New Website - Feedback

[RobSteady]

Knowing that Andrey is not taking any input in this direction I still have to say something here.

The whole CI does not do justice to the GREAT (!) software at all and is a big disappointment to me.
As advanced and professional the plugin is as outdated and amateurish looks the website. Things like Blogspot templates from 2004 come to mind. Yes, the engine is the main thing here but it why not make both great?

Taking user feedback seriously and always listen to the community has improved the software quite a bit I would say. And this has been one of its strongest points; please reconsider how the software should be represented and get some professional help to push the website / CI to the year 2017!

[antonyebl]

It's not that bad

It's quite standard, not dissimilar to Blender website...
(stylistically there are things one could improve straight away; e.g. smaller header, better presentation of images etc)

But I'd choose substance and functionality over style any day...

Imho it'd be good to see better a list of current features (or lack of atm) + roadmap
(then some basic resources & tutorials for newcomers; i.e. I know there's YouTube link in the footer but it's not that clear/user friendly...)

All in all it's a good starting point...(I'm sure more there will be more development in this area in the future)

[RobSteady]

Yes, it is that bad - the big photo, oh man, please take that down. About us section looks like a job application.

And no comparison to the Blender homepage, not to mention commercial competitors like V-Ray, Corona, Maxwell, Thea.

The reason why I'm so disappointed is that I do care about the plugin. It's really a missed opportunity here...

[Sylk]

"Angle affect" is still not explained...

[antonyebl]

Yes, it is that bad (the big photo, oh man. Please take that down).
And no comparison to the Blender homepage, not to mention commercial competitors like V-Ray, Corona, Maxwell, Thea.

The reason why I'm so disappointed is that I do care about the plugin. It's really a missed opportunity here...

Constructively:
all (Blender, Vray, Corona, Maxwell, Thea) use Sans font.
For screen it'd be better legibility and contemporary look with Sans font also here... (and would also match Fstorm logo better)

edit: seems that's been updated

Anyhow, Wordpress is flexible and I'm sure the website will evolve...

[Karba]

Knowing that Andrey is not taking any input in this direction I still have to say something here.

The whole CI does not do justice to the GREAT (!) software at all and is a big disappointment to me.
As advanced and professional the plugin is as outdated and amateurish looks the website. Things like Blogspot templates from 2004 come to mind. Yes, the engine is the main thing here but it why not make both great?

Taking user feedback seriously and always listen to the community has improved the software quite a bit I would say. And this has been one of its strongest points; please reconsider how the software should be represented and get some professional help to push the website / CI to the year 2017!

Do you believe a perfect website makes your renders 2 time faster or what?

[gvman]

It's a simple site. Yes it is. But it's pleasing. I do care about the renderer itself and the necessary informations that I need sometimes. I hope there will be more detailed infos in the future (roadmap, release notes, workflows, more sample scenes..etc).

To be honest from my perspective all we see right now is still evolving. That's how we can't see the final picture, only fractures.

[Refik]

Then let's not forget how many people are working on projects such as vray, corona, Blender, Solid Angle and other large ... and how many people participates in the development of FStorm ... Beautiful site - it's just a wrapper but inside ... candy that now is a very tasty little thing ... =) I am more than sure I will leave as soon as a pair of releases with new implants, and then have the time for a new site.

[RobSteady]

http://coremediadesign.co.uk/blog/id/corporate-identity

[Hubl]

The website is not that bad, but for sure it need improvements in design
Will there be a PayPal option for purchasing?

[Miguel1900]

A new/improved website will, of course, increase sales, but probably it should be done in a future. Right now it's more important to get basic options/improved added to the FStorm engine. Once it's solid and quality-community-internationally proved, the website could be improved to really arrive to all people.

[mitviz]

i agree that the website is not that fantastic, i never liked dark websites anyway, the more clean tech look like what chaosgroup now implemented is what is hot now, but all said, forget about the website for now, throw some new features ourway, i want to spend money on only one renderer and fstorm is it

[RobSteady]

No doubt about the software being the main thing here - I already said that.

And yes, I also prefer functionality over look anytime. And yes, the engine is great already. An yes, Andrey is doing a great job.
An no, a more appealing website won't make the engine faster - just as it doesn't make Nike shoes better or Mercedes cars faster. But it is still connected on a certain level.

It is just too sad to release V1 with a so-so presentation instead of hiting the world with great design and CI.
Yes, it can be improved anytime later but why not make it right from the beginning? Don't get it...


Another thing I was always confused about: the name. Sure it's a (fantasy) brand name. But what does the mysterious F stand for? That's the first question I'm getting when telling people about it. And they have the answer right away: F*ck Storm. Is it supposed to mean F*ck Storm?
I'm curious to know.

[Karba]

No doubt about the software being the main thing here - I already said that.

And yes, I also prefer functionality over look anytime. And yes, the engine is great already. An yes, Andrey is doing a great job.
An no, a better website won't make the engine faster - just as it doesn't make Nike shoes better or Mercedes cars faster. But it is still connected on a certain level.

It is just too sad to release V1 with a so-so presentation instead of hiting the world with great design and CI.
Yes, it can be improved anytime later but why not make it right from the beginning? Don't get it...


Another thing I was always confused about: the name. Sure it's a (fantasy) brand name. But what does it stand for? That's the first question I'm getting when telling people about it. And they have the answer right away: F*ck Storm. Is it supposed to mean F*ck Storm?
I'm curious to know.

If you don't like FStorm name and website, go Otoy. They have wonderful name and website.

[Sylk]

v1.0.1 is blocked by avast! wtf??

Is it supposed to mean F*ck Storm?
I'm curious to know.

I love this name. FStorm is a great name i think. This engine is a real FireStorm in the 3D world!