[Bf-docboard] Homeless documents and Manual structure

[Ewout]

Hello,
I'll go for the long answer, since there are a lot of different 
questions in here:

1. Homeless documents: Stefano prepared the structure before we 
converted most of it. Because he is the structure owner, I asked him to 
see where these would fit best. IMO, it should be just before the 
lattice animation part, BUT it is much too tutorial like! The most 
important function of the manual is to explain how things work -> the 
next version will be much more like a reference guide. The solid & 
hollow glass part should move to the tutorial section, because it 
doesn't explain any functionality.

2. Yafray: this one is tricky because a lot of this stuff is heavily 
outdated, dealing with yable etc. It is also way to big to fit in the 
"Rendering" section, the subsection "Yafray" over there should explain 
basic things about Yafray -- if it should be there at all! I think a 
full fledged Yafray section would be more appropriate!

3. *What the thing really is*
The old manual is not gonna be published in it's current 
state/structure... This is a pity because that means that when we're 
gonna do the restructuring, a lot of the translated work is gonna have 
to do the same thing, and I can tell you that's a hell of a job...

the basic plan is:
* Make quick start bigger/more complete
* Remove tutorials from manual and decrease until it's a more dry 
reference (much more useful and easier updating)
 >> these two things will be what the old manual was before.

then, to make up for the lack of tuts in the reference guide
* Make additional thematic manuals, with tutorials covering specific 
areas - this is where tutorials are at their best!
* Make people aware of the enormous amount of thematic tuts in the 
blenderwiki

I made a start about this here: 
http://mediawiki.blender.org/index.php/Meta/Restructuring_the_Manual
feel free to help!

Also, it would be good to have more discussion on this, especially with 
regard to all the translations going on atm. Keep in mind though that it 
is very unlikely that something will be thrown away, just a lot of 
moving around (which isn't neccessairily a better thing!)

Stefano suggested to do the first step first: haul over the old 
reference and start from that. Which is a good idea indeed, we are 
working on making the conversion better (the images were not properly 
processed).

that's it for now!
Ewout


malefico andauer wrote:
> Hi !
> 
> I don't see why the so called "homeless" documents
> cannot be inserted in the current structure. For
> instance "modelling_with_lattices" would perfectly fit
> in "Special Modelling" as it originally was IMHO.
> 
> Also, the Yafray documents Alejandro included for the
> docbook version ... what's the problem in including
> them in the Yafray section of Wiki ? I think they'd
> fit OK in the render chapter.
> 
> I propose this change:
> 
> Instead of having 
> 
> -Softbodies & Liquid
> -Special Modelling
> ---Particles
> 
> We would re-structure it as:
> 
> -Special Modelling
> ---Lattice Modelling
> ---Dupliverts
> ---Dupliframes
> 
> -FX & Simulation
> ---Particles
> ---Waves
> ---Softbodies
> ---Fluids
> 
> "Special Modelling" should go right after "Modelling"
> since those technics are pretty common use even when
> they are called "Special"
> 
> Well, what do you think ?
> 
> Best regards
> 
> malefico.
> 
> 
> 	
> 
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