Doc talk:2.4/Tutorials/Game Engine/BSoD/Basics of the Blender UI

First impressions

First, which wiki standard is this? The links below weren't very helpful. I know there was an attempt to standardise wikis with something called creole, but no wiki wanted to adopt a standard unless it was their own!

!!Header? ==Header? Header?

Header

!!Header!! Header

• • Bold**

This is **Bold**

OK, broadly creole compatible.

First Impressions

I don't believe I've ever in my 40 years of computing ever come across an opening screen which is quite so unobvious. I feel like I've just entered an alien space ship. The only two menu choices I recognise are "file/save" and "game/start" ... I wonder what kind of game these aliens play? Isonomia 12:13, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

GE

I assume this is games engine - but if I knew I wouldn't be reading the tutorial Isonomia 12:17, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Overview

I desparately need an overview of the process of building a game. What are the main steps? I think the saying: is "say what you are going to tell them, tell them it, and them tell them what you told them". It's a bit like "how to destroy the world" ... First take a mixing bowl and a piece banana ...<STOPP!!!> ... Hang on a minute, I'm still deciding whether I want to destroy the world, I'm not even convinced that I personally have the necessary skills to destroy the world, I'd love to know what is involved, and you are already telling me how to start destroying the world when I'm not strictly sure I want to blow up the world! Isonomia 12:23, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Hold down the mouse

Oooooohhhh wow!!!!!!! WOW WOW WOW! Why didn't you tell me that earlier! But what happens if I don't have a mouse wheel? OK, you've got that - but what is the MMB key? Is it next to the "Any" key? Seriously, it took me a while to work out that the strange icon was a mouse and then that the MMB and L whatever was Left ... and what if you are left handed, is it the other way? Isonomia 12:30, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Top left - which way is top?

Now it says: "Rotate the view around until you are looking at the cube from a top, left viewport, as shown in the animated image to the right." Unfortnately, the animated image goes from one way to another and then back. Are you saying to make it look like it did when it started, and how do I tell which way is "up" ... perhaps you are suggesting turning the laptop upside ... but that's going to spill the coffee on that handy coffee cup holder they put on my laptop!!! Isonomia 12:34, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

No I've been back, after doing something really odd (lines kept appearing) I finally got back to moving it around. And I can't see anything at all that tells me which way is up. I can see the different colours for the axis, but which one is which? Isonomia 12:37, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Right I've spotted the xyz axis at the bottom left. Now which one of those is up? On a computer Y is upward, when reading a book Y is along the book and z is out the page which is upward. I'll guess Y Isonomia 12:40, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Handle?

"You will be able to move objects around by clicking and dragging the handles on the 3D Transform manipulator. Click and drag the handles on the box to move it around in the scene." What handle? I know there's only 8 faces on a cube, there's no funny dot on any ... although I was fooled for a while but it turned out to be a speck on dust. No, it's a dodgy pixel!

No, I've read the instructions carefully. Even went back and put it in perspective mode in case that would magically make the handle appear. I'm completely stuck!!! Isonomia 12:49, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Hang on, I did some kind of select, and a pink dot has appeared in the centre of the shape (pink what a colour!).

What's the funny pink pyramid thing?

At first I thought it was supposed to be an eye. On reflection that seems unlikely. I assume it ... is something.

There's me thinking it was some kind of engineering symbol, and then I was just clicking madly and suddenly it got selected with its won traffic light of axis. Does this mean I have two objects on the default screen? Isonomia 15:14, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Suggestion for first tutorial

1. Why not start with something everyone can do - open a file! So, open a very simple object like a house (cuboid bottom, pitched roof top). At least I would know what I'm looking at ... I would also be able to "restart", by reloading the house. As it is, I've no idea how I got to where I am. I know know whether the cube has been moved from its origin, or whether I'm just viewing it from a different place. Isonomia 13:00, 19 October 2009 (UTC) 2. Then suggest some very simple things - like turning the house around. 3. And how about going over the various bits of the screen, like that pink pyramid, that funny looking round thing and that blot that fills the left hand of the screen ... hang on ... that's a coffee stain! Isonomia 13:02, 19 October 2009 (UTC)