The lack of documentation is very typical of Open Source software. I've looked at other Open Source 3D packages and they all have similar problems. Another problem they all have is limited support for dotNet.
The creators of the different software I have looked at are typically more interested in adding features than they are in documentating the features they already have. If you are trying to learn it, it's a real problem because if a feature is not documented it might as well not exist. If you are working in a professional environment then the cost of a commercial package and learning it could be less than the cost of your time to learn a free but poorly documented package. With respect to OSG specifically I would say the Quick Start guide is good as far as it goes. There is much it does not cover however. The Reference Manual doesn't cover everything either, and much of what it does cover is simply a single sentence that is not necessarly meaningful. There are several example apps but they are not commented. I don't even know what some of them are supposed to do after having looked at them. Usually I can guess what is going on inside of them, but because of the lack of comments sometimes I don't really know why something is being done. I've written a lot of OpenGL, read the OpenInventor book, learned other 3D packages, and taken a graduate course in Computer Graphics. I still find myself having to guess at what a particular class or function is supposed to do or how a particular function is supposed to be called. I can imagine how difficult it would be for a novice to learn OSG. --- Nick Prudent <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm a newbie too and I disagree. I'm also starting > from ground-zero and I > find it very useful and well-written. > > The Quick Start Guide assumes that you already know > the following: > * OpenGL > * C++ > * STL > Without this fundation, it's going to take longer. > > We all start from a different place, so writing for > beginners is always > tricky ;). Learning a new API is verry frustrating > sometime but you have to > stick with it. > > Nice job Paul! > > - Nick - > > >From: "Renan Mendes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: [email protected] > >To: [email protected] > >Subject: Re: [osg-users] Tutorials > >Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:28:39 -0300 > > > >Yes, I have. And you can hardly say that's a > tutorial for someone entirely > >new to OSG. I'm right at the bottom, you know. > Never dealed with Scene > >Graphs in my whole life. Thanks for trying to help, > anyway. > > > >Renan M Z Mendes > > > >_______________________________________________ > >osg-users mailing list > >[email protected] > >http://lists.openscenegraph.org/listinfo.cgi/osg-users-openscenegraph.org > > _________________________________________________________________ > Windows Live Hotmail. Even hotter than before. Get a > better look now. > www.newhotmail.ca?icid=WLHMENCA148 > > _______________________________________________ > osg-users mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.openscenegraph.org/listinfo.cgi/osg-users-openscenegraph.org > =============================== Zachary Hilbun Software Contractor Dallas, Tx ____________________________________________________________________________________ Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting _______________________________________________ osg-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openscenegraph.org/listinfo.cgi/osg-users-openscenegraph.org
