Using Lynda.com

[rcallicotte]

I hope someone here (in Planetside or one of our power users) might consider making a general "getting to know Terragen" for a Lynda.com presentation.  This site is a great avenue for people to learn about all kinds of software as well as find out about software someone has only just heard about.

[PorcupineFloyd]

I'm waiting for that too. It would be really nice to see a good, professional learning video on Terragen 2. I've been able to learn most of Creative Suite apps from lynda.com. They really mean quality.

[Tangled-Universe]

I'm waiting for that too. It would be really nice to see a good, professional learning video on Terragen 2. I've been able to learn most of Creative Suite apps from lynda.com. They really mean quality.

What would such a good professional learning video be in your opinion? What should be covered?

[PorcupineFloyd]

I'm waiting for that too. It would be really nice to see a good, professional learning video on Terragen 2. I've been able to learn most of Creative Suite apps from lynda.com. They really mean quality.

What would such a good professional learning video be in your opinion? What should be covered?

Check this out for example.

By professional learning video I mean: Structured, covering topics from complete basics (software concept, gui) to more advanced ones (procedurals, nodes, render optimization) without any gaps.
I assume that after watching such video everyone will be able to build a scene in this application with full understanding of software's basics. No guess work involved.

In Terragen learning video it would also be necessary to provide a wide array of in-video exercises of mimicking various natural phenomenon (skies, terrain, textures) by using Terragen's procedural engine. Chapters on creating realistic skies or terrains should fit the "basic training" too in my opinion.

I think that you guys at NWDA could create a commercial Terragen training video. Complete, 8 - 12 hours long, with plain structure, covering the necessary topics to create a good looking, procedural scene in Terragen.

[Tangled-Universe]

Well, we have been discussing that some times and for quite a while already...still undecided about it though.
Making such is a HUGE investment in time, hence I tried recording a couple already and it takes a lot of preparation and thought to make smooth presentations.
It's a difficult decision/question, because what are you going to ask for these tutorials?
Walli creates very good top-quality models and for a bargain if you compare them to other commercial products, still some find it expensive if we look at the feedback.

TG2's most powerful features are exactly what makes it very difficult to teach. A lot depends on fractals and although you can cleverly tweak them to your likings, the end result still depends quite heavily on that one seed which makes it really work.
Nonetheless one could still show workflow and such.

So, a lot to go over on...

[PorcupineFloyd]

It's not an easy task. I once built a website followed by a video tutorial on how it works and it took me quite a long time to accomplish.

Perhaps doing in-depth tutorials on creating different types of landscapes or skies would be a separate topic, but I think that the essence would be a deep explanation of GUI and a black hole of node network together with all of its functions, connections, what to use, when and what effects to expect.

I would also teach people on how to achieve something globally first (a layer of clouds, a landscape populated with trees, a waterscape with nice sunset, etc.) and then cover the topics on how to localize elements (create different layers of sand and position it, mixing trees, grass and flowers, pebbles etc.)

On pricing - it depends.
You could release different topics with low prices (~5 EUR) or in bundles (essentials, advanced, master, etc.). I think that both options would be accessible to different people. For example, I feel pretty confident in navigating TG2 GUI but I'd like to fall in a little deeper in TG2's "black hole" as mentioned above ;-)

[rcallicotte]

@PF - I love learning on Lynda.com.  I like the idea of touching overall aspects such as these examples you gave.

@TU - In my opinion, a good lesson of TG2 would mean -

• Interface Overview
• Node Overview
• Build a Terrain step by step
• Explain Lighting and Atmosphere step by step
• Explain Rendering step by step
• Touch on the Animation Controls

Maybe the best idea would be all of these things within one project, but explicitly showing these as highlights.  This would be basic.  Then, the next series could go into each item more deeply, maybe by creating a planet or a fly through.  

What does DandelO think?

[Snowflake]

It seems there is no one able to do professional TG Video lessons - i ask for this Lessons some time ago:

Terragen 2 VFX advanced Video Tutorials
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=11286.0

[Henry Blewer]

It would be a very large undertaking. There is so much to cover. Even just to get the basics across would be several 10 minute videos. I doubt 10 minutes would be enough time for some subjects.

[Tangled-Universe]

It would be a very large undertaking. There is so much to cover. Even just to get the basics across would be several 10 minute videos. I doubt 10 minutes would be enough time for some subjects.

Indeed....I recorded a tutorial for placing populations once and that already took well over 10 minutes to cover all important aspects.
I think people tend to think too easy/loosely about what's involved with developing a decent tutorial.

[rcallicotte]

Some of the tutorials on Lynda are 30 minutes or more.  So, just take it step by step.  A whole tutorial on the basics could be,  just looking at my list alone, 10 to 12 tutorials and how long is up to the keen brevity of the one teaching.

Keep in mind that the best tutorials just cover the basic how-to and don't go into nitty gritty details.  Teach people enough to see the basic working so we can experiment.  This is what I see consistently - someone who is successful at teaching keeps it clear and simple while showing how things work overall. 

I can't wait to see what someone comes up with and, believe it or not, have no interest or even perceived ability, to do something like this. 

[rcallicotte]

I just checked Lynda.com's Essential zBrush http://www.lynda.com/tutorial/76980 and it is over 2 and 1/2 hours with over 60 individual lessons in 12 sections, which includes a welcome introduction and a wrap up for the end.

This takes time, but we have about 10 people on this site who are consistently answering everyone's questions and / or are providing the community new ideas and / or "TG2 toys" to play with.  This is doable.

[Henry Blewer]

There is a lot to Terragen 2 which I just 'wing it'. I learned much of the basics using Terragen 0.9x. T2 is a much more flexible and powerful program. Matt was kind enough to keep some of the structure from T0.9x, making the transition easier.

The best advise for a beginner is to learn the Surface shader and the Power fractal.

A Surface shader, besides adding color, is a great tool for controlling an area of influence using slope and/or altitude.

A Power fractal can add color. It has controls for the size of the area influenced. Power fractals create displacements. They can also be used to mask areas.