PDF manual for TBGL ?

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi,

question is posted in poll above :)

As you know, TBGL has currently help file, support website, lot of samples.
But printed documentation does not require you to read all this on PC, you could read it anywhere ( before going to sleep / to make sleep your children :) )

Opinions ?


Petr

LATEST EARLY PREVIEW OF TBGL MANUAL FROM DECEMBER 12th ATTACHED

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi,

it seems choice of people is quite clear :)
I will let run this poll till Sunday 11th, and if nothing will dramatically change, I will start to compose manual.


Thanks for participation!,
Petr

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi,

its me again :) I see another vote for first choice was added so I am doing ... ahem ... preproduction works for TBGL manual.

So I am composing skeleton of chapters, what should be where ...

Interesting problem now is for "Chapter Zero: The Basic Concepts ( of 3D programming ?)".

As I realised, some people do not realize terms like "vertex" or "face" as common stuff when starting with TBGL or 3D programming in general. This makes their life a bit hard.
So I thought this Chapter Zero could contain some essential information on stuff I mentioned above, maybe explanations on RGB(A) color model and more.

How deep you think it has sense to go. I have book "Modern computer graphics" at home, which is awesome, but if I imagine I should mention all what is inside later in TBGL user guide ... it could be too hard reading and many would not go over this.

I ask all graphic gurus over this forum - what do you think is "theoretical 3D minimum" for safe take off ?
Transformations, color coding, Z-buffering, alpha masking ... something more ?


Thanks,
Petr

[Michael Clease]

If it was me I would make 2 PDF's.

1) TBGL module usage.
2) 3D theory.

[Petr Schreiber]

Thanks Abraxas,

I will think about it!


Petr

[kryton9]

One of my projects will be a fun program to explore 3D and Arithmetics. It will help me finally get it into my thick skull for one thing. I hope to have something in the next 6 months. Got lots of learning to do till then :)

Petr's PDFs will help in all of this that is for sure!!

[LanceGary]

I wonder whether the PDF manual has been completed? I can't seem to find a conclusion to the thread about the PDF manual, but if one exists I would like to know where to download it.

Lance

[Michael Hartlef]

Hi Lance,

welcome on the board.

No, so far (at least to my knowledge) no PDF manual has been released. But don't resist to ask all the questions that you can't find an answer for it yourself. And have a look in the TBGL helpfile, all information should be inside of it. As you ask about TBGL, my guess is that you want to create games with it. Right?

Michael

[LanceGary]

Hi Lance,

welcome on the board.

No, so far (at least to my knowledge) no PDF manual has been released. But don't resist to ask all the questions that you can't find an answer for it yourself. And have a look in the TBGL helpfile, all information should be inside of it. As you ask about TBGL, my guess is that you want to create games with it. Right?

Michael


Thanks for your answer.

I searched for PDF manual and this was the thread that came up. In fact I'm interested in a variety of programming tasks, including simulations and educational games. (I am a teacher and a researcher). I am still more comfortable reading a manual than reading on screen (old, that is the problem, I suppose) so that is why I asked.

Lance

[ErosOlmi]

Hi Lance,

if you are interested also on thinBasic manual in PDF I can produce one on the fly and post here. Just let me know.
There is an off-line HTML too version you can download from thinBasic download section at http://www.thinbasic.com/index.php?option=com_jdownloads&Itemid=95

Regarding TBGL we have to wait reply from Petr because he is the author of TBGL module.

Ciao
Eros

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Lance,

and welcome :)

if you are interested just in printable reference guide, I will start work on it immediately.
I can automate the translation of html help to PDF relatively quickly.

If you would like to have textbook containing other information that the one present in TBGL help file, I would guess that would take a bit longer.


Petr

[Michael Hartlef]

Hi Lance,

welcome on the board.

No, so far (at least to my knowledge) no PDF manual has been released. But don't resist to ask all the questions that you can't find an answer for it yourself. And have a look in the TBGL helpfile, all information should be inside of it. As you ask about TBGL, my guess is that you want to create games with it. Right?

Michael


Thanks for your answer.

I searched for PDF manual and this was the thread that came up. In fact I'm interested in a variety of programming tasks, including simulations and educational games. (I am a teacher and a researcher). I am still more comfortable reading a manual than reading on screen (old, that is the problem, I suppose) so that is why I asked.

Lance


I like PDF's the most when it comes to studying a programming language. I can print it on paper and take it with me everywhere. ;)

[ErosOlmi]

In the while ... I've produced a preview PDF version of thinBasic help file.
Download it from http://community.thinbasic.com/index.php?topic=2323.msg17647#msg17647

Ciao
Eros

[LanceGary]

In the while ... I've produced a preview PDF version of thinBasic help file.
Download it from http://community.thinbasic.com/index.php?topic=2323.msg17647#msg17647

Ciao
Eros



Thank you so much! Your effort is greatly appreciated!

Lance

[LanceGary]

Hi Lance,

and welcome :)

if you are interested just in printable reference guide, I will start work on it immediately.
I can automate the translation of html help to PDF relatively quickly.

If you would like to have textbook containing other information that the one present in TBGL help file, I would guess that would take a bit longer.


Petr






Thanks! I will study the one provided by Eros Olmi - I think I need to that before I really know what I want!

Thanks again

Lance

[Petr Schreiber]

Lance and others,

I prepaired little demoversion of how the final "book" could look.
Let me know if it is ok for you - I tried to keep the layout little dry, to not torture printers with big ink / toner consumption.
I try to introduce each area with brief description, and then there is list of keywords for each section.

So when you need to get picture of TBGL, you can read it all, when you need help on specific command you can seek it according to contents quite fast.

Let me know.


Petr

[LanceGary]

Lance and others,

I prepaired little demoversion of how the final "book" could look.
Let me know if it is ok for you - I tried to keep the layout little dry, to not torture printers with big ink / toner consumption.
I try to introduce each area with brief description, and then there is list of keywords for each section.

So when you need to get picture of TBGL, you can read it all, when you need help on specific command you can seek it according to contents quite fast.

Let me know.


Petr



Hello Petr -

That is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks very much.

Lance

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Lance,

thanks for your reply, so now I have idea how to create it.

It will take some time, as in the end I decided to not do direct CHM 2 PDF conversion.
I will post here progress with the PDF "per partes" ( once I finish chapter I will post here ), to not make the waiting too long, and to make possible consulting the look and contents with you and others.

This way, in the end, we should get usable TBGL manual for printing :)


Petr

[Petr Schreiber]

I attached new preview to the first post of this topic,

it covers window and canvas management. Let me know your impressions.
Once this part is approved, I will move to adding next chapter.


Petr

[Michael Hartlef]

Hi Petr,

thanks for uploading the preview. If you are targeting a technical style for it, then you are on the right track. I think you should create it like you want to see it, not what other people think it should look like.

Michael

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Mike,

thanks.
Well, I reserve the final word for me, but it is easy to forget some important detail ( as author I presume some things evident ).

For easy reference I will add alphabetical index of function in the end, so commands will be grouped both by functionality (as now, in chapters) and also searchable via that index.


Petr

[zak]

hello
yes Petr this is a great Guide, a user friendly Guide to TBGL module, by the way i have tried some examples from different languages in the:
http://nehe.gamedev.net/data/lessons/lesson.asp?lesson=03
vb6 + perl + Realbasic +Euphoria , and i have found it is very difficult for me as a newbie, so i retrograde to thinbasic tbgl it is more friendly and suitable for begginers and prof. alike.
thank you

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Zak,

thanks a lot! :)
I am happy TBGL serves you well, this work in progress full TBGL manual will feaure more indepth information (but not too much to confuse), it will show more how things are linked together. It will take some months to complete, but should serve well both as reference guide and "behind the scenes".

NeHe tutorials are thing I started OpenGL with some years ago, Matthew converted them to ThinBasic here:
ThinBasic NeHe (http://community.thinbasic.com/index.php?topic=1868.0)
... so maybe you could find them interesting too. Window management is done mostly via TBGL, so nothing complicated.


Petr