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I've been watching a few free blender tutorials and I get frustrated because so far, they spend more time telling you to use the shortcut keys. I want to learn what the features are, how to do something in the program. Not what shortcut keys work for doing things I don't even know how to do yet.
You're saying that the way that works *for you*, because it works *for you*, must work for everyone.
This is not the case. And I didn't see him saying that PDF's are better than videos *for everyone* Just why they don't work for him.
Knitting is also a very kinnetic skill. I was shown how to knit by a person helping me specifically. I forgot a lot of basics. I read books on knitting, I retained the information. I was shown how to Crochet by a person helping me specifically. I'm not as skilled with Crochet as I am with Knitting. I learn better by reading than watching. So I don't care how well crafted the Video is, I'm going to prefer a nice set of illustrated directions.
I am and most people have far to high of attention deficit to learn well by lecture without doing reading, writing and practice on written media. There is good reason you are told to read your assignment and do your homework. When I do watch videos I do take notes although that slows down the viewing process immensely.
Does anybody out there think lawyers are googling videos on the law? LOL, of course not.
Of course, the thing is, writing stuff out is a lot harder. And if you are talking about stuff that's often free or cheap, that's a lot of work.
I know a few people have asked me to write up my rambling 'tips' into some coherent reference, and, well, I haven't mainly because it's a lot of work I don't feel like prioritizing over 'learning to model stuff' or making new shaders.
So I don't fault the people actually bothering to do ANYTHING to help, in whatever format. But, like the 'oy, everything is swimwear for skinny women' threads, the circumstances can be annoying.
yes we take in information differently, I suspect I have slight Aspergers (never been diagnosed and at 55YO rather pointless) my family and workmates actually agree when I suggested it as I relate to people in a very odd way not catching subtlties and to things in general focusing on one thing, videos are sensory overload to me and I prefer to read a book before seeing a film based on it.
Its just a difference of perception and probably why my videos are so damned weird.
Heh.
Well, there's also an element that often a video is a great way to start, but then it's useful to have a reference that's static.
I ran into this issue when I used to be involved in roleplaying game writing; there are two different demands on the work, which often conflict:
Introduction and showcasing the RPG.
Manual for reference when actually playing.
(And you could also add a third, I suppose: manual for chargen vs. manual for gameplay)
Having a video is great as an overview, outlining various things I might not have been aware of. I watched Sickleyield's video on Geografting, and it actually, as sidebars, covered some stuff I didn't know about rigging, which was enormously helpful.
But when I was sitting there trying to do the geografting, I kept missing stuff because I didn't have a reference to glance over.
I like video tutorials personally, but I wish more were chaptered. Say, as opposed to one hour long unbroken tutorial a playlist of a bunch of 5 minute playlists, such a setup would make stopping or going back much more simple.
My personal method is have the video take up 40% of the screen (I'll admit not everyone will enjoy following from tiny video) the program I'm learning the other 60 and do what they're doing as they're doing it (not infrequently pausing to catch up) I need to actively engage to retain anything and following along is more exciting than taking notes would be :/
@timmins I'd suggest rather than trying to learn a whole bunch of things at once take it one at a time harder to overwhelm yoursef that way.
I'd say start with making a morph, as a good way to get comfortable navigating your 3d program of choice > model and rig not too complex clothing item, but make sure to add custom addional bones to the ones created by transfer utility (I actually had an intermediary step: I started learning rigging by modifying existing clothing items, like adding custom skirt bones to skirts welded to thighs. I'm a big proponent of learning how stuff works by taking it a part) > model and rig a simple stand alone object > if at all possible avoid geografting, because uv mapping is bad enough already and geografting makes it 10 times worse, 9/10 times a conforming object blended with a transparency map will work far better.
Maybe thats a personal thing too, but I find setting small definite goals helps me keep moving. For instance I find it much easier to "learn to rig a skirt" than "learn to rig" in general, even though I end up learning the same ammount about the same tools. And before you know it you're expirimenting with weird fancy rigging bones in blender because somewhere along the way things went horrible wrong and you find it kind of fun (okay thats probably just me)
Also they cost a non-0 ammount, but since you like text tutorials, and are still using Gen1/2 I think, I should mention that Blondie999's rigging tutorials are absolutely great.
Oh, I am taking things one thing at a time, and trying to keep it very simple.
My first geograft is nothing more than a swap of hand to a simple sphere, just to test the most basic of things.
I did Poser and DAZ Studio tutorials for many years. For much of that time, I did tutorials in Adobe Acrobat format. You could download and print them. Then I switched to video tutorials a few years ago.
I don't read or watch anyone else's tutorials any more. Too many tutorial writers or makers totally appear to miss the point, or skip key details, etc. Oh yeah and all too many lack screenshots, or make bad screenshots.
I stopped doing tutorials because no one appeared to care. I save myself lots of time and energy now.
Ugh, the utter lack of documentation for geografts finally broke me.
I mean, seriously, 'what does this button do' should be a flippin requirement for documentation. Go look up geograft in the wiki and it's several year old mission statements.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/24555/tutorial-starting-out-with-geo-grafting-repost/p1
I knew I'd seen one that worked for me.
I totally agree !!!
THANK YOU
(read read read read)
I have difficulty learning from videos sometimes. Maybe I'm a little slower in my old age. I need to follow the video as its showing me how to do something. That means I need two monitors. But I have DAZ Studio setup with two work screens (monitors). Sometimes I run the tutorial video on my second Mac computer. I have a double-layer monitor setup. I need to stop & start the video a lot. Even then sometimes it doesn't work because the tutorial maker doesn't quite know how to describe the process etc.
And yep, that write-up just fixed the problems I was having.
The thing is, it's like cooking. I want a recipe, I don't want to be watching live TV cooking show.
Ms Balloon hand says thank you, Daywalker!
I prefer not to participate in any thread that might be in the least bit controversial. (Wisdom of old age?!) I will state that I started doing tutorials around 2000. I did them because no one else appeared (in my estimation) to do them very well. I achieved recognition from Smith Micro and other people who were involved with Poser at various times, and from DAZ as well. People around the world gave me excellent feedback.
Each tutorial took about 12 hours to put together. After awhile, for various reasons, the tutorials provided less and less reward. And in recent years I started making YouTube videos which reflected my other interests and experiences. I did live Internet shows for awhile. These days I don't often work with DAZ Studio. When I do, it's usually for a short session before I lose energy or interest.
Beyond that, I'll politely bow out of this discussion.
the bottom line is both are needed.
its not an argument
Tim and others like me prefer PDF
others prefer videos
he was just saying why he he hated them
not that they are bad
Plus you also have to consider that not all people are on the same level with literacy, some of us struggle with it and there are other conditions that effect people when they read stuff. But I do understand when people don't make good video's when they do things with short cut keys and don't explain what's going on, it impossible to follow that's where DAZ QA should jump in, or put in a ticket to point out the problem !
...I politely beg to differ that working with 3D CG, or any creative media it is simply a matter of visual and motor skills. There is much more behind just the technique. I spent most of my life studying and working in traditional artforms. Visual art was one of my majors (along with Music) in college. There was a lot of valuable "away form the studio" learning that dealt with style, layout, design, composition, and the media itself. From mixing paints, to the types of different paper qualities/surfaces, the types of glazes used for firing, or the angles for holding a charcoal or pastel stick for certain types of effects, these are concepts that were never touched on in those "how to draw or paint" shows on the telly.
For 3D CG it is the same. Understanding the basics mentioned above, along with how light interacts with surfaces,water and glass, what SSS does, what AO does, what GI does, or how to get the best looking skin, hair eyes, and cloth. These are all concepts that involve far more detail than can be presented in a 15 to 20 min video. Having a more thorough understanding these concepts lays a more solid foundation for the CG artist to build on, to explore and push the limits of the what the media is capable of, both conceptually and aesthetically.
It's a bit more involved than just being able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
...same setup here and same issues. With a PDF I can keep it open to the page that deals with the task I am working on, without having to stop, "rewind/replay" that segment of a video over and over again and over again.
I am very much like DeWaterRat, Watching someone do it just doesn't sink in, but reading about it does and it stays with me.
The only way video tutorials are any use for me if I take notes while watching them.
I know some people think competant PDF documents are going to dry up their supply of youtube tutorials but I doubt it. And if it does, very unlikely, they have competant PDF documents with which to make their own youtube tutorials. I find it perplexing that people that don't make youtube tutorials but have plenty of DAZ Studio or product X experience would complain about the quality of a tutorial of a lesser experienced DAZ Studio or product X tutorial maker when they are working with the same restriction of no good DAZ Studio or Product X PDF tutorials and doing the youtube tutorial with less experience than the person searching for the tutorial.
In college our art teacher purposely sent us out on field assignments and restricted them such that we would all not be mimicking the same styles that are popular. Those were pretty fun thinking back on them.
You're both welcome,Will.
I find the video tutorials that are based on live streams to be more useful than most plain video tutorials in that they often provide useful information from other users that may not always be brought up by the presenter. But I do understand that not everyone finds them as useful.
Agreed. I can make use of either kind, though I often find videos to be better in that they often help me to visuallize something in a way that a static image doesn't.
With fourty years as a professional photographer/graphic artist I believe I have a unique perspective here. After retiring from full time work I grabbed a part time job making the graphics for a small company that makes training material for air crew (pilots and flight engineers). I work directly for two adult educators, both of whom have Master's degrees in education. I've learned a LOT about teaching.
Videos are not often used; they have their place when describing a physical operation. What we do can qualify as such BUT...it must be done correctly. Because a video is easy to make, many people do it, but do it badly. There is some excellent video material available. I loved the free instructional vids from Creative cow, and there's a couple of people who make similarly good videos for Blender, but they're overshadowed by the pile of horrendous stuff that people expect me to pay money for. I stopped buying them because I was so tired of screaming for a refund. I watched one that advertised "Hours of instruction!" What I got was a lot of dead air as the author's mouse stumbled around, a lot of "Uhms and Ahs" as he clearly hadn't rehearsed anything. He screwed something up and we (the audience) had to stare at the screen for several minutes as he fixed the problem and at no time did he describe what the problem was or how to fix it. The item featured eight articulated legs and he described the rigging of one. He then went on and did exactly the same thing for the remaining seven, dragging out an already boring presentation. He mentions that one side is rigged clockwise and the other counter clockwise, but never explains why. He made plenty of leaps of assumed knowledge. It was horrible. There's another person who thinks we want to see his ugly and hairy face in the corner of the screen. His voice is nasal and he's frequently snorting and hacking....aaahg! How about the gent who's diction is barely understandable. Whether or not he's a native English speaker, he needs to have someone else narrate his videos.
While folks say that it's hard to write, it's much harder to make a GOOD instructional video. I've been in school part time for some years now, working on a science degree (gotta keep the aging brain challenged) and almost everything is written...and I wouldn't want it any other way. The few films presented serve only to flesh out the written material.
I wish that Daz would hire a REAL technical writer and make REAL, comprehensive, thorough manuals for EVERYTHING. THAT I'd pay for.
i like the video tutorials what allows downloads.
my favorite right naos the cripeman tutorials.
tuts dont usually sink into my brain right away.
i play it on side monitor and listen to, sometimes several times in a row, glance at it now and then while
composing a scene. lol, render artist maestro