Show references to images in tutorials more?
 

Hi there.

I was looking for a Maya tutorial for weapons modelling and found the H&K tutorial, which is largely great.

However, there are a number of occasions during modelling where you are apparently looking at other reference materials other than the image plane in order to plan ahead when adding geometry.

The problem is we are not shown the reference on the screen so that we can better see your train of thought when manipulating the geometry on screen, so it's a little difficult to figure out the 'why' behind your modelling decisions when adding geometry. It's my humble view that the 'why' behind what your are doing is just as important as being shown 'what' you are doing.

Would it not be possible to have the pictures of the references you are referring to off-camera loaded up so you can flash them on screen while explaining the choices you're making when adding and manipulating geometry? Maybe just ALT-TAB back and forth between Maya and the picture of a reference image as you explain your modelling decisions?

Other than that, great work.

Hi,
Thanks for your comments we appreciate the feedback. We'll definitely pass it on to our instructors and pay more attention to this in the future.

It is our intention that you should understand why you're doing something when you're watching our tutorials, rather than just follow along and copying what's happening on the screen without actually learning something that you can apply later when you're working on your own projects. So we agree with you and we'll try to exercise better quality control.

I hope you're enjoying the rest of the tutorial and finding it useful.

This probably a bit late for this comment, but that whole tute should have had a load of reference images with it, as I was supplied with them before I made the model. Also the very first part of the tute runs thru the various references used in the tute, its easy to just do a screen grab and print the images out - or just look for references as well on google, which is what I also did before commencing on the tute.

cheers
Jay

I think the distribution of images that aren't owned by Simply3DWorld could get them in trouble.

Hasnt been an issue before John. Besides most of the stuff came from google so....

cheers
J

If the reference is unobtainable, from Admin here at SM, would Dave or Miss nova drop me an email and I'll send the original PDF files so they can be downloaded along with the tute - I still have them

Cheers
Jay