Just wanted to chime in here. Yes, laying out parts can be time-consuming but I am also one of the strange people who actually enjoys it. It can be like solving a puzzle sometimes. There are so many small details that a good copyist takes into account that I am not convinced an automated layout would be desirable or even possible. What Sibelius does is automatic but totally brain-dead. Just because there is a rest doesn’t mean it is the best place for a page turn or even that there is enough time to make it. And if there isn’t a rest, Sibelius just slaps a V.S. on it an calls it a day. There is no way you should use those automatically laid out parts in a professional situation unless you really don’t have the time to do it right. And also like automatic spacing algorithms, it doesn’t take into account phrasing or trying not to split hairpins or what is going on at the end of a left page when the eye has to jump to the top of the next page to name a few examples. These are things that i think still need a human touch.
Of course, you’re free to want whatever features you’d like, I just wanted to give my personal perspective on it.
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