The Renderfarm

iKlsR

22:00

@David Ok. Normally I don't micro manage comments but if it's outdated no need to keep it.

stacker

@iKlsR how are you doing?

David

@NoviceInDisguise blender.stackexchange.com/a/23211/2217 do you think he will still have questions about how to animate the rotation?

iKlsR

@stacker hey, not bad.

stacker

@iKlsR same here

NoviceInDisguise

@David I don't think so ;-)

David

22:03

we will see

NoviceInDisguise

He shouldn't, lets put it that way :-P

stacker

@iKlsR Do we accept hardware questions?

David

@NoviceInDisguise it is kind of like user blender.stackexchange.com/users/9718/beavoru, who asks a lot of questions on whatever he is working on. Only this guy does not know the SE system, or blender.

stacker

@iKlsR A beginner tutorial question was rejected within minutes

NoviceInDisguise

@David Exactly

David

22:05

@stacker were you talking about this question blender.stackexchange.com/q/23208/2217?

stacker

@David No, this one blender.stackexchange.com/questions/23207/…

David

O, I did not reject it.

but how it that a "beginner tutorial question"?

iKlsR

@stacker No, that reminds me. We need a close reason for hardware.

NoviceInDisguise

Yes

iKlsR

blender.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic

18

A: What questions should be definitely off-topic?

Per suggestions and discussions, those that should definitely be off-topic are: 1. Requests for tutorials and lengthy HOW-TO's1 Can anyone make a tutorial on doing X? How can I animate a short film in Blender? 2. Package or software comparison questions Which is better for doing X, Max or ...

stacker

22:07

Too clearify this the beginner questions is: blender.stackexchange.com/questions/23205/blender-documentation (rejected)

The hardware is: blender.stackexchange.com/questions/23207/…

David

@stacker ok, now I'm with you. was lost in the questions, that got posted here.

NoviceInDisguise

It was deleted for a reason, and explained in the comments . . .

stacker

I would prefer to accept hardware questions in a limited (tdb) range.

David

@iKlsR I dont think you ever responded to my modeling-tools tag idea.

@stacker I agree, I do not think hardware should be flat out rejected.

gandalf3

I'd say we shouldn't just close any question with the word 'hardware' or 'gpu' in it, but rather based on what the question is about. e.g. "Is this GPU better than this GPU?" is more about hardware/GPUs than blender. However "Why is this GPU better for cycles than this GPU?" seems more about blender.

Though it's still a fine line

NoviceInDisguise

22:12

@gandalf3 I agree

stacker

@David Do you have a suggestion? I'm thinking about a resource question which is maintained as hardware develops. Perhaps with a timeline so users could see what performance gain they could expect on investing for a new GC

David

@stacker something along the lines of what gandalf3 so eloquently just wrote.

Vince Scalia

i'm on library computer. it has chrome :)

@David I think we should know the minimum req.s for blender and post them in a question, then whenever someone asks about hardware we can refer them there.

iKlsR

5

Q: What should our custom off-topic close reasons be?

Custom close reasons have been live for a while now. We currently have 2 of the (3) given in use but a recent surge in questions being closed has prompted the need for a few more that are more tailored to address specific questions/close reasons instead of writing up why it is off-topic everytime...

Trying to get a hardware template approved so no more long typing.

Vince Scalia

@iKlsR exactly. someone could update it with each new release.

iKlsR

22:19

@David This has been discussed from the beginning of time, it's too hard too support these.

There can be so many things wrong on the users end.

Which is why we have several canonical posts and point users to the forums.

David

ok so they are off topic. But what about posts like this or this where we know the answer.

iKlsR

@David We are smart enough to differentiate questions with definitive answers I would think in most cases.

@David I would think the second question should be the one closed.

..

But for the majority, it's just guesswork, check this and that.

David

ok so hardware is off topic, if there is not a hard answer.

that works for me

iKlsR

@David define "hard"

If you can't answer with FACTS then no

If the answer has maybe or check this or tick that then It's probably OT

David

definitive

stacker

22:25

@iKlsR metal as in CPU,GPU and OS ;-)

iKlsR

@stacker get out!

:P

stacker

lol

David

that is not what I ment, but it is funny

@iKlsR now can we go back to this?

17 mins ago, by David

@iKlsR I dont think you ever responded to my modeling-tools tag idea.

iKlsR

@David Oh, forgot, what about it exactly

Isn't that basically modeling

stacker

I see it is really hard too define the limits of scope, when I tried to compile on windows I failed and knew someone here knows how to do it. When I spend some money for a new graphics card and it was a flop someone knew it.

David

22:28

I think there should be a difference between question about things such as the knife tool and just modeling.

iKlsR

@David If it's prefixed with an existing general tag name, probably not a good idea.

@David What do you use the knife tool to do? Or what process is it used in?

Aha

David

2 days ago, by David

I know you are against it, but how about a modleing-tools tag, simaler to what we have for selection tools.

iKlsR

@stacker We won't abandon them completely but keep in mind we are a Q&A site, not a discussion forum with countless back and forth to resolve issues.

@David selection-tools is good, @gandalf3 argued long and hard for that one. You select in all areas of Blender, it's not confined to the viewport, how many areas do you use the knife tool or the spin tool?

stacker

@iKlsR I was active for a couple of years on SO I know this, just trying to find a possible solution, like canonical resource question, or at least tag-wiki.

gandalf3

@iKlsR blender.stackexchange.com/search?q=knife+is%3Aquestion

iKlsR

22:32

@stacker We have canon Qs

@stacker Can always create new ones as well

@gandalf3 all modeling

gandalf3

hmm

stacker

@iKlsR This try was closed blender.stackexchange.com/questions/14757/… and therefore no longer maintained.

iKlsR

@stacker that looks ok to me

I can reopen and make entire post wiki

gandalf3

IMO it would be good at this point to start allowing some more specific modeling related tags

David

that is my point, way should every question that can fall under modeling, go in to a modeling tag? Is it not a better thing to break up this category.

gandalf3

22:35

modeling has over 700 questions

iKlsR

@David @gandalf3 and I spent weeks arguing this

gandalf3

Yes, but that was a while ago now

David

modeling is our second biggest tag at 771.

iKlsR

I don't know what made him see the light eventually, but he did

David

who see what light?

gandalf3

22:35

IIRC at the time we decided not yet

iKlsR

@gandalf3 yep

stacker

@gandalf3 is this about meta.blender.stackexchange.com/questions/286/… ?

gandalf3

But we appear to have about 30 knife questions alone, which is more than a good bunch of our other tags

iKlsR

@David on second thought it might not be too bad to break up the modeling tag

David

is it really best that any question about any part of modeling is dumped it to that large 771 pile of questions?

2

iKlsR

22:37

The thing is, these modeling-tools questions will be accompanied by modeling.

@David search is pretty good

David

@iKlsR so, rendering is used along side cycles or BI

gandalf3

modeling-tools might not be clearly distinct enough from modeling

iKlsR

@David isn't rendering a general thing, there are theoretical questions for rendering

while cycles and bi are rather specific

so not in all cases

gandalf3

I'd say modeling is about workflow, techniques, and modeling-tools is about technical aspects like how to do something specific (e.g. 90° joint), how a tool works, etc.

David

@iKlsR exactly, modeling is general, and there are many parts of modeling that are rather specific.

stacker

22:39

BI is a discontinued model

someonewithpc

@gandalf3 When you're modelling, you use modelling tools; and vice versa - it's redundant

iKlsR

^

gandalf3

1 min ago, by gandalf3

I'd say modeling is about workflow, techniques, and modeling-tools is about technical aspects like how to do something specific (e.g. 90° joint), how a tool works, etc.

However I do think that this is too subtle

iKlsR

@David Find something that stands out more then

gandalf3

knife?

someonewithpc

22:41

@gandalf3 I highly doubt a new person to the site would realize the difference

gandalf3

Exactly

stacker

@gandalf3 What are the tools? I would vote for different operator tags while the site grows.

David

I only brought up modeling-tools because iklsr is against tool specific tags, like knife

someonewithpc

@stacker It becomes too narrow

iKlsR

@gandalf3 we talked about this for hours

so after knife

we have spin

then bevel

gandalf3

22:42

I'd say we should make tags based on what questions are being asked

stacker

@iKlsR Katana

iKlsR

then dozens of useless micro tags

gandalf3

If there are tons of questions for each of those micro tags, then they aren't micro tags

someonewithpc

52 secs ago, by someonewithpc

@stacker It becomes too narrow

David

not so fast.

@gandalf3 has a point, we have over 30 knife tool questions, why not look at a tag in that perspective.

gandalf3

22:43

@iKlsR blender.stackexchange.com/search?q=bevel+is%3Aquestion

stacker

@iKlsR only 15 or 20

gandalf3

@stacker I got more like 60

42 secs ago, by gandalf3

@iKlsR http://blender.stackexchange.com/search?q=bevel+is%3Aquestion

iKlsR

@gandalf3 half of those are fluff

@David I like the idea

gandalf3

@iKlsR 30 then, but I'm not sure what you mean by "fluff"

stacker

@gandalf3 different modifier tags? besides knife operator`?

I would suggest to try a tag on the highest scoring ones

iKlsR

22:45

@David So say we introduce modeling tools, it will also become a general tag soon

David

yes, there would be no limit, the user base will drive the tags, if everybody asks about some obscure feature then it is no longer obscure.

iKlsR

@gandalf3 as in bevel is mentioned but the Q is not necessarily about beveling

gandalf3

I think modeling-tools is too much like modeling

someonewithpc

@gandalf3 ^^

iKlsR

and once it does it will be redundant

someonewithpc

22:46

7 mins ago, by someonewithpc

@gandalf3 When you're modelling, you use modelling tools; and vice versa - it's redundant

David

@gandalf3 alright, so just drop the modeling-tools idea

iKlsR

Reason why we never did break up modeling is there's no good clean way to separate the content

gandalf3

@iKlsR True, not everything in a quick search is applicable for a tag

David

in favor of more specific tags.

iKlsR

If you can figure out that, then great

gandalf3

22:47

But it gives an idea

stacker

blender.stackexchange.com/search?q=array 257

David

@stacker we had an array tag...

stacker

blender.stackexchange.com/search?q=bevel 220

David

@NoviceInDisguise blender.stackexchange.com/questions/23199/…

what did we say

and what should I say

gandalf3

@stacker You have to at least limit by only questions

iKlsR

22:50

You know what

I think it might not be such a bad idea to break up modifiers

stacker

Yes, ok my bad

iKlsR

I mean we have a limited amount.

gandalf3

@stacker blender.stackexchange.com/search?q=array+is%3Aquestion

iKlsR

Not sure how tho

David

@iKlsR this is interesting, you were dead set against it last time the three of use talked.

gandalf3

22:51

We need a SQL expert

To write us up some query so we can see what modifiers are most mentioned in titles and whatnot

iKlsR

@David which was when exactly?

stacker

Some rough estimations should do it, maybe a count of 100 would qualify for a more detailed tag.

David

@iKlsR It will take me a bit to go back in the chat to find it.

gandalf3

We only have 140 tags. For comparison, GD has 420

stacker

@iKlsR management tactics?

iKlsR

22:55

@gandalf3 gd is a graduated site with at least 3 - 4 times our traffic

also GD isn't one software

gandalf3

True.

stacker

@iKlsR As we started they had 20k views/day and were still in beta

iKlsR

@David My main concern is redundancy

gandalf3

@iKlsR But it's one of the newest graduated sites, and it's about the closest to us I could find

@iKlsR If we end up with tags that are total duplicates, the system has ways to merge them

But I think a little redundancy is good, e.g. rendering and cycles

There's a sort of hierarchy to it

iKlsR

@gandalf3 there will always be special cases we can't help

stacker

23:03

After a an detailed discussion, shouldn't we define a question for meta.

someonewithpc

@stacker I don't think it does; try another language :P

David

@stacker it works, but I dont think we are dont yet.

stacker

gtg o/

iKlsR

o/

That could work

David

@iKlsR I think this is the discussion that I was talking about

gandalf3

23:11

o/

Proog

0

Q: Can we change the close message of the "bug report" close reason?

This question appears to be off-topic because it is a bug report and not an actual question. These should be reported to Blender's tracker instead. Emphasis mine We usually close questions which were asked buggy behavior as bug reports, regardless of whether or not the question was not phra...

discussion close-reasons

iKlsR

23:27

Damn more dead links.

user2859

23:40

o/

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