Documentation - User Guide - unofficial .pdf

[stoneage]

I recently spent half an hour converting the user guide to .pdf

All I did was copy the web pages to a text document and export it. I didn't want to make any changes to the layout, so many of the page breaks fall in inconvenient places, and all the links still link to the website.

I have also uploaded the source .odt if you want to make any changes to it for your own use.

The (Unofficial) .pdf is here:-
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1934813/yafa ... -guide.pdf

...and the .odt:-
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1934813/yafa ... /source.7z

If you find any problems with it please let me know.

[Samo]

LOL you beat me for a couple of minutes, I have been working on it as well
http://static.yafaray.org/guide/YafaRay_011_guide.zip

[stoneage]

lol, wow, what are the chances of that happening?

Yours looks much nicer though, I humbly yield...

[Samo]

In fact I have been reformating some parts of the guide the last days so everything fits in a page, without any table exceding 550 pixels, and just this evening I could make the PDF and host it.

If you keep the current headings structure, the PDF automatically adds the index. You only have to add the general title of each section using 'heading 1'

I have added the PDF to the docs. Anway thanks Stoneage.

Would you like to produce PDF of tutorials?

[IkariShinji]

If there is enough interest, I would volunteer to translate the user guide to German.

Although I have to admit that this job might take some time: I'm somewhat busy at the moment and would do this successively on the weekends.

[Samo]

Thanks IkariShinji !

In fact everything is ready to allow for translations except from some minor unimportant details. If you open a guide section, at the top you will find a 'translate' option.

As the guide is divided into sections, I believe you should avoid taking on the whole guide, and focus your effort on translating only one section, for instance the one you think is the most important or the one you like the most.

This will help many people, since the section translated will be helpful enough, but at the same time it does not require from you a long term committment and sustained effort.

[victorphellipe]

Woooooooooooow! It looks pretty much complete. I'll post it in my blog right now, thanks everybody who's work(ing) on.

[condar]

Thanks IkariShinji !

In fact everything is ready to allow for translations except from some minor unimportant details. If you open a guide section, at the top you will find a 'translate' option.

I can´t find that option .....

[Samo]

Sorry, you are right Condar
It will be available very soon

[loh]

Thanks both of you for the hard work at the pdfs and especially for writing the documentation. I am not sure how you made the pdfs but they seem to be more or less formated the same as the html version. Would anyone be interested in a LaTex reproduction I have been considering making? I believe that this would make them look more native to pdf and more suitable to print.

[Samo]

Hi Loh

Thanks for your offer!

However, since there is going to be yet another integration method for Blender 2.5, I suspect lot of guide screenshots will change within months. That's why I believe the current PDF is a bit provisional.

Besides, we have used Open Oficce cos it allows html linked images in the document.

Anyway, if you want to try and it does not take too much time, yes for sure go for it. BTW, what a LaTex reproduction is?

[loh]

LateX is a markup language for high quality typesetting through TeX. It makes good looking documents and is widely used in a number of fields like physics and computer science. It has support for all kinds of good things like automatic table of contents at multiple levels and other internal references, custom environments, internal and external hyperlinks and even stuff like automatic bibliography generation.

Here is a quick mockup I made with the basic article document class. It contains the .tex file as well if anyone is interested in it.

[Samo]

Loh, that's really neat!

two questions though, does it take much time? also how does it behave with tables?

[loh]

For a user with a bit of practice, Latex can be comparable to composing something in word speed wise. Some things are slower and some are faster. Tables look very good and are fully featured in terms of formating, however they can be quite cumbersome to make especially for very large arrays so data tables should be avoided. I think that the current tables of few by a few cells wouldn't be that bad. Openoffice can export to LaTeX, this might be useful for the tables if they are already there. However i wouldn't use that method for making the entire thing as you lose most of the automatic benefits of researched formating and organization.

[Samo]

Loh, thanks for your answers.

I mean can you copypaste from the wiki inside the program that supports latex, and things get straight up and good looking except from some adjustements here and there?

Anyway, if you want to do it, it will be welcome. I will post it instead of the current one,as it looks very nice and professional. Anyway I would feel sorry for you if it takes too much time, since there are guide changes ahead, that's the obvious advantatge of the wiki.

Maybe if future wiki changes are not very important, you can maintain the latex version without too much work.