This is what Blendergrid looked like around 2014:

I love how simple it is.

(let me know if you were around at this time and remember this)

I didn't know how to make a complicated website. So there was a natural constraint forcing me to keep it simple.

In the beginning, that's what most people loved about it. Take Tyler for example, one of our early adopters:

At the time I thought we were limiting ourselves. But in hindsight, I realise the simplicity was an asset. A feature, not a bug.

Over the years, we've added a lot of "stuff" to the web app, some of it useful, but it has added clutter. And not the prettiest UI either.. Take it from Pol, a professional Berlin-based designer:

He's not afraid to say it, but I must agree. We've prioritised functionality, not user friendliness and pretty layouts..

So now what? I think it's time we come full circle, take it back to basics.

We are re-designing our web app.

If you care about the underlying tech: Our current web app runs on PHP Laravel with React in the frontend. (sounds expensive)

We're trying Ruby on Rails now, and it seems to be perfect for what we're trying to do. The whole mantra of Rails is: Compress Complexity. Which aligns exactly with our goal to keep it simple.

We're running a "playground" proof of concept version of it live at rails.blendergrid.com feel free to check it out.

This is what it looks like:

You can upload a .blend file, start a price calculation which will give you a little preview render. Rendering and payments are not implemented yet. But if you're curious you can get an idea of what we're aiming for. (no guarantee that any data you enter will be stored long term)

I think rendering is complicated enough as it is. We should take some of that complexity away, and circle back to simplicity. Even if it's hard.

What do you think? (hit reply and let me know)

I'll keep you updated when there are any major updates.

Let's keep it simple :)

Enjoy your Saturday ☕️

- Richard

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Quote of the day:

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

― Steve Jobs