Class

[rcallicotte]

Am I the only person who senses that a handful of people are TG2 geniuses and I'm missing something?  <boo-hoo>  Anyway, seriously we have some great talents on this site and I'm worried that I need a class.  I took the beginner's class awhile ago, but I think someone needs to give a serious explanatory of the basics of the raw materials of TG2 (not beginner's stuff), perhaps basics of the functions, and particularly basics of the pixel-world understanding we have here on Planetside's forums.  This could be gladly in a classroom for $$ I'm willing to pay.  I really believe this would help me to understand this beautiful application.

If I'm not the only one who feels this sense of "just coping" with TG2, please join me in asking Planetside to either create some educational courses (for what I explained above) or let us know where we can go for this sort of understanding.

For example, when Volker and Project X took off with their recent discoveries (and generous offerings on this site) of strata and canyons, wow!  I want to understand how they got there and both are anything but stingy with their knowledge.  They're very helpful, in fact.  But, the challenge is knowing even how to ask about some of the minutiae of information that is the basis of these two bright men's knowledge.

[Mavcat]

Am I the only person who senses that a handful of people are TG2 geniuses and I'm missing something?  <boo-hoo>  Anyway, seriously we have some great talents on this site and I'm worried that I need a class.  I took the beginner's class awhile ago, but I think someone needs to give a serious explanatory of the basics of the raw materials of TG2 (not beginner's stuff), perhaps basics of the functions, and particularly basics of the pixel-world understanding we have here on Planetside's forums.  This could be gladly in a classroom for $$ I'm willing to pay.  I really believe this would help me to understand this beautiful application.

If I'm not the only one who feels this sense of "just coping" with TG2, please join me in asking Planetside to either create some educational courses (for what I explained above) or let us know where we can go for this sort of understanding.

For example, when Volker and Project X took off with their recent discoveries (and generous offerings on this site) of strata and canyons, wow!  I want to understand how they got there and both are anything but stingy with their knowledge.  They're very helpful, in fact.  But, the challenge is knowing even how to ask about some of the minutiae of information that is the basis of these two bright men's knowledge.

You said the words i have been thinking about since i visit this forum if i compare my stuff to stuff other people make,i feel ashamed xD

[rcallicotte]

I don't think we should feel ashamed.  Everything is where we are right now.  That's why I want a class - to get us to a place of understanding.  If I thoroughly understand this application, then I can make it work.  It's deep.  I believe the grasp will take awhile.  For example, look at Oshyan, Jo, and Matt.  These guys know it inside and out and are still learning.  It would be good to have a tiered grasp of knowledge.

Maybe a library set written by Oshyan and authored by Jo and Matt.  -->  THIS WOULD BE AWESOME and I'd pay good money for it. I'm pretty sure Oshyan knows what I'm talking about, after having seen his ability to communicate on this site.

[Mavcat]

The ashamed part wasnt serious The problem is that not everyone can pay for it, when people are underaged (like me) or they just dont have the financial power to do it. 

[rcallicotte]

Good point, mavcat. 

Both things are possible - online tutorials and the books I'm talking about. 

Please, someone listen. 

To be fair, there's a lot of free knowledge running around here if someone has the energy and time to figure it all out.  Many generous souls enter these learned halls    Nevertheless, the level of understanding could be enhanced beyond scientific microscopic studies of the spores of TG2 (read Jo and Matt and Oshyan here) to bringing it to view so that those of us who are dedicated and unlearned can breed some of our own beauties with understanding.  Eh?

[Mavcat]

What about making our own info? Search the web,look for info and gather it in 1 place?

[Volker Harun]

I don't care ...
whether to make a book, a class or a couple of tutorials

[rcallicotte]

@mavcat - That's not a bad idea, but the info is fairly easy to find.  It's the putting it all together in a cohesive package, like I think Oshyan can do (I keep picking on him for good reason) alongside Matt and Jo who could fill these volumes with their knowledge as a reference, that I believe could really be an end-all for a foundational grasp of the way this all works as well as a handy reference from its founders.

@volker - Dude, I've mentioned something about you and someone else I can't remember on this site who could put together something and maybe even get it sanctioned by Planetside that could take us beyond the beginning stages.  Understanding where the Atmosphere tab is and how to put clouds into the scene by using the Atmospheric section and nodes is good to know, when we don't know anything about TG2.  But, to understand how to use a function to shape the clouds like ngen did takes understanding.  That's where I think you and some others could help many of us.

[Mavcat]

I don't care ...
whether to make a book, a class or a couple of tutorials

Can i buy you as a personal teacher?


@ Calico,sounds as a good idea

[normhol]

You have a great idea. I already asked this and the reply I got is that it is too much to put together, just ask questions. I don't think I am that advanced to ask intelligent questions as I might not know how to implement the answer. I can make basic scenes, but I can't seem to comprehend the X Y Z of it, so I have problems with placing objects. I am going to try to register in a TG2 course offered by LVS Associates. Has anyone had experience with this outfit ? I love TG2 otherwise. Normhol.

[rcallicotte]

I took the TG2 for Beginners class from them and found it helped to place the pieces in a sufficient order to understand the necessary basics of the application.  This was a good experience.  I'm hoping for something more from them in the future.

You have a great idea. I already asked this and the reply I got is that it is too much to put together, just ask questions. I don't think I am that advanced to ask intelligent questions as I might not know how to implement the answer. I can make basic scenes, but I can't seem to comprehend the X Y Z of it, so I have problems with placing objects. I am going to try to register in a TG2 course offered by LVS Associates. Has anyone had experience with this outfit ? I love TG2 otherwise. Normhol.

[DeathTwister]

Hay all,

  I'll wade in a bit here I think.

  I agree with all of you as I have seen where people are floundering with making it work for them and they have gotten so used to using TG v 09 and this is not the same beast by any means.  Yes in some ways it is brain surgery, but in others easy to understand from other basic apps I have used over the last few years.  What I think is the most confusing and also the most powerful is the nodes and how they work.

  I underestimated them when I first started working in tgd2 and almost got burned bad by my own stupidity and have since learned and working on growing from my mistake at the start.  I as well need and am looking deeper into nodes and a cool feature using nodes the .tgc files we have been passing around in the forums.  By the way you can stick them all kinds of places for all kinds of effects I am finding and having a gas figuring it all out myself on my spare time.

  I also think us doing contests and sharing different ways of doing the contests, EXAMPLE: the Orbital render contest that MeltingIce hosted was a great place to learn about planets and how to get different kinds of effects. So helping on the renderosity terregan forums would help people.  Also I think someone who has allot of time on there hands could start to garner all the data of all these posts and fixes and or Work arounds and maybe get it all into one huge place.  I was hoping Brother MeltingIce would take that on, but when school let out, so did he ROTFL hahaha lolol. I would volenteer, but there ain't enough hours in the day for me to do what I need to and help out in that way with the tgd2 tutorial gathering.  But I would be on hand to help make more tgd2 contests and will get on it right away if I have some help and someone tell me how to get it all set up.  That would help us allot just to work in it more.

I agree with you all though, it would be nice to be able to get into a book with the deep end in mind for the people that have gotten past the beginning levels of tgd2.  I am sure they will get that end of this all when they release the final version and it is kinda done, lololol then maybe we see a more indepth Tutorilas, but they are still trail blazing it like us in some ways /chuckles.....Ya and I am trying to get the duckets to buy the fukll version myself, maybe for my Birthday in December I get a copy /winks.  But I would also like to see planetside give full versions to people for winning the tgd2 contests if they do not have a full version yet, and I am sure that would get all of you working harder at learning this wonderful software more if you could get a full version and a set to the party, don't ya think? I know I do. hahaha.

I been planning to contact their PR dept, as that is a idea I have heard they were doing for a while until it went under, server or something not sure bout that part, but hay we sure could use that here on the main forums and on Renderosity I think.  OK out of the water and drying off, that was my idea and take about all this. I work with Oshyan sometimes and we have http://texturesource.org is our joint website, and that boy is hella busy, not sure if he could get the time to do what you ask Calico, but I agree, he would be a good choice for doing it and he is a master in so many ways besides tgd2. By the way I know this is shamless, but if you have not been there you should go and share your textures and grab some new ones, we put it together for you guys and we have been so busy it has been running itself for Months. hahaha, just remember to register in both places and get some killer Textures from me, Monks, and many other good friends.

DeathTwister

[bigben]

The most practical/ feasible option may be user-contributed tutorials in the documentation.  While I'm no TG master I have managed to put out the odd good image using background knowledge from other areas of my expertise. I have planned to write some tutorials from the tests I have run as well as posting the results of various tests, and figured that the best place for them would be in the documentation section of this forum.

The biggest problem is finding the time, which is why many of my plans get put on hold while other ideas are developed.  The other reason why I've held off writing tutorials is that a lot of the stuff I have developed has included workarounds for current problems which will be fixed prior to the release, or hacks that may not necessarily work in the final release (or could be done more effectively in a different way). I still intend to write some tutorials... I just can't promise when for now.

[rcallicotte]

@DT - This forum has loads of wonderful assistance, wisdom, and generosity and if what I've said seems to detract from it, then to HELL with that.  I'm so overwhelmed at the flood of good knowledge here that this is what has actually brought me to the place of saying this.  So, it's not because of any lack here.  It's because I want to see this is in a manual somewhere that includes users from this forum giving their best tutorials and includes Oshyan's voice throughout (with Jo and Matt explaining the way it works in the reference).

@bigben - Thank you for all of your help.  It has been you and others here who have been willing to show us what they're doing that has led us to understand so much that I'm overwhelmed.  That's a great thing, Ben.  So saying you don't have time for a tutorial is like saying the ocean doesn't have time to go swimming. 

Just because I want something doesn't make it so, but I'd really love seeing this -

Oshyan authors a set of manuals.  Beginning.  Intermediate.  Advanced.  Matt and Jo are the reference in all and the final volume is written by all three - a final thick total Bible of TG2 technology and understanding.  Somewhere in the first three volumes could include user tutorials from this forum from people who have been asked by Planetside to do something.  If this didn't rock and catch our house on fire, then my user name isn't calico.

In case anyone wonders what sparked this, it was when moodflow explained his canyon maker TGC and mentioned something about how the white and black pixels worked.  It was then that I realized I understood enough to be dangerous.  I really want to understand this application, God help me.

[ProjectX]

I'd love to find a decent lighting tutorial. I come from a game creation background, and lighting there can best be described as comical. I see some works on here that look amazing simply because of the lighting.