UI Usability Feedback/Requests/Bugs

Development Platform & Builds
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After some messing around in the latest version (1627304) I hit following issues:

UI Layout and Preferences/Preferences ini files importing crashed editor and did not allow me to restart it again

I appreciate that ini files are stored per project, but for my preferences and UI layouts I find this rather annoying. This was somewhat of a problem in UE3 also, where with each build I had to try and get my setting over to the new one, but it is even more pronounced here with every project running its own settings. I just for example spent 10 minutes setting up all the panel sizes and locations, but the moment I change projects I have to start all over again.

Then there is the Import/Export preferences option which (problems described below aside) works quite ok, but I’d still prefer to not have to do this all the time, and then restart the editor time after time again. If I change my layout around in one project, I’d like to have that automatically transfer to whatever I open next. In the same way that if I set up my Max or Photoshop viewports/toolbars and I open a new scene, everything stays as it was.

So as mentioned I found the Import Preferences option in Preferences. I did that on one of my inis, at which point it asked me to restart, and then I got the warning "The first command line argument must be a game name. K:/TURE/Rocket_CL1627304/MaterialLayers/Saved/Config/Windows must exist and contain a DefaultEngine.ini. So this clearly didn’t work that well ← Bug

After starting the editor again manually, it had correctly imported my preferences, however when I did it another time (I selected the input ini this time around, if it makes any difference) it exited the same way, and upon restart the editor hard crashed every time (instantly) and would not allow me to access it again. I had to manually clear out the ini files from the project folder to be able to access it again.

[0004.41] LogCrashTracker:

[0004.41] LogWindows: === Critical error: ===
Unhandled Exception: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x00000000

[0004.41] LogWindows: Fatal error!

Statistics Panels

I am unable to select actors in the level via the statistics panels. This was possible in UE3, and is something that I feel limits me in UE4. If in the Primitive Stats I can see for example that in my level I have one very high poly mesh that is used just once, I’d like to be able to quickly focus my view on that actor. Right now I need to manually type its name in the outliner to find it which I experience to be cumbersome. Alternatively the Statistics panels could offer me to “Find selection in Outliner”, which would also automate things some.
Likewise for texture stats and so on.

Snapping

I concur with what I believe someone else mentioned somewhere that the grid/rotation/scale snaps should be enabled by default. It is easier to start on grid and then go off grid at some point if desired, than to accidentally start off grid and then later on try to clean up your level.

Real Time

IMO real time should be off by default on the grounds of the editor being taxing enough on the hardware as is, a lot of people will experience the editor to be sluggish due to the real time feature, and not be aware of the setting. I think that would leave a bad impression.

Transform Gizmo

Did this change? It feels smaller. Almost too small for me on my high resolution (~5100x1450). The 3DSMax Transform Gizmo is ideal IMO in the way that it allows you to resize it on the fly as it suits you using + and - on the keyboard.

Keybindings

I changed my keyboard layout to Swedish for a moment as a test, and the keybindings panel is unable to detect the foreign characters. I am trying to assign the button “ö” to Brush-Gizmo for example, but nothing appears at all. If I try to assign “ä” then " appears (which is where the ä is located on an American keyboard). I can imagine the same may be true for various of other foreign characters.

Actually I can’t manage to make Keybindings do anything at all. If I, in English layout, try to change Find in CB from CTRL B to CTRL SHIFT G, it just resets to CTRL B. CTRL ALT SHIFT F doesn’t work either, which surely is not in use already? In case that is the problem. I assume this is a general “not finished” thingy?

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UI Layout and Preferences

I’ve entered a bug for the crash as well as layouts not persisting between projects. Using Rocket myself, I have wanted this as well.

Statistics Panels

I am unable to select actors in the level via the statistics panels.

Yeah it should select the actor. It currently selects the asset in the content browser. I’ll enter a report for this to be fixed

Snapping

Yep this was already mentioned. We’re going to discuss it.

Real Time

It is true that huge maps will slow down the editor depending on your computers resources. The editor does throttle viewport drawing in order for it to be responsive during some tasks like scrolling or navigating through menus. The idea behind throttling is that even if the scene in the viewport is really expensive the editor UI is responsive. Do you experience the slowdown even with a simple or empty map open? I’d like to know more about what parts you find sluggish?

Transform Gizmo

The gizmo has only undergone a visual update and is actually slightly larger. I like the idea of using + and - to change the size. We’re actually in the middle of some viewport improvements. I’ll add that to the list.

Keybindings

I changed my keyboard layout to Swedish for a moment as a test, and the keybindings panel is unable to detect the foreign characters.

There is still work left to be done for localization of the keyboard I’m afraid. This is ongoing work.

Actually I can’t manage to make Keybindings do anything at all

There is an accept button that you must press to commit the keybinding. This is so that already bound keys are not accidentally unbound. There was a bug where the accept button is clipped in the default size of the keybinding window. This has been fixed and will be in the next beta. For now you can just expand the window.

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Awesome, thanks!

Viewports improvements → I found a Viewport 2.0 setting in the preferences, I assume this is part of your viewport update? Using Viewports 2.0 I am unable to use mouse the control the viewport camera though. I hope you guys intend to keep mouse camera control? WASD for new users is fine, but the original editor controls are really powerful and fast if you are used to them and I’d really hate to see that go.

Sluggish → If I take the heaviest scene I currently have, which is your RealisticRendering project, and fly around with real time enabled I have about 27-31 FPS. With real time off it is 35-50 (though the counter goes up and down so fast it is hard to say exactly how it does), and it feels a bit more fluent. If I don’t move the view and just let it render the room I have 60+ FPS with real time off, 28-30 with real time on.
Rocket running idle in the background with real time off gives me a constant CPU load (from rocket) of 10%. With real time on I have a constant CPU load of 17%. On a lower end CPU this difference may be greater.
It is not unworkable at all but I do feel a small bit of lag in this scene, and this is a single small room and I have a high end PC. So I wonder what would happen to people with lower end pcs? Perhaps the other people here can comment on this as well and see how they experience it?
I have a I7-3770, 32 GB ram, GTX 670

Can you also not automatically toggle real time off when the editor is not maximized/top window? And then toggle it back on when it comes in focus again? For multi tasking (also concerns UE3) it gives unnecessary slow downs while working in PS/Max/etc. to my experience.

Actually while testing all this I now experienced random slow downs twice now. At some point it gets very laggy and remains like that until I shut it down. My CPU load doubles and remains double even when idle. No idea why. I will try again tomorrow after reboot etc and see if I can reproduce.

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With Viewports 2.0 you will not be able to move the camera with the left mouse button. You will be able to move it with the right mouse button. Viewports 2.0 is experimental and may change. We plan to continue supporting the UE3 method of movement still.