• Welcome to the Community Forums at HiveWire 3D! Please note that the user name you choose for our forum will be displayed to the public. Our store was closed as January 4, 2021. You can find HiveWire 3D and Lisa's Botanicals products, as well as many of our Contributing Artists, at Renderosity. This thread lists where many are now selling their products. Renderosity is generously putting products which were purchased at HiveWire 3D and are now sold at their store into customer accounts by gifting them. This is not an overnight process so please be patient, if you have already emailed them about this. If you have NOT emailed them, please see the 2nd post in this thread for instructions on what you need to do

A question about tutorials...

Would you prefer a tutorial that:


  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .

James R.

Busy Bee
I’m wondering what kind of tutorials people prefer. I’m considering doing a couple of Poser tutorials, but I’d like to know what method to choose, if I do go ahead with this.

Between the two choices below, would you prefer a tutorial that:


A) shows you how to reproduce techniques used in a render that you can copy exactly

or

B) demonstrates techniques in more general terms and encourages you to try things on your own

So, do you just want the teacher to just give you the answers, or would you be interested in learning by experimenting a bit on your own with a “framework” for guidance?



There’s no “right” answer here. :) There’ve been times I’ve just wanted the answers, and there’ve been times I’ve wanted to explore and learn that way instead.

Thanks folks!

(Mods: Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but I put it in the general forum so that I might get wider input...)
 

Miss B

Drawing Life 1 Pixel at a Time
CV-BEE
Good question Kage, as I often need tutorials for either one method or the other, depending on how well I know the software being used.

That said, I've rarely seen a tutorial that follows both methods. They're usually one or the other, so in that case I might need two separate tutorials.
 

Hornet3d

Wise
hmmm... no option for both?


I think that is a fair point, you could have a tutorial that build a scene but has suggestion as to how it might be modified or build the scene and that move on to how that scene can be modified in a number of ways, such as how it looks with different lighting. I would be interested in a tutorial that showed me the basic techniques but if it stopped there I know I am going to go away and play with those techniques anyway.
 

Bonnie2001

Extraordinary
I prefer the first option, as it would deal with specifics that I need to learn. Then I would use what I learned to go in the direction I want or need.
 

James R.

Busy Bee
If I do a tutorial - and honestly I’m already leaning away from the idea - it’ll either be “here’s how to to the very thing that I did” or “here’s a technique you can apply and modify”.

The advantage of the second option in my opinion is that I would try to format it so that you’d automatically have wider scope for what you could do with it.

The reason I asked about the first option at all is because in the past I’ve had questions (demands, actually) regarding specific techniques I have used and very cranky and entitled replies when I said I’d share helpful generalities that would let them know how to come up with their own things.

I guess it is kind of six of one and half a dozen of the other because like Bonnie said, you can apply what you learned from a specific example.

I’m disinclined to show people how to exactly duplicate something I’ve done but I’m happy to share the overall concepts behind it so that people can figure it out themselves.

The tutorial would be written and clearly illustrated.

I’m reluctant to even approach trying this because people are so complain-y. :(
 

Glitterati3D

Dances with Bees
I hear you, James. Some people can really come off as entitled. And, they're always the loudest and most obnoxious when they decide to make demands.
 

Pendraia

Sage
Contributing Artist
Funnily enough...I will often take a set tutorial and add my own twist to it...I never follow them exactly. I'll follow it and then add my own flavour to it.
 

caisson

Admirable
Contributing Artist
That's why I never make tutorials. I make demonstrations that show how I do xyz but I try to make sure that I also explain why I'm doing it that way. I also try to point out that there are usually many ways of achieving something in 3d & my way is not necessarily the best way. Then I figure I'm covered ;)
 

James R.

Busy Bee
That's why I never make tutorials. I make demonstrations that show how I do xyz but I try to make sure that I also explain why I'm doing it that way. I also try to point out that there are usually many ways of achieving something in 3d & my way is not necessarily the best way. Then I figure I'm covered ;)

Well done. :)
 

quietrob

Extraordinary
I think demonstratios are fine but can be lacking in "How to". It's like when I see a promo render. I see it and think "I want that." First I want to reproduce the effect or scene. Once that's done I can examine the materials on my own and branch out on my own as well using that as a base.

But first I need deep roots. I would want to know exactly what you used and how you did it, with no assumption by the professor that I already know how to make this or that. So step by step please. Once I have the roots than perhaps I can apply it with my own thinking later. Accidental success is okay but you can't reproduce your efforts (found that out the hard right now).

Written tutorial with screen shots at every step is best. At least for me.
 

James R.

Busy Bee
Thank you everyone for your input so far. This has already been helpful.

I'd really like to contribute something to "the community", but whether that will be a tutorial or something else remains to be seen.

The poll is open till the 21st.
 

Miss B

Drawing Life 1 Pixel at a Time
CV-BEE
I guess it is kind of six of one and half a dozen of the other because like Bonnie said, you can apply what you learned from a specific example.
Which is why I prefer specific tutorials. I may want to make exactly what's being explained, and/or I could use the methods described in the tutorial to create something else.

A good example is the online Blender course I'm currently taking. Now I've been using Blender for years, but there are still things available which I've never tried, so even though one of the tutorials is for sculpting a "Fuzzy Bunny", which I don't necessarily want, it will teach me how to sculpt, and how to create/use PBR hair, which are two good methods that I can then translate to other projects.
 

James R.

Busy Bee
Ah, I see what you mean. I think we're actually talking about the same thing. :)

I wouldn't be just expounding on theories... I would actually be showing concrete, repeatable examples of the kind of thing I did in a render, just not the exact thing I did.

So for example someone might want to do a robot like my avatar... with scratches and dents and chipped paint. I wouldn't show you how to do a robot like my avatar, not the exact same thing, but I could show you how to use the techniques that I figured out, but using a different model.

I'd give specific examples, for sure. Things you could learn and adapt and apply on your own. Just not the exact same as mine. My goal wouldn't be for people to be copycats or visual plagiarists. My goal would be to give people a new toolset of their own. If people want to attempt to do the same thing as me after that, well...that's up to them.

So hypothetically my tutorial would use a prop or figure included with Poser, and so therefore not the exact same items, mats, maps that I used.

Ultimately, hopefully people would be able to either apply the technique to other areas or items once they get a grasp on what they're doing... and build on it to create something new.

I think that desire is a common feeling here in this thread: to be equipped with new knowledge to allow them to make more things.

I might be able to do that. I need to think on this further.
 
D

Deleted member 325

Guest
No, because what I have in mind is going to be one or the other.
I guess, at the end of the day then, I would have to say it would really depend on the techniques themselves and the scope and breadth of them. For example, using Lightwave as an example, a detailed and specific tutorial to create quick and easy flames I would want details and specifics on and that would be best... where as, putting together a full animated scene I think should be slightly more generalized, focusing more on the tools and how to apply them.

I am honestly not trying to be difficult with my answers, I just happen to excel at it(being difficult).

Don't give up on the idea of tutorials - I had started a few, but I so lack the ability to see things through. My muzzle flash tutorial may or may not still be floating around the web somewhere.
 

James R.

Busy Bee
I guess, at the end of the day then, I would have to say it would really depend on the techniques themselves and the scope and breadth of them. For example, using Lightwave as an example, a detailed and specific tutorial to create quick and easy flames I would want details and specifics on and that would be best... where as, putting together a full animated scene I think should be slightly more generalized, focusing more on the tools and how to apply them.

I am honestly not trying to be difficult with my answers, I just happen to excel at it(being difficult).

Don't give up on the idea of tutorials - I had started a few, but I so lack the ability to see things through. My muzzle flash tutorial may or may not still be floating around the web somewhere.

I appreciate your input @KageRyu

If I can wrap my mind around how this should work (it has to work for me as well...and I have to find the time to do it...sigh) I hope that people will be able to apply the principles to a variety of things.

You would get specific examples on how to apply the technique. Take a look at my answer to Miss B above... maybe that'll give more of an idea how I'd like to proceed.

Chances are though...by the time I get it all figured out and know how to present it, someone else will have done a tutorial on the same things...lol
 

eclark1894

Visionary
Personally, I prefer a tutorial explain to me why I'm doing something. Otherwise, it's not a tutorial, it's just a set of instructions. (Fit Bolt A into nut C, and twist.):sneaky:
 
Top