Think before you post / do the right thing


#1

Everytime I unstick the post somebody else sticks it, so I guess I’ll just edit it and let it on :slight_smile:
thanks everybody for the appreciation and many thanks to ThirdEye who edited the original into a thread independant one.

XSI’s advanced users are still few, and the new popularity obviously brought in more people in need of help than people who can give it.
This in itself is not bad at all, quite the opposite infact, but you have to understand that the very few veterans on the Softimage scene who are still around in forums have a limited amount of time.

It’s a matter of “educating” a user base.
3D as a discipline is still extremely young, and being so young means there’s no defined academic path yet and there are hardly any social rules that are widely agreed upon.

If you went into any coding comunity asking what an #ifdef does you’d be ignored on the forum and get subscribed to a lot of zoopr0n spam immediately.
Why? Because the basic rule is that ANYTHING that can be found in a reference should never be asked about unless you show very clearly that you made an effort to look into it.
Frankly speaking I see it as the only good way to go.
I think it’s incredibly cool that some people (and it’s very often the newcomers) are disposed to spoonfeed other users, it shows one of the most amazing human traits, that is the inclination to share knowledge, which is ultimately why we are all here I suppose.

If you feel like doing it, do so; it’s surely not against the rules of Cgtalk but for those who require it you should remember one thing:
learning is a process, as all processes it represents an evolution.
If you just keep bumping into obstacles, wait for them to be removed for you, or to be taught how to perform a basic walkaround, you will be slow, and will never be independant.
Assuming you have an IQ that is average or above, what sets the real pros apart from the rest is, very simply put, the ability to learn, analyze and resolve.
If you don’t force yourself into research for these very simple things, you’ll be totally baffled the day you will be required to work on anything that is more challenging then a flying logo, this is true for anything, any form of art and any form of tech.
This sad trend that is emerging everyday more in this industry, of focusing on tools and memorizing workarounds or functions, is really not gonna help anybody.

I said it a lot of times and I’ll say it again, what really matters IS YOUR STATE OF MIND !
The mental structure to tackle problems that you can only train yourself into if you do things yourself.
The will to study seemingly unrelated material to reach a higher understanding of the process.
The commitment to do things even when they seem totally boring.
The ability to focus, up to the point it borders stubborness, until you UNDERSTAND.

When you’ve done all this, and still have problems, drop by and ask, and things will turn into interesting discussions, not into sterile Q&A, you have tech support for that.

Oh, and last but not least, remember that even if it seems a remote realm lost behind a monitor, this is a place populated by real people.
On CGTalk you have people from ILM, Weta, DD, AL, Pixar, MPC and a lot more major and smaller studios.
In this industry your reputation is worth its weight in gold and then some.
NEVER make the mistake to assume that your reputation in here will not have any effects on your real life sooner or later.
I got offered jobs from people in here, I recruited people from this site and I got a few good friends that I also had the pleasure to meet in RL.
Remember it’s real people on the other side of the screen, some of which could one day be looking at your reel and remember if you were a lazy SOD or a brillant SOB


#2

I’d make this post a sticky for every single forum of cgtalk.com, i couldn’t have said it better, well done Raffaele.


#3

Very well said and hopefully this will make users think/research before they post. I copied the oringinal answer to the deleted thread and posted it on XSI Base’s -Animation -FAQ

Cheers
Jaco


#4

Wise words, the_jaco, thanks.

The key to a great deal of understanding, is learning how to learn. Get those right, and you’ll set yourself good for whatever task you put your mind too.


#5

Brilliant, simply brilliant The_JacO. I agree, this should be a sticky on every cgtalk forum :smiley: As a newbie on certain aspects of 3d, its has also opened my eyes :eek:

Very Inspiring.

George


#6

It is realy nice to hear your insight Jaco, I too feel the same about people being spoon fed information without any effort put into searching. I know that i ask alot of questions on Cg talk and in the Cgtalk chat room on irc. but generaly ive made an effort to lookinto the problem before hand. sometimes i post the Q and look for a solution at the same time, Cgtalk is a resource. when you have real people with knowledge, ask.

My friends and I often get asked quesions that could be found by simple trial and error. or even in the first page of the tutorial manual. my first few months in training i willingly help most ppl, but now i 100% realize that what you say is true and ask them if they looked for it before asking me.

XsifoX

ps Yes this should be globaly posted on cgtalk !


#7

I’ve made it a sticky in the Cinema4D forum, i hope it’ll help people to find their way in the 3D world.


#8

I am making this a sticky.


#9

A little follow up that seemed to be necessary in another forum’s spawn of this thread:

the post was NOT intended to prevent people from asking simple questions, less then less wanted to promote any form of elitarism.

all questions are legit someone said, and I agree to the extent that implies that BEFORE asking the question you already spent some efforts on doing your best to figure it out.
if the manual was lacking, if you feel uncertain about parts of it, if you wonder the practical applications of something, or if you just want to share your newly found out knowledge, in the hope that someone more seasoned will also fill in the blanks, by all means do so; but only after you spent a little of your time on the issue please.

this is NOT something you do to spare people’s bandwidth or time, this is something you have to do FOR YOURSELF in first place.

the inciting to focus and find the willpower to study was the hinge of my post, and not some sick for of elitarism.

/me steps off the soapbox for good


#10

great comments Jaco!


#11

this is a great one! … if possible spread it around as stickys to all the other forums here :applause:


#12

Fantastic post Jaco!
I would also suggest that people take a look at this page too:
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

While it is not directed 100% at CG artists it does contain a lot of important information that only helps support what Jaco has posted.


#13

Hi Jaco,

Awesome post, I tottaly agree with you and you can count on my support for that, CGTalk is not a “F1” key and people should know that, but it seems that a good part of them don’t realise that at all, and this is very sad because it shows the type of people that are entering the industry.

I’m glad that you put that out because I have the same feeling, even tho I’m far from being a XSI master I do master others applications and I feel the same thing in other foruns here as well, in fact I feel this type of behavior in every single forum that I go.

Knowledge must be exchanged when possible, and not just leeched like I’ve being seen lately, and a “thanks” reply is always welcome.

Anyway you rock, and you got my vote for president in the next elections :smiley:

Just kidding…hehe

Cheers,
dg


#14

Great post Raffaele.

I guess I won’t post my “how do I move my cube around” post then :stuck_out_tongue:


#15

One thing I’ve never liked is elitism, or peopel looking down on others when it comes to learning. I saw this years ago, long before net forums became popular, on the Lightwave, and Softimage mailing lists, it bugged me to no end.

If a post is basic, the ignore it, but if not, then help, dead simple. :slight_smile:


#16

I hope it wasn’t my last idiotic question that inspired this post, but if it was, well a least it was good for something.


#17

hi guys…i’ve tryed to make a sphere in XSI and i went to get>primitive>cube and…surprise!!! i get a cube…come on man…where is my sphere?!:slight_smile:

next…i’ve tryed to make a grid 20x20 polys and i followed a very simple workflow that i came up with…i’ve made a cube, delete the polygons leaving just 1 face, duplicated the box 400 times, arange them manualy and merge the points and voila…here is my grid:)

why are you looking like this as my post…have i done something wrong?! what?!

just kiddin’ but i was trying to complicate myself A LOT and a very smart guy told me that the best way to achieve something in CG is to go straight to the first and simplest aproach that comes in mind.

i think that anyone should work their brains out to achive something but…how about my sphere…and my grid…:slight_smile:


#18

Wow dude, thx for the tip. I honestly never thought of problems in that way. From now on I’ll work through my problems further :smiley:


#19

:smiley:

good luck to you man and to all!!!

now…let’s go to work!

bye bye


#20

I agree with all comments.

After all, we all are in the learning evolution of 3d. :shrug:

I am not going to repeat what it has been said but, one thing is for sure.

RESEARCH

“research” is what will make you better. You might not always find the answers but
it will lead you to ask a very good question.
That’s what I preach and that is what I do.

Another word:

NETWORK.

We have a great community here at CGTALK.
basically… a gold mine of resources.
Sometimes by reading some of the forums you don’t even have
to ask because it has been answered.

and finally “THE INTERNET”
The great internet is vast and offers lots of
tutorials for free, yes, free…this leads you back to my first line: research.

Let’s all use our grey matter for a change.
…now, how do I start Windows again?

my 2 cents.:smiley:

Karr