What's Polycount's rules on separating issues to different threads?

bitinn

I come from a programming background, so I am more used to the One Issue One Thread model.

But I understand in a forum this leads to me creating multiple threads, which is not nice to other members.

What's the rule on this? Allow thread topic to diverge, or splitting threads?

(You can imagine a beginner like me will discover many questions along the way...)

(For example, I was learning character modelling but then found out I need to learn rigging to test deformation, and then found out I need to turn A-stance character to T-stance because of HumanIK...)

throttlekitty

Generally, one thread per issue is the way to go, but sometimes a thread ends up on a journey so to speak. Maybe to learn G you need to learn F first, and maybe rethink B while you're at it. Assuming B is some basic thing, it's probably not worth starting a thread on B, since it's contextually helping the topic on G.

Personally I think it's hard to not to be an asshole when threads like "Ok, I tied my left shoe, now what?" show up. And on the flipside, it's impossible to search for anything close to "advanced" in something like Photoshop, where every single search result is "Super basic rewrite tutorial on one of the keywords you're searching for"

bitinn

I often find that "keyword + site:polycount.com" on Google will yield pretty good result, on factual questions like "whether I can do A", someone would have tried it before me.

On the other hand, opinion/workflow questions are hard because no one seem to agree on a set direction (which is the same for programming topics, but evaluating pro/con of different approach is easier for me...)

PS: I search long and hard for that HIK question but no one seem to touch on an answer:

@Warheart: HIK (in maya/motionbuilder) actually requires that the skeleton be in T-pose during characterisation for best results. Normally the character will be moved to T-pose from whatever pose they were modelled in after skinning for this process though.

I know that, but how do they change from A-pose to T-pose with a bare mesh? No one is talking about that workflow (as far as my searches go).

That's my frustration as beginner in general I guess...

JordanN

Edit: I just realized it was about issues not questions. 

I very rarely see a thread split and so the thread usually diverges into the new issue until there's an answer.

CrackRockSteady

^^ lol

Eric Chadwick

There's no hard rule. Just observe threads for a bit to see how it's done.

You character issue could simply be a thread title like "[Maya] HumanIK character pose modeling?". That would get the most knowledgeable eyeballs into your thread, which is what you want.

You could also try to step back from your own issue and see the larger picture, then make your thread about that. "Character modeling for rigging?" for example.

Some advice here about thread titles.
http://polycount.com/discussion/63361/information-about-polycount-new-member-introductions/p1#use

Mods can't be everywhere at once. We see some things. But we also rely on the community to let us know if something needs moderation, like splitting. So feel free to contact one of us, or use the Flag: Report button.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Polycount:About#The_Polycount_Crew

bitinn

I changed my thread title to narrow down the scope of my question (again).

I want to set a broader question like Eric suggests, but I find that broader question often diverge into multiple topics, and the context is often lost, so I end up getting answers only tangentially related to my issues...

Eric Chadwick

I read some of your IK thread. Looks like you're getting excellent feedback, and a lot of it.