Hi Trav,
As and end-user I do not see a lot of benefit from this. It’s shocking how little work you guys do encourage and make easier plugin use and management. I can tell you that most normal users I encounter when I tell them that to do X they need to get a plugin they just stop listening. The entire process of acquiring, licensing, updating, saving, tracking them is just too painful.
I have 8 problems that easily come to mind when dealing with plugins:
1. New computer setup: When I go to a new machine and install Rhino my custom plugins will NOT be there. And I need help wrangling what’s not there and make it work in my new computer. Show me a list of missing plugins based on my Rhino license account. So you help me bring all that back to a new system.
2. New Version or Rhino compatibility: Also when a new version of Rhino comes out I cannot keep track of which plugins work with it or not. Or if/when the plugin developer has released a new version.
3. DO I have the latest version?: I have no way to know if certain plugin is up to date or not. So a place to let me know that, and allow me to hit ‘update’ would be very helpful.
4. I cannot recall what commands or toolbar are associated with a plugin?: It would be great if the properties tell me that.
5. I do not know who created a custom plugin, someone on the forum, but who?: Will the publisher section always say that? or can you allow me to add notes and type it in myself?
6. What’s my licensing information for a plugin that requires it?: is it a license key? What’s my username? what email did I use to register?
7. Allow me to sync plugins across machines: Just like bringing some sanity to create a new install in a new computer, I want to also keep two/three computers in sync in terms of what plugins I have, when they get updated, etc.
8. Allow me to uninstall/wipe a plugin I don’t want anymore: Right now in one of my machines I have ‘Awful Nvidia Realtime BS Render’ (that’s the real commercial name, I swear) plugin that I had installed to try. I have no idea how to get rid of it and of all the annoying startup warnings telling me I don;t have a license. Let me nuke that crap with one click.
Not a problem but an extra opportunity:
9. Allow me to share the info/existence of a plugin: A share via twitter/facebook/email would be a great nudge to plugin developers, something you guys can code in a couple of hours.
…Sorry, you asked.