There are a lot of people here that are new to 3D, some that have worked for years and years.  In addition to that, there are folks who use Maya, others use Lightwave, Modo and possibly even a few Project Messiah folks.

I would like to suggest an addition to the Mudbox Forum.  I would like to suggest that the company who proved 3D sculpting didn’t need an “alien” interface that required searching for the proper tool, take the same logic and apply it to the Forums.

Let me stress, this isn’t meant to replace the manual.  It’s to stress the need for an effective and direct path to making MUDBOX work with “X” application and to provide the info needed at the proper level of expierence.

1) Add a “I’m a beginner in 3D” section and a “I’m a 3D Pro” section.

2) Under each of these sections (and yes, this is sure to take a little time), place a subcatagory for each application: Maya, Lightwave, Modo, SXI, 3DMax, Messiah.

3) Under each application, there would be a list of the known plugins that each user might need to allow the link between MUDBOX and their application easier to learn and less full of headaches. WHY FORCE INDIVIDUAL USERS TO REINVENT THE WHEEL when there are bug-free working pipelines? (I know OBJ export from LW, for example, could be better (and shy of allowing .lwo import directly in mudbox - please?) and that other users have found the best ways to get the results from your app of choice working with Mudbox.  It will only strengthen the product and make MUDBOX’s learning curve even shorter!  It will also take everyone’s questions and put them in a specific place where you’re more likely to find THE answer you’re looking for.

4) The ADMIN can keep track (or appoint someone) of keeping the first few posts for each software package up to date so the answers users require are always right there and easy to find!

I for one have been creating 3D for years but I have zero to little knowledge of 3D sculpting and the required knowledge to make all of these aps work together seems a little overwhelming at first.  Hopfully this will help!  Is this is possibility?

-Glen

this does not to be teh proper forums for this, this is the mudbox forums about mudbox.  for learning other software go to their forums, or to general modeling forums.  it really only takes a few minutes of google to find info on learning almost anything you want about 3d. 

i see no need or use in fragmenting the forums to try and cater a little bit to everyone

Well, it didn’t take long for someone to quickly bash what they didn’t read! :rolleyes:

I’m not talking about learning other pieces of software - I’m talking about teaching people how MUDBOX works with the software they use - without having to spend three hours digging through posts to see if they’re going to be useful.

Most people re-ask the same questions - fact.

Many boards answer a question but the answer is lost in time - this would fix that.

Imagine if you bought a Lexus and then had to spend days looking through a guide telling you how the transmission works on a Hummer and a VW Bug if all you needed to know was how to store a preset on the radio.  Forum boards are often set up this way!  Maybe one day I’ll want to know how XSI or 3DMax works - but today I don’t need to know.  I do need to know how to make MUDBOX work with my ap - whatever that might be.  Make that information easy to acquire or don’t go into business.

If you’re new to 3D, maybe you don’t know you even need to do X, Y and Z. So, you become frustrated, then you hate the process and the software and people who have figured it out!  You kill someone’s spirit and make them feel stupid!  That’s the way to make money in the future and secure a spot in the software industry!

The business that survives offers customer service above and beyond what is expected - this would be such a service that I and many other CUSTOMERS would love!  And it would keep those pesky beginners from cluttering your pro space! ;)

Lastly, you would still have the rest of the board to surf - just becasue it’s there doesn’t mean you have to read it, right?

HAVING WRITTEN A MANUAL OR TWO for other known 3D software, I know a little about this topic and how a user base reacts.

There are a very few common uses - export a low-rez model from “X” into mudbox, up the rez, paint textures and then send the map back out into your program - THIS IS USING MUDBOX and should be taught or brought up somewhere.

Part of an effective software application is a set of effective training materials that ARE EASY TO ACCESS!  Most people forget this part. It’s like a kid buying something with their own money only to ask, “What do you mean TAX?”

The better our results from MUDBOX, the better SKYMATTER and MUDBOX look. In turn, SKYMATTER will make more money from the additional sales gernerated by all the cool new examples.  This in turn leads to more software revisions you’ll see in the future.

The more easy-to-find instructions they give to a user only tends to improve the output from the users.  Also, a standard pipeline makes tech support easier! It’s sort of the Lion King circle of life thing. 

I’m sure there’s another bullhead out there somewhere who’ll think all of this to be crazy.  One day they’ll want to learn something new too!

Its not a bad suggestion, I suggested they make a guide for each pipeline available in some form a while ago. I remember looking at the zbrush forums and seeing that as years went by more and more workflow/pipeline guides became available and it probably became a more popular application as a result.  I personally wouldnt enjoy these forums being segregated into “pro” and “not pro” sections but some sort of official guidlines to help new users actually find Mudbox immediatly useful would help. Perhaps they will come with a little time, Skymatter seem to be delivering everything they are promising. Ive just had to make do looking at zbrush workflow tutorials and such in order to figure out how to best use mudbox.

lol that wil never work because every beginner wil emidiatly go to the “im a pro” forums.

second to that how can beginners help beginners ? its the people that already have the knowlege that wil have to awnser to the beginers no ?

“Most people re-ask the same questions - fact.” thats because they dont know where the search button is lol.

and any way if you would pin down a threat on top of a forum section with awnsers they wil still post the questions in the forum.

i mean how many times do you see people sayng or asking things that arnt aloud and they were yes clearly written in the Forum rules post on top of the forum.

also splitting up the forum in so many peices would be very inpractical with the amount of active users in the mudbox forums at this moment.
this isnt like cg talk where there ar atleast 800<-overreacting users online.