<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Excellent question! I was about to post it myself.<br></div><br></div><div>I have already volunteered, and waiting for the "Go!" signal (with specific instructions).<br><br>So, looking for the present status update, I went through the following pages, expecting a quick link there:<br><ul><li><a href="http://blender.org">http://blender.org</a><br></li><li><a href="http://www.blender.org/get-involved/">http://www.blender.org/get-involved/</a></li><li><a href="http://www.blender.org/documentation/contribute">http://www.blender.org/documentation/contribute</a></li></ul></div><div>But they do not provide any clue.<br><br></div><div>While the planning is going on, a dedicated page should show the latest conclusions.<br></div><div>This will prompt more inputs as we go.<br></div><div>Finally, when the planning stage is over, please put out what the contributors have to do.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Thanks in advance!<br><br></div><div>Regards,<br></div><div>Narayan<br></div><div><br><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jan 13, 2015 at 2:02 AM, Abuelo S. B. Chdancer <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:playadance@gmail.com" target="_blank">playadance@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Is there somewhere I can read up on what has been discussed or decided so I can figure out what I can offer?</div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 12 January 2015 at 20:25, Campbell Barton <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ideasman42@gmail.com" target="_blank">ideasman42@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Hi Abuelo, thanks for the feedback, In general I agree with your key<br>
points about the problems with the manual, we've discussed how to<br>
resolve these problems already.<br>
<br>
On Tue, Jan 13, 2015 at 3:26 AM, Abuelo S. B. Chdancer<br>
<<a href="mailto:playadance@gmail.com" target="_blank">playadance@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> I read the entire wiki prior to downloading v2.72a. It did not prepare me<br>
> for using the software and these days I do not regard it as my first<br>
> resource when I need to know anything.<br>
><br>
> I don't know if it is practical to tackle all the problems I see with the<br>
> documentation, and I don't know if others share my opinion, but here are<br>
> some ideas which may or may not have merit.<br>
><br>
><br>
> The wiki contains entire sections of verbatim copies.<br>
> Many of the screenshots are pre- 2.5<br>
> It lacks organization.<br>
> It lacks consistency.<br>
> It is sometimes wrong.<br>
> Many commands are not listed or left blank.<br>
> It is often written in a way that only someone who already understands the<br>
> subject would understand it.<br>
> It often lists all the variable in a command without explaining what the<br>
> command does or why you would use it.<br>
><br>
> Tackling these deficiencies would be a major task.<br>
><br>
> That task starts with tools tips and error messages which are part of the<br>
> documentation of software. Many of these are redundant or misleading.<br>
> (Examples in v2.73a...<br>
> Box filter : Tooltip: "Applies the box filter" . It could read "Fast but<br>
> inaccurate")<br>
<br>
This is a bit of a difference, explaining the outcome vs what actually<br>
happens (in this case 'Fast but inaccurate' is probably more helpful<br>
though)<br>
<br>
> (Applying modifier to bone: Having selected a bone the error message says,<br>
> "Can only be applied to bones" when it could say, "Change to pose mode<br>
> before applying modifier")<br>
><br>
> (Unwrapping UV map: Eror message says "Model uses inconsistent scaling<br>
> factors" when it could give the instructions for setting scale to 1 to get a<br>
> better map)<br>
<br>
Disagree here, first of all - its an info-message, not an error.<br>
Telling the user to go and scale their object to 1, isnt correct<br>
because the issue is non-uniform scale... or they could apply scale.<br>
Or if it looks acceptable they could leave as is.<br>
<br>
I think its not reasonable to instruct uses in these cases,<br>
This is just a hint that the result might not be what the user is<br>
after, and they can re-scale their object if they dont like the<br>
outcome.<br>
<br>
Scaling objects is a common operation, that users can do this themselves.<br>
<br>
But I see where you're coming from and in some cases it probably makes sense.<br>
<br>
> A useful manual obviously needs to be accurate, but it also needs to be<br>
> organized. Here are some ideas:<br>
><br>
> Multiple hyperlinked lists of commands:<br>
> 1) Alphabetical<br>
> 2) By Mode in which they are available<br>
> 3) By the kind of task they relate to.<br>
> 4) By shortcut<br>
> Those lists just link to a page that contains the function set-out in a<br>
> standard way with a header that includes links back to all of those lists<br>
> plus a note of related topics for further reading.<br>
<br>
These would be nice, but not sure they're essential.<br>
<br>
The manual now has an improved structure (for main sections) and its<br>
searchable, so think this gets us a long way.<br>
<br>
> Two interlinked sections one of which is that standardized page per function<br>
> setting out:<br>
> Name of function<br>
> Brief description of what it does (avoiding repeating the name of the<br>
> function)<br>
> Brief description of when to use it<br>
> Brief description of how to use it.<br>
> Then links to details of the above.<br>
><br>
> On each such page it is easy to click to contents lists and to 'related<br>
> commands' and 'further reading'<br>
> Plus a note of the version of Blender that the information is based on.<br>
><br>
> The other would be organised more by activities but cross-indexed to the<br>
> above.<br>
><br>
> There is a way of helping to teach basic navigation of the 3D view- by<br>
> making the default set-up include those instructions as text visible in the<br>
> 3d window together with large numbers representing the number keypad.<br>
><br>
><br>
> One of the great challenges in manuals is finding persons who understand the<br>
> software, but who can write for someone who does not.<br>
><br>
> I hope that I have not offended anyone with this list of comments. I would<br>
> like to see better documentation for this powerful and at times delightful<br>
> software.<br>
<br>
We can discuss a lot of bigger tasks, but the challanging part is how<br>
to do (even the basics) with with the small team we currently have.<br>
<br>
How to build the community too, help get others involved.<br>
<br>
> On 12 January 2015 at 09:41, brita <<a href="mailto:britalmeida@gmail.com" target="_blank">britalmeida@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Hi,<br>
>> only Doc2.6/Manual got deprecated in favor of manual, all the other<br>
>> namespaces are kept as usual. For example the Extensions namespace, for<br>
>> addons, exists just the same:<br>
>> <a href="http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts" target="_blank">http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts</a><br>
>> Same goes for the Dev pages, the Ref and the new user's personal space<br>
>> pages.<br>
>><br>
>> The new manual is really just supposed to replace the Manual, think of it<br>
>> as the new thing for the 2.7x series.<br>
>><br>
>> Inês Almeida / brita_<br>
>><br>
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><br>
><br>
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<br>
<br>
--<br>
- Campbell<br>
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