I've settled into using Blender on my big 2xmonitor PC setup, but every time I try to use Blender on my laptop, when travelling or holiday, I end up with barely legible side-panels, and/or small work-area.
Is there a good UI Style/Layout that works well for the modelling aspect for a smaller screen? The resolution of the laptop is very good, but it's the screen size that limits things.
As for uses, I'm mainly wanting to do modelling/texturing - I may need rigging, but I won't need animation.
There isn't a single layout that would work for everything. Different parts of the workflow require different windows to be available. Blender comes with a set of layouts, called screens that are a good starting point for customizing your own. You change layouts in the screens drop down on the Information header.
After the workflow, the size of your laptop screen matters. I have a 17.3" screen, so have a good deal of space available. Pick the screen that goes with the work you're doing and customize the UI to suit your workflow.
To save space, use the TKEY and NKEY to toggle the two side menus on and off. Also, SHIFT-Fn will quickly switch between windows. I use this sometimes to avoid having too many windows open at once.
An example: When I'm working on lighting in cycles, I tend to switch back and forth between the Node editor (SHIFT-F3) and the 3d Scene (SHIFT-F5) rather than splitting the screen between the two windows.
Beyond that, it is really a matter of taste.
Another good-to-know aspect here is when opening a blend file inside blender, you can tick/untick Load UI. This way, you can setup your blender on your laptop the way you need it, and when opening .blend files from your PC, just untick Load UI and Blender will keep your local UI.
