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From: kazim@Apple.COM (Alex Kazim)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: A call for "3D look" (a la Next) interface guidelines from Apple
Summary: 2D/3D axes
Message-ID: <38263@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 1 Feb 90 18:08:13 GMT
References: <7334@tank.uchicago.edu> <38207@apple.Apple.COM> <1990Jan31.172757.19097@smsc.sony.com> <1990Jan31.204013.11212@intercon.com>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 37

Let me just clear something up about the 2D Mac interface.  The designers
did a very good job at adding depth where it seemed to be needed.  The 
extra frame on a modal dialog box is a good example of almost raised 2D: the
frame without the shading.  Also, the drop shadows on pull down menus and
document windows.  An interesting exercise is to take a screen dump of
a menu, and use MacPaint to remove the drop shadow.  It looks so, well,
flat.

That aside:

In article <1990Jan31.204013.11212@intercon.com> amanda@mermaid.intercon.com (Amanda Walker) writes:
>
>splitting of axes could be done on a Macintosh.  For example, I've long
>wished that plain old Macintosh scroll bars (or the desktop) would fill with
>an appropriate gray when I'm in 8-bit mode and a stipple pattern when I'm
>in 1-bit mode...

The 2D/3D interface axes is a really neat idea, and I'm not sure how much
work the HI team here has done on it, but a few problems come to mind.

I'm not a pro graphic designer, but it seems the Mac controls are optimized
for 2D.  I'm not sure whether you can take a Mac button as it stands right
now, add the shading, and have a button that does not impact the user: that
is, when the button switches from 2D to 3D, do you want the user to notice
what the button'd for, or how it's drawn.

Also, and I'm not sure whether Motif handles multiple numbers of multiple
bit depth monitors as the Mac does, what do you do if half the scroll bar
is on an 8 bit screen, and half on a 1 bit.

Interesting stuff, tho'.  If anyone's got a CDEF that does the 2D/3D 
axes stuff, it'd be interesting to see it.

=======================================================================
Alex Kazim, Apple Computer
Nope, not affiliated with any Human Interface or Terrorist Group
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