 3D cursor or adjustable wireframe colours (in the object display settings).
The latest
The latest update of Blender is version 2.79b. The developers of Bforartists explain that their software always obtains the code from the Blender master (the latest version), which is why there are some add-ons for which the current code in Bforartists is too new, so that problems can occur. This applies, for example, to Destructive Extrude, a purchase add-on on Gumroad.
To use GPU rendering with CUDA 9, it is recommended to upgrade to 64-bit Windows (Nvidia only supports 64-bit systems).
What impression remains?
Bforartists does indeed make a tidy impression. Getting used to the more graphical user interface is easy for a non-professional. Whether or not it is worth trying out Bforartists as an alternative to Blender is, as with all software, an individual decision. As Bforartists is actually Blender (2.79b) – also open source – and has the same range of functions, there is no risk in testing it.
The wider distribution speaks in favour of using Blender. Blender has a large community and there is a huge amount of tutorials and literature. Professionals achieve fast results with Blender’s workflow (intensive use of hotkeys).
Those who are familiar – and satisfied – with Blender should not be lured away. Bforartists is aimed at people who have little or no experience with the programme and at those who want to reduce the effort required to familiarise themselves with Blender’s special UI. Reiner Prokein, the initiator and driving force behind the development of Bforartists, says that he would not be sad if Bforartists became superfluous after the next major update of Blender because there would be nothing left to improve. There would still be enough work on the documentation and tutorials.
It remains to be seen what the much-anticipated update to Blender 2.8 will bring. Until then, thanks to the volunteer developers who have worked for 3 years to create an easier-to-use interface for Blender. And, yes, Blender is Blender with a conventional UI – or as Bforartists.
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