Timing/quirks of new UI for content creators?

Developers
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Currently working on a fairly extensive course for Dynamo and I’ve been using R22 as the base version. Having seen the slick new UI coming up I’m considering pivoting the course into this build instead (even if ahead of latest), although I believe currently it’s still a WIP build in Sandbox. I’m hoping the course remains as relevant as possible for as long as possible so that students can make sense of what they’re seeing (and the new UI looks wicked too!).

Just thought I’d check in here with @solamour and @jacob.small to get their thoughts on the following:

  • Do you think a course would be better for learners in the current or new UI
  • ETA if I wait for it
  • Which build(s) are going to become the line in the sand for the changes to the UI
  • Any quirks I should be aware of when using it
  • Any known issues in regards to compatibility/stability I should be aware of
  • How does it play with UI related apps like Monocle/Data shapes?

Ultimately my goal is to keep the content relatable/follow-able, but also age well with Dynamo in the future. This is effectively going to package a lot of what I do over on my channel with the overall learning journey of Dynamo, so I want it to be as well made as possible.

It will be a dynamic course of sorts that can change in future, but want to do at least one full pass originally. Worried it might be a bit jarring to go between UI’s as well, so want to commit one way or the other here. I’ll be testing it out either way, but figured best to get the expert opinion also.

I know there are probably other content creators here in the forums that this might relate to, so thought best to put it here on the forums versus in DM/PM - hope this is OK given it’s a WIP thing still.

Edit: Testing in sandbox - it’s wicked. Speed improvements are definitely able to be felt, I think I’ll pivot to it if the timing works…

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  1. Get into the Revit Beta as soon as you can. This will let you know what is coming in advance so you can plan it.

  2. Follow the Github for Dynamo and Dynamo sandbox to see when ‘cool new features’ start to be picked up.

  3. All current UI is useful until 2021 or 2022 is no longer in use (not sure which - I am not in the development team so I can’t say which/what/when anymore than you can with the advice above).

  4. What % of your project/professional contacts are working daily in 2022? How many are not yet on 2021?

Personally ALL of my content is in the 2.0-2.10 format for now. Again I have no inside info, but my plan is for the screenshot slupsheeting to happen late in Q4, moving my usual slide decks from ~60 slides per hour of context to ~90, and I’ll hide as needed, and my demos will be the same but in the new or old UI (not both in the hour).

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Most of my clients are pre-22 so that’s a good point. I feel like I’ll probably keep my videos in lower UI but in 2022 so we get the latest features and nodes. Once the UI is more widely out there I can re-record the videos, just a bullet to bite I guess. Had similar challenges with some of my YT stuff in the past with Rhino Inside, they rehauled a lot of their UI and most of my old stuff is irrelevant now from an educational perspective. Not quite as extreme in this case I guess.

Appreciate you sharing what you were able to, and totally get that it’s still under wraps for most timing/details. I’m on the beta group currently, although I know that’s all hush hush when it comes to sharing or using it in public domain.

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Hi Gavin,

I agree with Jacob that there is usually a lag and we see users up-taking Dynamo versions in their favour host a while after we release the Sandbox version. In Revit this is circa a year or so. It would be useful to play to your customer base here, and probably record across the existing UI.

We are targeting Dynamo 2.13 for the Visual Refresh works, but they may slip to 2.14 as there are a lot of moving parts! :smiley: Suffice it to say that we can’t guarantee a timeline on when they will land, and will do so when they are ready and polished.

A couple of thoughts on the recording front:

  • If you can do smaller length videos, this will help in re-record (i.e we used to aim for ~9 minutes per video when I recorded for Pluralsight)
  • There will be a lot of new UI features in the Visual Refresh that will mean video change either way - i.e. collapsable groups or wire actions.
  • The Visual Refresh will hit the entire UI, not just the nodes
  • Educational content won’t change in terms of node names or application of nodes - just the way you look and interact with them
  • Pieces are in the daily-builds now, so no need to hush-hush :smiley: Just again, no guarantee’s when it will land.
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Thanks Sol, very helpful! I’ve been looking at breaking down most chapters into 5-10 minute lessons so far. Decided to stick with the old UI for now and can capture visual refresh sometime in future. As Jacob mentioned there’ll be a lot of stragglers not in R22 so I might even do two courses if it’s extreme enough a change to warrant.

Appeciate your insight, support and quick timing as always. Look forward to seeing the refresh in action for D4R!

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