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hansmex
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Re: lighting

Chris,

The first change I would propose is that the top-left menu is changed. It now has 3 sections: Documentation, Support and About. The last two do not point to content, but Documentation links to very important content. This is not very logical, and I have the feeling that it is missed by some people.So, I would suggest to change that part of the menu, and maybe partly change the way in which the content is presented there.

A Start here section in the forum might be a good idea as well. I'd be happy to write (some of) the content that should or could go there. Seen the (recent) importance of plug-ins, I would definitely suggest that a Plug-ins section would be advisable.

Hans
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Hans

new website - under constuction
hansdirkse.info
[Nov 4, 2010, 7:41:21 PM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
whippetsleek
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Re: lighting

Yes, I think most people simply don't see the documentation part of that menu, because most forums are set up with either beginner threads, or introduction threads. I think that is what most people come here and look for...

And actually I think having a section of the forum especially for beginners, with maybe a moderator to keep an eye on it, would be a good idea... It would keep repeat threads to a minium, and also maybe repeat questions.

A plug in Section would likely be a good idea also... smile
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[Nov 4, 2010, 9:16:33 PM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
Puybaret
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Re: lighting

Hans, I know that this unique link on Documentation isn't a great idea, but when I redesigned Sweet Home 3D web site last year, I didn't want to create Support and About pages that would have require a translation...
On the other side, I wouldn't worry that much because users seem to handle it correctly anyway. From the October 2010 statistics, the multi-level house guide (also referenced in the FAQ) received 2385 visits and the personalized textures guide (referenced on the documentation page and in old forum pages) received 1485 visits. The plugins guide received 3876 visits but it's not a fair comparison since the link to this PDF was visible on the home page during weeks.

As said before, I'll probably add a plug-ins section and a textures section that will cite a few web sites, once version 3.0 will be released.

Finally, I don't believe that adding a Beginner or Start here section in the forum would be helpful. How would you qualify something is for beginners? How users could guess that their question is a beginner question?
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
[Nov 11, 2010, 9:24:47 AM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
hansmex
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Re: lighting

Emmanuel,

The ideas whippetsleek and I exchanged were primarily meant to improve "user comfort". It's unavoidable that some people will go straigth to the forum and ask their question(s) without taking the trouble to search for an answer first.

That said, the layout of the website (in the sense of navigation) could use some improvement. I'm fully aware that it's probably impossible to design a foolproof navigation strcture, but based on what I've seen this last year, this is my attempt for the forum:

PROBLEMS
- installation
- video drivers, graphics card, two screens, crash in preferences
- other problems, crashes, crashes on loading, damaged files, red models/boxes
- is this a bug? (strange behaviour, localization, etc)

HELP
- help and announcements on SH3D (with fixed first topic)
-&- help and announcements on plug-ins, extensions, player and external renderers (with fixed first topic)
- other questions
- models and textures
- wishlist (with fixed topic "Roadmap" ?) smile
- gallery
- (discuss anything) (MMmm.. I don't like such a vague topic, but I can see its use)

LANGUAGES
- French
- German (you will most likely get an answer because we have active members here)
- Spanish (you will most likely get an answer because we have active members here)
- Other languages (no guarantees here)

In two places I put "with fixed first topic": here you always can find a direct link to the latest version/beta of SH3D or one of the plug-ins. Now you have to search where that link is buried.
It might be a good idea to have "fixed topics" in other sections as well. They can serve as a kind of FAQ. Where it says -&- that topic could be combined with the previous topic.

The "User Guide" page would be more accessible (and easier to reference to) if you added a few extra anchors to subjects in the Other Features section. Over time this part has become rather long and you can easily get lost. Also, when answering questions in the forum, it would be easier to give a more precise reference/link.

As to the Documentation link: it took ME (I know, I'm not too smart) 3 or 6 months to discover I could click that link. A simple solution would be to insert directly underneath the chapter name a link that is called Documentation. The fact that you have twice the word Documentation wouldn't win any beauty contest, but it would improve clarity.

Beginner / Start Here... yes, I agree that's a bit vague. When we have a problem, we're a beginner for that subject, otherwise we wouldn't need help. Improved navigation might make such a section obsolete.

As always, these are just ideas and suggestions. Use what you think is useful, forget about the rest. Finally, if you need translations (and they're within my abilities NL-FR-SP-EN-GE and Google) don't hesitate to ask.

Hans
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Hans

new website - under constuction
hansdirkse.info
[Nov 11, 2010, 1:26:25 PM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
Puybaret
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Re: lighting

Hans, thank you for your proposal. I'll keep that in mind, even if I won't use Problems as the name of the first section (I don't want to people run away when they see so much potential problems!). wink
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
[Nov 11, 2010, 1:40:27 PM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
Crafty360
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Re: lighting

Hi Again
Well heres my very first attempt. I would really like suggestions as to how to improve (yea I know theres a long way to go) particularly with the blown out lighting.


[Nov 11, 2010, 1:48:31 PM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
hansmex
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Re: lighting

Crafty,

You're asking almost the impossible when you want to know how to improve your design.

First of all there are some intangible factors, like inspiration, creativity, and such.

Then there are models and textures: the quality of your design depends heavily, I mean HEAVILY, on them.
- Models can be found all over the internet, on websites of furniture manufacturers, dedicated 3D websites, Google Warehouse, etc. Mind the copyright if you intend to use your design for commercial purposes!! You can also design them yourself, using SH3D, Blender, Art of Illusion, Misfit 3D, and many other programs.
- Textures are equally important, as they determine how the model will look and feel. They can be found in many places, you can make them yourself, or use specialized programs like Bricks'n'Tiles, or Wood Workshop.

When you are done with the basic design, you will have to think about how you want to show off your design:
- Lighting is a factor that needs detailed attention for a realistic result. With the introduction of the Advanced Render plug-in in version 2.6, a "revolution" has set in. You can now add lights wherever you want, and adjust the amount of light for each individual light source. Also, you can set your geographical location, the date, and time of day, to get realistic sunlight and shadows.
- Rendering finally is where it all comes together. Fortunately the render engine(s) in version 2.6 (plus plug-ins) and v3.0 (beta versions for now) have greatly improved. Nevertheless, if your quality needs are set very high, you may want to consider an external render engine/program (and buy a faster computer as well).

You may want to read this thread on version 3.0 and things connected. And this thread on lighting.

It's a lot of reading, but getting to know SH3D really well is important when you want good results, because renders don't lie!

Hans
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Hans

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[Nov 11, 2010, 4:39:59 PM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
Crafty360
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Re: lighting

Super advice thanks Hans - I aim to put alot of time into this and hope one day to help others too!

Cheers
[Nov 11, 2010, 4:49:38 PM] Show Printable Version of Post    View Member Profile    Send Private Message [Link] Report threatening or abusive post: please login first  Go to top 
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