Difference between revisions of "Tutorials:Tutorials"

Latest revision as of 12:14, 8 February 2007

[edit] What are tutorials?

Tutorials are documents written to guide you through a specific project or technique. When someone figures out how to do something, or would like to share a technique, they can write a tutorial so others can learn to do the same thing. This way, someone who knows how to make something can help hundreds of people, just by writing the instructions down once. Many tutorials also include pictures and screenshots, so you can follow along visually as well as reading the text, to make sure you fully understand the process.

Tutorials do require a lot of reading, but without a direct neural interface to simply pour the information into your brain, tutorial authors use a combination of words and pictures to teach you techniques.

[edit] But this seems a lot like school...

Well, yes, sonny jim, it does, doesn't it? The whole idea of tutorials is to teach you - your goal in doing a tutorial is to learn something new or to expand on existing knowledge.

It can take several hours to complete some tutorials, and quite a few more to make anything from the techniques you learn. Even then, your first projects will likely not be presentable.

Modding is Hard and Tedious. Doing things right is Hard and Tedious. If you hate hard and tedious, just go drink a beer with your friends and forget it now. In order to be successful at modding, you'll need to really enjoy learning new things. The smell of your brain frying should be a smell you enjoy, and you should be the sort of person that relishes the feel of a well-earned tension headache.

[edit] What are the two main types of tutorials?

Series

The first type of tutorials work sort of like a course at school - these tutorials are a series. They're meant to be done in order, completing one before going on to the next. You'll find series-type tutorials in the Body Shop Skinning and Body Shop Meshing areas, primarily.

Toolbox

The other main type of tutorials are "toolbox" tutorials. They're generally shorter than ones in a series, and are designed as supplements to other tutorials, to help you gain specific skills that you can use to improve your basic skillset.

[edit] How do I know what tutorial I need?

If you're completely new to Sims 2 modding, you probably don't know exactly where you should start. There's a great guide, with links to tutorials Sims 2 Modding Start Here, including a nifty flow-chart, which shows you what sort of things you should learn, and in what order. If you want to eventually make something more advanced, start at the beginning and work your way there.

[edit] How do I start a tutorial?

The Introduction

Before you begin, you need to read over the tutorial, especially the introduction. Generally in the introduction, the author will explain the purpose of the tutorial - what you will create or learn, so you know what you're getting from doing this. Make sure you read the introduction thoroughly. Is the tutorial for you? Is it on what you want to do, or a subject that will eventually lead you to what you want to do?

Prerequisites

They will also tell you if there are other things you need to know first. Many tutorials have "prerequisites" - indicating that a previous tutorial or knowledge of another technique is needed before you can continue with their tutorial. Do you have the prerequisites - have you completed previous tutorials, or simpler techniques?

Tools, Programs, and Plugins

The introduction should also tell you what will be required in terms of tools, programs, and plugins. Read to see that you have the right tools - you may have to purchase or download a new program, and installing it and getting it working on your system is up to you. If you have trouble with that part, the official site for whatever you're trying to install will provide support for that issue - not the tutorial author.

[edit] How do I do a tutorial?

Get to work!

Tutorials are almost always meant to be a hands-on process. The tutorial author is assuming you have the program up, and you're actually working along with them. Just reading a tutorial will almost never teach you how to do the techniques. You may have a basic understanding of how it's done, but until you're actually WORKING on a tutorial, you really won't -know- how to do it.

Follow along...

ALWAYS do your first project as-written - i.e. you will make exactly what the author is making, down to the last detail, if at all possible. If they give specific settings, sizes, textures, a particular outfit or object they're making, do exactly what they are as closely as you can. It can be tempting to just charge off on your own, but if you just go through the first time and do the tutorial how they've done it, you can be sure at each step that you have done it right.

When you finish, your result should look just like theirs. If at any point your work in progress doesn't look like theirs, you'll know you did something wrong - and can then try to correct it.

Pay attention!

Work through the tutorial slowly, reading every part carefully. It may help, especially if you're doing a complicated tutorial, to read each sentence or paragraph several times over before attempting to do anything - you may even say it aloud to yourself as you read, as that can help commit information to memory for many people. Do each step as it's presented, and don't skip ahead.

Engage your brain for this - you may have to use a little logic here and there if something is slightly unclear, or you're expected to already know a technique.

[edit] What if I do something wrong?

Go back till it looks right...

If you find you've gone wrong somewhere, stop. Take a look at what you have compared to what you should have, and see if you can figure out where you went wrong. If you have an undo function in whatever program you're working on, it may be helpful. If you can back up to a point where your project looks like the one in the tutorial for that step, you can often back up to that point, then proceed forward again, hopefully not running into the same issue again.

Start over...

If you can't back up or figure out where you went wrong, the best thing is generally just to start over. It may be frustrating, especially in a long tutorial, but you'll find the first parts will go much faster the second time, and it'll feel good to be at least moderately competent with some of the steps.

[edit] What if it's still wrong, or I'm stuck?

Re-read...

If you've gone back and tried the tutorial again and had the same result, then it's time to re-read. Look at every picture, and re-read all the related text, several times if necessary. Often there's a detail you've missed - like a setting you might not have noticed was checked in one screenshot, or a short sentence that was critical to the project that you just skipped over.

If you just can't figure it out after several tries, it's time to reach out and see what information the internet can give you.

Read the thread!

If the tutorial is part of a thread, like on MTS2, there are likely several replies on that thread. There will be people commenting on the tutorial, as well as adding information and tips. There will also generally be people who have asked questions relating to the tutorial, and answers from the tutorial author and/or others to those questions. It can be very helpful to read the thread to see if someone else has already had the same problem - perhaps they've gotten an answer that fixes it for you, too. Maybe there is some other clue in the posts on the thread that can help you figure out the answer.

Search!

It can also be helpful to use the search - you can search a specific forum by clicking on the arrow next to "Search This Forum" at the top of the thread listing, and type in search terms related to your problem. You may have to try several combinations of terms before you get some useful results, but that can also be a great way to find information - and previously asked and answered questions.

Check the Infocenter!

Some areas in the Create section on MTS2 have their own Infocenter. An Infocenter is similar to a tutorial forum, but it generally consists of shorter articles, designed to fix certain problems, or provide snippets of useful information. You may want to see if the area you're in has an Infocenter, and if so, if any of the articles within might have the info you seek. Remember, you can search an Infocenter forum too.

Take a break...

If you're getting frustrated, just stop. Step away from the keyboard, go outside and get some fresh air, grab yourself a tasty beverage, go play a game, have dinner, go watch a movie, whatever. Working when you're frustrated will only result in more errors, causing more frustration, in a downward spiral that will only cause you to eventually give up in anger. Don't pound your head against a brick wall - come back to the project later, maybe after a night's sleep, with a fresh perspective, and try again.

[edit] Can I ask a question?

Yes, if you've tried everything you can on your own and searched around and still can't figure it out, it's probably time to consult the experts.

When to ask in the tutorial thread...

If you need to ask a question about a tutorial, ask in a reply on the tutorial thread - don't create a new thread if your problem relates directly to the tutorial, and don't PM the author. Remember how above it was mentioned that you should look for previously-asked questions relating to the tutorial? By asking questions related to the tutorial on the thread, people who come along later who may have the same problem can see if there's an answer posted, and get help too.

If you're doing something else, not related to the tutorial, don't ask in a tutorial thread - make a new thread in the main posting area.

Helpers and their crystal balls...

Make sure you're very clear when you ask your question - tell what step you're on, what you've done, what you're trying to do, and how it's not functioning the way you expect. If you're doing anything at all graphical, posting pictures of the problem can be useful to those who can help you figure out a solution.

Remember: the tutorial author and other helpers cannot lean over your shoulder and see your screen, nor can they see what you have done. The more information you can give them to help them understand exactly what you have done, the better.

[edit] I asked my question... What do I do now?

Wait!

Now, you wait patiently for a reply. Remember, forums are worldwide, and while you may be posting in the afternoon, it may be 2 AM for the tutorial author. It can sometimes take hours, days, maybe even a week for a reply.

You can subscribe to the thread and check your thread subscriptions to see if there are replies, or bookmark the thread. For major tutorials, a good reply will generally come along fairly quickly.

No bumping!

Don't post again to the thread unless someone has replied in response to you - don't "bump" the thread to hoping to get it seen quicker. If you have something to add or change about your question, you can edit your post.

Provide more info...

When you get a reply, they may ask for more information, specific pictures, or details on your problem. You can then reply with that information. Complex problems can sometimes take a few posts to resolve.

[edit] They're telling me I'm doing something too advanced...

Then you probably are...

If you've followed the advice up until this point, you probably won't run into this... But you may, if you've skipped ahead, missed prerequisites, or are trying to do something out of the scope of the tutorial and its suggested project.

If a tutorial author or moderator tells you that you should take a step back and try something less advanced, you should probably listen to them. They know the techniques and the skills it requires, and have tried their best to present it in an easy-to-understand way. Especially for tutorials in a series, skipping ahead can mean you missed crucial techniques and you will be lost further down the road.

Learn the basics...

Go back and redo the tutorials they suggest you look at. Master those techniques before moving on to more advanced ones. Everyone's a volunteer at MTS2 - they're not paid to keep you on the site and clicking around or something - they just want to help you learn in the easiest way possible. More advanced techniques come with time, experience, and mastery of simpler stuff.

If you really MUST work above your level...

Don't expect anyone to hold your hand, or write you detailed instructions. Certain people can just pick up things as they go along - but most can't, and if you can't, it's up to you to go back and read the existing tutorials, articles, and help available to you.

[edit] Okay, I finished the tutorial successfully. Now what?

Try it again...

Now, it may be worth it to you to at least read through the tutorial once more, if not actually -do- it again. This time, try to identify what you're doing in each step - and why you're doing it. Often the first time through, you'll simply be concentrating on doing the steps exactly, but once you've got the basics down, it's time to apply your brain to it.

Make sure you not only know HOW to do things, but WHY you're doing things. If you only know how to charge straight through the tutorial and don't understand exactly why you're doing the major elements of it, you've really only learned how to make the one thing they made in the tutorial - nothing else.

Assign yourself some homework...

Then, try experimenting with the techniques for your own projects. These first projects will be just playing with the techniques - try to do something similar, with a couple variations, then add more complexity as you become more comfortable. It will get you accustomed to the editing process, making the nuts and bolts parts quicker and easier. It will also ensure that you truly understand what the tutorial was about.

I was experimenting, and messed up somewhere...

You may run into problems on your own projects... that's to be expected, and it's those problems that will help you learn.

Again, search the forums, search the tutorials and see if there's helpful information in the Infocenter. If all else fails, you can post a new thread (because it won't be directly related to the tutorial, but your own experimental projects) in the related forum... Make sure to give plenty of information, like what tools and programs you're using, what you're trying to do, what you have done, and exactly what's not working properly. Pictures can often be helpful.

What next?

Once you've spent some time playing with the techniques you've learned and are comfortable with them, you can move on. If the tutorial is in a series, start the next one in the series - again, with the project as-written the first time. If it's a toolbox tutorial, see if there are related techniques, or if there are more you'd like to add to your skillset. You can begin taking on more advanced techniques as you progress - the flow chart on Sims 2 Modding Start Here can help you plot your next move.