Talk:TXMT/Introduction-Analogy
[under construction/ work in progress/ still underdevelopped]
As we found out that there are several methods and concepts with advantages/disadvantages I post in here several trials - Pixelhate, your input needed, others are welcome =) I enlarged the text-font-size a bit, hopefully nicer to read...
To fulfill the needs/ offer analogies/explanations fitting the skills of the one or other creator (level: beginner, average, advanced - experts shouldn't need a prepared analogy anymore) I think offering the result with these 3 types would be easier to follow/understand - so grouping the suggestions correctly is important, too =)
Definition trial - other opinions are welcome - and example of what I mean:
Beginner: *a fitting clear headline like 'Beginner start reading here' LOL* (just started modding, is doing first tutorials and is still quite confused/ overwhelmed)
Average: *a headline which guids the average one to read this text* (already did some things, can prepare packages of average difficulty and wants to find out more possibilities/ starts to edit even more of the package structure)
Advanced: *headline which makes it clear that the advanced modder has to start reading here* (already started to edit the package structure itself, first experiences in complicated things like e.g. anims, slots so this one has already a feeling and understanding for this topic though an overview about the whole possibilities and knowledge how to work with certain parameters etc.is missing/ wanted)
Introduction to the Material Definion (TXMT)
What is it good for - an analogy for fundamental understanding
The Futuristic House
Imagine you live in a futuristic hightech house which is totally computer-controlled. You can adjust so many settings that you need to know the owner's manual first before you can use your house, live in there. Already the available functions and settings for every kind of appearance are too complicated to know about their possibilities. Some of these settings affect others, they interact with each other while other settings are only adjustable when you enabled the main setting for this area and others don't need further choices as they can only be turned on or off.
When you decide you want your house to dye the window glass when the sun shines you enable this option so now you have to adjust additional parameters for it. Do you want to dye the glass only around noon, to protect sensitive plants (only in a certain room?) and how do you want the colour of the dyed glass to behave? Shall it change - when, why and how? When the window glass is dyed do you maybe want the house to turn the light on automatically when you enter a certain room because the glass even decreased it's transparency? Do you want to have plate glass outside while it's matt inside?
Probably you noticed that this 'window glass example' was about Transparency and Reflectivity, even Animation and ordinary texture changes caused by Lightning parameters. That is not all yet: The wall and floor coverings, the surface of your furniture, decoration, your personal stuff, the stories you can read in books, the texture of your plants inside and in your garden, your clothes and even your texture, the color of your skin, everything is managed by the Material Definition (in this futuristic high tech house anyway). The Material Definition - by means of single parameters or groups of them - completely manages every aspect of the appearance of every kind of texture applied to the mesh.
Of course the Material Definition offers tons of possibilities so you can adjust/ tune and of course add these window-setting parameters and many more to your personal wishlish of "hightech house behaviour", though in the Material Definition you only can choose texture relating parameters. Some of them are independent while other choices need further fine tuning. If you decide to switch one of the hightech house behaviour parametes off it will automatically turn off its adjustment- subparameters if there were some. Some parameter are interrelated in a way that changes in one parameter immediately affect the other, related one, others are stand alone parameters and depending on the way you mix your parameter- bundle your windows will behave, look and even work in different ways - to adjust them easily you will understand how to handle the tool for changes like this, the Material Definition, correctly, easily and even in a more efficient way than you probably did before.
(next try, shall be simple/easier:)
A Sim's View Of Things
*getting prepared*
Explaining the TXMT from Sim to Sim who's fresh created and explores his universe
(another trial:)
The Tree's Branches
*getting prepared*
Standard (o-8-15 :P) file tree structure compared with the TXMT
The Sims 2: Behind The Scenes/ Off The Stage
*getting prepared*
compareable to these 'organs of a human talk to each other' stories, want to describe/explain the results with "listening to the program" and it's tasks to display the game... TRON is alive ;)
