Since I proposed the list of possible topics that should be off-topic, it seems it has been well received and people are working with it. However, there have been several discussions in chat, numerous comments and several other posts about #1.
1. Requests for tutorials
- Can anyone show me how to model/rig/animate X?
- Can anyone make a tutorial on doing X?
This post is to clarify what is meant by asking for a tutorial and answering a question in that manner.
Stack Exchange is a network of Q&A sites. From meta stackoverflow:
Tutorials are neither questions nor answers. If a question needs a full-blown tutorial to answer, it is likely too broad and therefore "not a real question" or "not constructive". Your proposal of creating a format that greatly detracts from Q&A doesn't sit too well with Stack Exchange, whose very building blocks are questions and answers.
If something needs a canonical answer in our site, it should be an answer to a question, not a tutorial.
A tutorial request can be said to be one that would take considerable text or visual aid to properly explain and or clarify (we want concise, clear and interesting questions). These are also quickly identified as they are usually started 'How to'.. and are usually very general, see #3 on the proposed off-topic list.
A tutorial in the form of an answer would also be one that would also take considerable text or visual aid to properly explain and are overly broad or have several different ways of starting and doing. Some generic examples are:
- How can I model car X in Blender?
- How should I start modeling object X in Blender?1
- How can I rig this character?
- Ways I make a walk animation?
- How does the VSE work?
1Also questions that only ask for half of a solution to a problem should be out too, we want to have complete and concise answers where possible, not discussions, argumentative opinions and or suggestions and then leaving the rest to choice or interpretation.
Here is a question that has been asked as a tutorial or interpreted as such by the community.
If you look at it you can immediately see that to answer it, one would have to go into depth to explain various settings and options as we don't simply want to throw information out there without properly explaining it. This question is especially vague.
Here is a not so ideal question but valid example for an ideal example question that merits some explaining. How do I take a flat model and wrap around an axis like a wheel?
At first the title is vague but the OP explicitly says in the question he is using modifiers, the scope was immediately set and this eliminated any other lengthy answers that could have been posted such as modeling the object manually, using splines or spinning/lathing etc.
Also see What would be wrong with tutorials as long as they describe a reusable workflow?
Proposal for questions that merit or require a detailed answer.
- Try to be as explicit as possible or limit your question to specific areas you don't understand or have problems with. The closer your problem is to whatever you want, the easier it is for someone to give a nice indepth reply. Some examples.
Proposal for answers to questions that merit or require a detailed answer.
In answering a question that merits some explanation:
If it is on-topic and limited to set way(s) of doing so, I propose that we answer but only with a maximum of three (5) or thereabout steps, each of about 5 lines (inclusive of visual aids). See my answer as an example, I do not need to go much into detail as the controls for the modifiers are extremely clear and simple.
All this being said, there has been a post started that will be a reference for users, new or experienced looking for tutorials or introduction to topics in Blender.
NB. Again, this is all off the top of my head and as per suggestions and comments picked up around the site. I can be completely wrong or off in some cases, feel free to leave suggestions and I will improve upon this, but we need a post to draw the line between definitive answers and tutorials.
