Time to start working on tutorials

[Marcello]

Hi all,

I have again been out of the loop for a while. But since I volunteered to pick up the coordination of better and new tutorials I couldn't stay away

I read Roberts post a few pages back. What I suggest is start a wiki page and together with the most notorius tutorial writers pen down a generic format. I will start by suggesting one and I want to use this thread to gather your comments and fine tune it based on the best ideas. Based on this format I suggest rewriting the existing tutorials and wait for the input to start on the new.

To kick off I've got issues I would like to hear your ideas about:

- Tutorials can be based on tasks or on cases. Both are useful and maybe we should use both in two different sections of the wiki.
- Tutorials should be complete and probably have a certain depth. What I mean by that is that base tasks are at the beginning of the tutorial and more complex or advanced tasks (same functionality) are presented later.
- Tutorials should list all necessary (or assumed) skills and knowledge to complete the task.
- Tutorials are rated based on complexity: novice, mediate, advanced...that sorta stuff (for instance by showing icons of one D'ni pen, two, three, etc.)
- Many, many visuals of all important steps and settings. Generic sizes for readability etc.

Please comment and add your 2 cents or more I'll try to have a starting format done in a few days.

[Nalates]

Tutorials are definitely needed for any aspiring age writer.

I’m wondering how generic or specific one would want to make them. For now everyone is building mostly in Blender. A few in 3DMax and Maya. But how will that change with the release of the open source tools?

I hate to suggest waiting as that just drives me up the wall. There are many things that can be done now. But it seems once the Cyan tools release much of the building environment will change. So, specific tutorials that are step-by-steps will have to change the most. Those that deal with concepts will likely change the least.

To me it would seem reasonable and more efficient to place emphasis on getting conceptual tutorials updated or created first. I’m thinking along the line of Blender tutorials on UVMapping and things like how to use the UVMap vertices editing would survive even with changes from the open source tools.

Getting a list of good existing tutorials and avoiding recreating the wheel would probably be smart too. A list of tutorials with links... may be a table of contents that organizes them and links to wherever. That sort of seems to exist now. Outside and community created tutorials could be combined.

One example of tutorials for Blender I've seen is Mahinima's. They created a tutorial style that is easy for them to up date. With the rapid Blender development tutorials quickly fall out of date. Their style has problems and may not lend it self to GoW's needs but it is worth seeing. It is the speed with which they update their tutorials that impresses me. The weird voice is an updating and I think language work-around. Blender Sculpty Tutorials While 'sculpties' are a Second Life thing the ways Blender is used and textures map is not.

[Robert The Rebuilder]

Thanks for taking this on, Marcello!

Regarding the base tasks: I think we could have simple small-scale tutorials that tell how to do the basic things in Blender (e.g. adding a material to an object, applying a texture, assigning an object to a PRP page, exporting, etc), then put a link to them in the main tutorial. That way, we remove the 'clutter' and keep the main tutorials shorter - also allows more capable writers to skip those details. [This would also address Natales' concerns about the lack of this information.]

Similarly, any reference-type information (e.g. listing all the possible AlcScript settings for sound objects) can be removed from the body of a tutorial and simply referenced with a link.

[Marcello]

Thnx guys,

I'm working on a renewed tutorial directory and a base format for tutorials with references and some stuff I think should at least be in each tutorial. I hope to have it done tomorrow or on Monday so you all can react and we can fine tune it before starting writing.

[Marcello]

Due to late working hours the past few days I didn't get the list done by today. Will be done this week though.

[Jonnee]

I'd like to make a proposal:

I'm really addicted to tutorials and I use them very often. But you know that my english is not the very best.
All these tutorials that go really deep into the field (like Alcscript) confuse me. It would be such a big help if someone please would translate them into german.

otherwise:
I'm really thankful for everyone who writes turorials. You are doing a great job.

[diafero]

Zirrus once translated some of the basic tutorials (the "My first age" ones) to German. He stopped after he got no feedback at all though.

[Corvus]

I too would appreciate German translations, but I'm afraid there are only few german agewriters around. The translator not only should be very good in English, but he also should know what he is writing about, by that I mean he should actually have worked with the tutorial before. My English is on a very average level (as is my abilitiy in making ages), but if there were a team of a few people I would participate and try my best to help make German tutorials.

[Szark]

From one who heavily relies on tutorials and is new to Blender I welcome this very much.
I find some of the tutuorials require one to have previous knowledge of Blender. It is one thing following a tutorial to its conclusion but not to understand what had been done at the end is very commom, well for me.
Also I see that Blender has been ungraded again and the rate that they do makes it a little more work to keep them upto date. This has casued problems as some of the commands have changed positions and so forth. Which you can imagine things are getting quite confusing. But without these tutorials many would be lost.
As for feedback diafero yeah I know what you are talking about. I have come to the conclusion "never expect it" then you wont be disappointed. This is what I do with the GoMe paper.

Thank you Marcello.

[Corvus]

Another thing that came to my mind: I find the tutorials to be very helpful that come with little ages and the blender file. It helps me to understand much better what's going on (even if it's not in German).

Problem is, some of the download links are in posts and not easy to find. A special place on the Wiki for those tutorial ages would be very convenient.

And about the feedback: I'm guilty too. But it's never too late to say thank you.

THANK YOU to everyone who makes tutorials or patiently answers questions on the forum. Without you and your help I never would have had the courage to begin with making an age.