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[chaz]

I have found that I learn best by tutorials.  I tend to take the tut literally, so reading between the lines is not something I do.  That means, of course, that when a small detail (instruction) is left out of the process, I'm dead in the water.  Confused, I sit, staring at the screen, wondering what to do next.  Whether I back up and repeat, or start over, if the instruction is missing a step or vital piece of info, the result is the same.

We each have our own preferences and learning methods.  Having a bunch of instructions in one paragraph doesn't work well for me.  Do this, then this, then this, then this, then that makes it hard to follow and hard to figure out where I went wrong.

I work better with:

PARAGRAPH CAPTION

Do this. (RMB [Right Mouse Button], etc) (Example pic)

Do this.  (RMB [Right Mouse Button], etc) (Example pic)

Do this.  (RMB [Right Mouse Button], etc) (Example pic)

Do that.  (RMB [Right Mouse Button], etc) (Example pic)

NEXT SECTION

(Numbering the steps may be tedious, but if there's something wrong with the tut, you have a reference point.  Ex. "Something went wrong when I followed step #27.  It didn't look like the picture next to it.")

Having pictures representing progress is great (as in the eggplant tut) and you can tell if you're following the tut correctly.  The problem I'm having with the eggplant tut is that the pictures are too small where I'm having trouble following the instructions, or the text doesn't match what I thing the pic should look like.  Here's an example:

"Once you have then selected as shown on the right, extrude them a small amount, scale them up until they are close to touching, but not quite.  Then use the face rotate  tool to tilt the faces so that they are facing a little bit more vertically.  To do this, click and drag the left mouse button carefully in the vertical direction only.  Moving it to the right or left will twist the faces in the wrong direction."

I know that I'm missing something here, or the text and pics (which are too small for me) would make sense, which they don't.  The faces selected in the 3rd pic are edge faces, not side faces, so I can't figure out how to rotate extrusions that I don't have (like in the pic).

Please don't get me wrong.  I'm not condemning, complaining or criticizing.  I would like to write another version of the eggplant tut the way I prefer it and submit it so folks have a second opportunity to experience the tut from a different perspective and I would have a chance to really zero in on learning.  I've heard that if you really want to learn a subject, then teach it (and I really want to learn this program).  If I can write the tut, and get your feedback to improve it (it would be my first), we would all win.  I just need to know how to start (how to do the screenshots, etc.).

What do you think?

Submitted humbly,
Chaz

[thecolclough]

hi
i have to admit i'm more of a "just muddle around and find out for myself which button does what" type (the downside is that i sometimes miss things, so it takes ages to discover some useful stuff, of course!), but i know everyone's different, i'd agree that your aim is a worthy one.

re: your final question, "how to do screenshots", they're actually very simple.  in bullet points, as you requested:

• run anim8or at full screen, to get the best image resolution
• each time you want to get a screenshot, you just press the little key marked PrtScrn (or similar), which is found in the top-right corner of most keyboards.  the image on your screen will be copied into your clipboard.

if you're writing your tutorial in MS Word or similar, then:

• get screenshot as outlined above
• switch programs to get back into word-processor
• make sure the cursor is positioned where you want the picture to go in your document
• paste

if you're writing in HTML, or if you want to keep the screenshots as separate image files for any other reason, then you can use any image editor from MS Paint to PhotoShop:

• get screenshot as outlined above
• go into image editor
• set up a new picture with the same resolution as your desktop (hopefully the program will remember your settings, so you don't have to redo the setup every time)
• paste
• save

it looks like a lot of steps when you write it like that, but you'll soon find it's actually quite simple

hope that helps!

- colclough

[chaz]

Thanks!  That helps a lot!

Can you help me figure out where I'm going wrong in the eggplant tut?
I've scaled the top extrusion out approx 25%, then extruded again and scaled that in.  Then I selected the 5 upward faces like in the picture.  That's where things bigin to 'go south'.  The newly extruded faces are now selected.  The text says "Once you have then selected as shown on the right, extrude them a small amount, scale them up until they are close to touching, but not quite."  I guess I'm missing out on how to transition from the first extrusion to where the extrusions can be rotated upwards.

[chaz]

how do I post the screenshot to show what I've done?  I made a jpeg in PS.
thanks!

[Kubajzz]

how do I post the screenshot to show what I've done?  I made a jpeg in PS.
thanks!

You can upload it to the internet (if you have your own space somewhere) and then paste the image into your message using the [img] tags... or you can attach it to your post - when replying, click 'additional options' right under the text window and insert your file... (see http://www.anim8or.com/smf/index.php?action=help;page=post#attachments)

[chaz]

Thanks.  Here's the cropped screen shot just before things start to go awry.

[hihosilver]

Can you show an image of what's going awry?
At that point you should be using the 'extrude faces' tool (shortcut is 'shift + x')

[chaz]

this is what I get when I follow the next instruction to use the tilt button to turn the faces more vertical.  It doesn't look like the picture. This is why I feel like I'm missing a step or something.

[hihosilver]

All it seems to me is that you're not rotating the faces the correct way.  If dragging up rotates them down, then just drag down and it should rotate the faces vertically (upwards.)  Next, you'd use the face extrude tool again, and rotate to make the faces even more vertical once again.

[chaz]

I figured out that each face did not have a corresponding face that had 4 points per petal.  I deleted the top layer of faces.  Then I extruded the faces that extend outward.  this gave me 4 points per face.  I selected the top edge of the 5 petals and extruded them.  This worked out fine except that when I went to rotate them the petals themselves were not rotating, only the tops.
Here is a pic of the first completed try.  Looks like I missed something about the smoothing or subdividing.

[lynn22]

Looks good.
Maybe smooth the green part a bit more to get rid of the square corners, you're almost there.

[hihosilver]

you can turn up the smooth level by double clicking the  model and setting the "smooth angle" to 180 (the range is 0-180, try playing with these settings and see how it affects the model.)  You can turn up the subdivision level by double clicking the subdivision object and setting the 'working' value to something like 2.  The range is from 0-4, try out these numbers and see how they affect the model as well.

[chaz]

I did the tutorial again.  I had missed the second subdivide step.
I still haven't figured out why I don't understand how to do the steps around the 'rotate faces', but I'll have to save that for later.
Here's the second eggplant.  Comments?

[Bugtrooper]

sorry for bothering! But I have got a problem. I try the tutorial twice, the first try was okay, but when I tried again I failed. The problem was that when I try the face extrude step it gone wrong. I cannot explain it because my english is bad. but I post the image, and hope you can figure it out whats gone wrong.

but first time I don't have this kind of trouble :S

[Pincho]

There are two extrude options. One for individual faces going in many directions, and the other one next to it that keeps all of the faces joined together. Your faces are all separated, you want the other one that keeps them joined together.