How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
We just want to know how we can make it better and more efficient for you to use as
a major learning tool and/or reference.
BTW, if anyone wants to join the party to help with the never ending WIP to keep the manual up-to-date,
please subscribe here to [email protected], and let Kesten (group coordinator) know
you are reporting for duty. You will be welcomed with open arms.
Not only will you be helping the world-wide Blender community, but you will also
learn Blender faster.
I use Wiki each day, especially when I’m doing some demanding projects in Blender.
First: Video tutorials, second: wiki
Wiki is not always up-to-date.
Keeping up with all the new small changes (it’s quite often that I find a new, fresh manipulative parameter in some part of Blender without any explanation “what does this button do”)
I would like to help, please state what are the demands and requirements. How and where do I find the knowledge about those brand new buttons before writing a wiki article?
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
Rarely.
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
I prefer videos, and just fiddling with things myself.
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
Well, I know most areas of Blender well enough to not need it most of the time at this point. Beyond that, videos seem to do the best job of all the educational mediums at staying current since so many people are making them.
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
The usual I guess - keep it up to date, make sure screenshots are current with the UI, that sort of thing. Stuff you guys try to do anyway.
-How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
—monthly
-What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
—google, probably forum results
-Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
—Blender website is often slow or non responsive
—Hard to navigate backwards
—otherwise don’t personally need the manual anymore, unless for new features
1: There’s a wiki? When googling for an answer the search often point to the wiki so once or twice a week.
2: Videos and browsing the forum here (and previously blendernewbies before it was spam attacked)
3: I Use it when ever it comes up in the search
4: Not sure
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
Rarely
Video tutorials.
I only use it to see what’s new. I know about blender everything I need to get my job done. I learn new tricks from video tutorials (Blender cookie and Blender guru mostly) and I don’t really feel the need to search for anything in the wiki.
I prefer listening and watching over reading. So perhaps the wiki could have videos explaining the features, not only text.
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
Are you talking about the 2.4 blender wiki? Because the 2.5 or 2.6 either doesn’t seems to be updated (at least for the important things), it still contains the 2.4 documentation and screenshots. In short: almost never (but I would like to).
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
Videos, because sadly now almost all the tutorials are made in form of videos, no one want to write them anymore.
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
It’s not updated to the last features and tools and, in any case, even if updated, the explanations are usually not clear and exhaustive enough; if you are a coder you will easily understand the meaning of cryptic technical descriptions, if you are an average user, probably not.
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
Give the documentation job (paid) to USERS and not to CODERS; this is not a complaint towards coders, they obviously do their best, but there is a difference in point of views. And, always make examples to better explain.
1)How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
Not often anymore because it missed a lot of content between 2.4/2.5, but it was my primary source for learning blender when I began.
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
Currently it’s videos for use cases and techniques and release logs for exploring new stuff.
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
There are two reasons: 1) Information is outdated and 2) information in the manual is often dumped on a list without use cases. In short it is more of a reference than real teaching material. Sometimes this is what you want but not when trying to learn the software.
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
I can realize that balancing reference and tutorial can be quite hard. Linking tutorials from manual entries (like it used to be in the old wiki) is a good idea. The use of techniques is endless of course, and a manual cannot hope to cover all of them, but the basic use cases should be in it. Documentation often lags behind releases. The current system is strange: people contributing code should add documentation directly in the wiki, not only in the release logs. Also, this would solve the use case issue. Every tool is made to solve a specific problem. Maybe a reminder on the development mailing list would solve this.
Outdated info, non existing info (sometimes trying to find something specifically with 2.6 selected, it just jumps back to 2.5), doesn’t ‘feel’ easy to navigate (search bar is in weird position, feels like it should be top right).
Hard to describe. Pages feel a bit cramped with menus on both sides. Rather I’d have the currently active menu expanded on the left, instead of that on the right. For example, when I expand the Compositing menu on the left and navigate to a page, on that page, the menus on the left are all collapsed again, but now suddenly the menu on the right shows where I am. I’d rather not have the right menu, just keep the active menu on the left expanded. And there’s more things like that, it doesn’t feel like it’s working smoothly, you keep having to look for where to go next.
This drives me mental!
The menu items on the left seem to randomly collapse leaving you with no idea where you were. The menus on the right are just subset and don’t give you the whole picture. If I want to read several sections I have to keep trying to remember which bit of the menu I was on last.
Is it really meant to work this way?
Why can’t the expanded parts of the menu stay expanded?
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
Rarely. But I still consider it an important resource, and it serves as a good reference when I forget what some bit or parameter is for.
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
Google. And from that I end up using a variety of sources. I probably end up on the Wiki most often when I’m just looking up what a particular parameter or some such thing does (i.e. when I’m looking for reference, rather than education).
3a. Why don’t you use Wiki more often?
Most of the time when I’m looking to learn part of Blender, it’s a part or feature that is new. And when I find out about new things in Blender, it’s usually via BlenderNation, or a post here on BlenderArtists, or some such place, usually with links to videos, developer blog posts, etc. I follow the links. The wiki is rarely ever linked, so I don’t usually end up on it.
3b. Do you have specific complaints?
Not really. As a long-time user, I mainly see it as reference documentation. Maybe it could be kept more up-to-date, but I don’t think I would actually use it more because of that, it would just be that much more useful when I do need reference documentation.
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
Focus on documenting new features and changes to Blender, and make those especially visible (e.g. front-page “new feature” links). Then when new features come out, I’ll likely go to the wiki to learn those new features. But you’ve got to be fast, otherwise I’ll end up at other resources first, and then I’ll already have learned it.
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
Once a month or so.
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
I use Google first.
Why don’t you use Wiki more often?Do you have specific complaints?
The Wiki is often out of date on the newest features.
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
Updated material would be great. It would also be nice to have a “next page” “previous page” feature instead of having to click on the index to navigate while on a chapter.
Thanks everyone for all the great replies! Very thoughtful and constructive. I’m sure it’s a great encouragement to
the doc-board.
It’s a great group who, in the open source Blender spirit, are trying to keep the Wiki relevant & useful.
It’s an overwhelming job for one, but there are several, and they have a great attitude and sense of mission.
Anyone is welcome to join. The more the merrier.
Imi wrote:
I would like to help, please state what are the demands and requirements. How and where do I find the knowledge about those brand new buttons before writing a wiki article?
I myself joined only in last month, and am getting up to speed. I think the only requirement is the desire to
help, and edit responsibly according to the Writer’s Style Guide. It doesn’t hurt to inquire.
They don’t bite much. Just kidding!
NemoDaedalus & bogbean,
the menus on the left are all collapsed again, but now suddenly the menu on the right shows where I am.
…aaaagggghhhhh!!! We feel you pain!!
It’s things like that we need to know…otherwise it will sit there in plain sight but overlooked like my treadmill.
I have to confess, I have rarely used it myself (in the past), or when I did, was frustrated to find I couldn’t understand
the information just because the formatting (for me) was a stumbling block.
But now I see what a great resource it is and that it is worth preserving and improving.
BTW, two years ago I swore, “Blender??!! Never!!!”
Now I can’t get enough Blender or learn it fast enough. :eek:
Please keep the replies coming…we are paying close attention.
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki? I have used the tutorials during my first two days using Blender. It covers some great topics and I like the option to make a shipping container. Currently I am unable to find a simple tutorial to achieve my goal, so I posted in the forums, but cant find my thread. Thought it odd that I could not see a link to my own threads from my profile?
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki? I like the videos best.
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints? What I was looking for: How to cut cylinder in half? I found knife tutorial, but I was not successful during my attempt.
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often? It my not be a bad idea to create a tutorial on manipulating simple shapes in the various options. I have found some of this on the cube of course, but not sure why it doesn’t work with cylinder. Should operate across mesh I would think.
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
At least weekly
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
Whatever Google leads me to, mostly video tutorials, sometimes the wiki.
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
It needs to be kept updated and the spellchecking and formatting needs some love! (Trying to do my part here.)
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
As above. Plus introduce a section called ‘External links/tutorials’ to the pages, linking to just that, external tuts or videos.
AND: The latest hundred or so changes in the wiki consist of one admin blocking and/or deleting absolutely all new user registrations (!) without even leaving a message on their talk page (!!!). Has he gone insane? (I’m assuming it’s a guy; no woman would ever come up with such a daft idea.) I’m active on Wikipedia/Wikimedia (with som ten thousand contributions and counting), and I know how hard it it is to get started as a contributor even for experienced computer users. You pretty much rid yourself of at least ten potential contributors in less than five minutes.
How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
When it comes up in Google or when things get really confusing then comes the “oh i thing I shall read the Wiki.”
What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
Videos and wiki, all of them.
Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints?
I will say lack of motivation.
What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
I get motivated when i get something done, so if the Wiki will tell us step-by-step what to do and at the end we achieve something I will be happy using it everyday. Some kind of Wikitutorials. For example if the Wiki will tell not only what subdivision subsurfaces does but the user models something with the help of Wiki and at some point the user uses subsurf and then the wiki emphasis about the use of subsurf.
1.How often do you use the Wiki? Daily? 1-3x/week. Rarely. "What’s the Wiki?
i use it occasionally, less than weekly but more than rarely! lol
2.What is your first resource for learning Blender? Videos, books, or the Wiki?
you tube tends to be my main port of call for tutorials, but if i cant find what i’m looking for there then i ask google, most often the first result is the wiki
3.Why don’t you use Wiki more often? Do you have specific complaints? generally i find the navigation within the wiki confusing and search results often point me to an outdated blender, usually 2.4. i also find the description lacking the details i am looking for.
4.What suggestions do you have to improve it so you will use it more often?
make it easier to find the technique i am looking for, and include video links to relevent tutorials (or just regular links to written tutorials) so i can understand what your talking about in the wiki.
i’d love to help out on the wiki, but as you can see i’m still an amateur and mostly have no idea what i’m doing
i’d love to help out on the wiki, but as you can see i’m still an amateur and mostly have no idea what i’m doing
No way…you’re doing very well by the looks of your gallery at your good looking website. :yes:
I hope several will take a look, no strings attached, at editing the Wiki…I initially felt like maybe
I was in over my head, but it’s really not that scary once you get in.
Start small…is there something misspelled? Is there a dangling participle that’s just bugging you???
Are the images not clear or helpful? Is something not clear in the text? Is there a giant block of text
that just needs to be split into 2 or 3 smaller paragraphs to help you digest it?
Once you get more confident, take on a few pages to see if you can make them more user friendly.
All the while, there is a Blender Jedi over-seeing your work…mine is Jim Tucker (his human name),
a good guy on any planet.
