I'd love something like PHP's comments section on every XSI Docs/SDK page, for example scroll down here... http://www.php.net/manual/en/features.http-auth.php Check "User Contributed Notes" downwards.
Whether PHP is a good language or not is another matter entirely, but their commented docs are awesome. It helps people voice handy snippets and tips beyond the existing docs. On Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 1:55 PM, Steven Caron <[email protected]> wrote: > the embarrassing part to me is not taking advantage of the benefits of being > distributed on the web and the fact the search/index seems to get screwed up > every iteration. > > i would expect the docs to be updated incrementally between releases, and a > 'last updated date' on the bottom or top of the interface. lastly tags that > say 'NEW' like the mudbox docs have. > http://download.autodesk.com/global/docs/mudbox2013/en_us/files/GUID-04BDA9DC-E908-4A05-A4D0-22C42D10ABE3.htm > > you have the opportunity to use the community here and the support channels > to understand what the customers need in the documentation. take for example > the ICE problems grahame and stephen participate in solving all the time. > take those threads, see if a common pattern emerges, and add info to the > documentation. while youre at it add the work done daily here by autodesk > employees to the docs as examples, you can scrape stephen's support blog for > a dozen or so great examples. simply linking to stephen's blog isn't enough. > oh and allow people to connect to it with a rss reader or sign up for > notifications so we are aware of new information being added. > > other than that i find softimage documentation to be pretty good both the > SDK and User's Guide. i know i am probably alone here but i do use the > documentation regularly and having used 3dsmax documentation in the past. > > s > > > On Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 4:51 AM, Matt Lowery <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Two thumbs up for this suggestion.... the documentation has become a bit >> embarrassing to be honest. >> >> >> On 18/07/2012 10:32, adrian wyer wrote: >>> >>> i think this underlines a much wider problem; the docs are woefully >>> inadequate! >>> >>> for example; >>> >>> http://download.autodesk.com/global/docs/softimage2012/en_us/userguide/files >>> /iceref_Extrude_Polygon_Island.htm >>> >>> i would expect, at the very LEAST, to have some of the 'inputs' to be >>> backed >>> up with an example image, to DEMONSTRATE what they do in context. >>> >>> when it comes to ICE, a great deal CAN be learned by pulling apart other >>> people's solutions, or just randomly plugging and trying to figure out >>> why >>> it's not working.... but with the more complicated concepts, such as >>> modelling/rigging in ICE, nothing would compare to comprehensive >>> documentation and examples... >>> >>> i would add my vote to spending some development money on better docs, >>> and >>> staged, step by step, versioned example scenes, possibly with video >>> walkthroughs associated with them. >>> >>> my 2c >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: [email protected] >>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Eric Cosky >>> Sent: 17 July 2012 23:57 >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: RE: ICE modeling >>> >>> I was referring to ICE rigging like the rabbit sample. Simple kinematics >>> have been functional solutions for me, but a couple of serious attempts >>> at >>> full character ICE rigging set up similar to the rabbit sample wound up >>> with >>> me going back to basic skeletons. Not for lack of trying (several days >>> each >>> time); the main problem for me was when something wasn't set up right it >>> was >>> very difficult and time consuming to figure out what was wrong. I don't >>> have >>> anything specific to point at right now, just the general "wtf" that >>> tends >>> to happen when nodes seemingly set up correctly just don't want to work >>> and >>> the error messages don't really seem to help. For instance the other day >>> I >>> was trying to do a simple clone mesh ICE tree and it just wouldn't work, >>> but >>> rebuilding the tree from scratch - same exact tree as far as I could tell >>> - >>> did. Bug perhaps? Hard to say. I've encountered (and reported) a few in >>> the >>> past so I don't assume anything at this point, but the errors didn't >>> really >>> say enough to tell. >>> >>> I blame my inexperience with ICE, and I am sure lots of people in this >>> list >>> could work through issues like mine easily. My email was really just in >>> support of the wishing there was better error feedback for people not yet >>> expert with ICE but acknowledging that it's hard for it to really >>> communicate more, but that more docs would be helpful in avoiding the >>> errors >>> in the first place. >>> >>> The rabbit scene is a good example of ICE rigging, and it seems to me >>> that a >>> walkthrough of building that rig - including all the support scripts - >>> would >>> be a solid addition to the docs/samples. A feature as significant as ICE >>> rigging should have more than a single page of general commentary in the >>> docs >>> >>> (http://download.autodesk.com/global/docs/softimage2013/en_us/userguide/inde >>> x.html?url=files/ikine_kinematics2_ICERigs.htm,topicNumber=d30e307742). >>> It >>> should have at least a couple of useful & practical examples explained in >>> depth. >>> >>> Just my 2 cents, no big deal to me really. My animations are super simple >>> compared to what most people here do with their eyes closed. >>> >>> -Eric Cosky >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: [email protected] >>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Alan >>> Fregtman >>> Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:57 PM >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: Re: ICE modeling >>> >>> Are you talking about ICE rigging as in doing a whole character with ICE? >>> Or >>> just ICE kinematics? What's confusing about them in your opinion? >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 3:13 PM, Eric Cosky <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> I was trying to find a way to describe my difficulty with ICE modeling, >>> >>> you pretty much summed it up. I have no problem with the math side of >>> using >>> ICE, but even the simplest tasks sometimes become very frustrating when >>> something goes wrong. When nodes go red they often lack any meaningful >>> clues >>> about how to fix whatever is wrong. I am sure there is always a good >>> reason >>> for whatever fails, but it sometimes seems - and in practice actually is >>> - >>> impossible to figure out what actually needs to be done to fix it. While >>> I >>> have no problem attributing most of the frustration to my lack of >>> experience >>> with the system, I can't help but think that it should be possible to >>> improve the error feedback. >>>> >>>> As a programmer I can appreciate how hard it would be to improve the >>> >>> situation all that much given it is essentially a visual programming >>> environment and I suspect errors from low level systems just need to >>> percolate up and there just isn't much to do other than drill down and >>> figure it out.. I think perhaps the best thing we can hope for is more >>> thorough ICE documentation, including examples of troubleshooting of >>> common >>> problems and debugging techniques. So much of ICE feels so barely >>> documented >>> that much of what I have tried to do so far has been difficult at best >>> and >>> borderline good luck when I do manage to figure it out. ICE rigging for >>> instance has been a real challenge. The current docs & samples are IMHO >>> not >>> nearly as comprehensive as they deserve to be and I can only hope they >>> get >>> more attention. >>>> >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: [email protected] >>>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Andy >>>> Nicholas >>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 4:13 AM >>>> To: Rob Chapman; [email protected] >>>> Subject: Re: ICE modeling >>>> >>>> I find the most frustrating thing with ICE modelling is the lack of >>> >>> feedback when something goes wrong. For example, if I feed an array of >>> point >>> positions and indices to make some polygons using the Create Topo node, >>> and >>> something's wrong in that data, it's extraordinarily difficult to figure >>> out >>> what's gone wrong as there's no feedback or error message from the ICE >>> node. >>>> >>>> Proper support for 2D arrays as a basic type would also be very useful. >>>> Particularly when trying to retrieve array type data from arrays of >>> >>> locations. >>>> >>>> That's a really common stumbling block for doing complex effects. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On 17 July 2012 at 10:48 Rob Chapman <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Agreed, also how to 'grow' meshes from curves or animation data, on >>>>> these newly generated meshes to then select polys by area or closest >>>>> to a pointcloud ,merge surrounding polys to current selection, >>>>> extrude this etc. maybe how to blend between some instances and a ICE >>>>> modelling mesh. A controllable (by proximity, CAV map,weight,) >>>>> localized subdivision would be great. I have no clue how to get all >>>>> this to work in one ICE modelling tree together - have managed to >>>>> bodge together two different examples - a repeated extrude from a >>>>> random selection, but I cannot control the extrusion very well - but >>>>> this is the only examples we have so far that are not crowds or >>>>> fences >>>>> :) >>>>> >>>>> https://vimeo.com/40452537 >>>>> >>>>> http://xsisupport.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/ice-modeling-extruding-a-r >>>>> a >>>>> ndom-polygon/ >>>>> >>>>> Cheers >>>>> >>>>> Rob >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 17 July 2012 10:21, Chris Marshall <[email protected]> >>>>> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> What I'm finding is simply that almost everything I try either >>>>>> doesn't do what I expect or doesn't do anything at all. >>>>>> Some fundamental basic workflow examples would be useful, just to >>>>>> get the general logic clear. >>>>>> >>>>>> Understanding why repeat loops don't work and how to work around that. >>>>>> How to get animation of particles from a point cloud to build an ice >>> >>> object. >>>>>> >>>>>> I spent a day trying to get that to work with no luck. >>>>>> I'd like to be able to control the positioning of elements by >>>>>> translating or rotating them in local space. >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks >>>>>> By lunch today would be useful!? >>>>>> ;-) >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On 16 July 2012 18:05, Grahame Fuller <[email protected]> >>> >>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What sort of tutorials do you want to see? Creating shapes from >>>>>>> the ground up, or something else? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What I have found is that the topo nodes themselves are not that >>>>>>> complicated. The hard part is the math and logic you need to control >>> >>> them. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So maybe math tutorials are needed? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> gray >>>>>>> >>>>>>> From: [email protected] >>>>>>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of >>>>>>> Chris Marshall >>>>>>> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 09:44 AM >>>>>>> To: [email protected] >>>>>>> Subject: Re: ICE modeling >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Yes!! >>>>>>> On 16 July 2012 11:50, adrian wyer >>>>>>> <[email protected]<mailto:adrian.wyer@fluid-pictures. >>>>>>> c >>>>>>> om>> >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> +1 on the request for ICE modelling 101 >>>>>>> >>>>>>> had a glance at the digital tutors one, but it's more about >>>>>>> cloning than actually 'modelling' >>>>>>> >>>>>>> this feature REALLY needs some in depth tutorials!! >>>>>>> >>>>>>> a >>>>>>> >>>> >>> ----- >>> No virus found in this message. >>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >>> Version: 2012.0.2197 / Virus Database: 2437/5138 - Release Date: 07/17/12 >>> >> >> >
