LScript community site

[Verminity]

Hello,

I'm talking about this in general in the Lscript forum, but because more traffic comes through here I thought I'd run it past you guys too.

As a reasonably experienced programmer I am quite happy to sit down with a new language and a manual for a couple of days and generally work it into doing what I want it to - however with LScript this process was made more difficult with the lack of real documentation.

What I am proposing is to develop a site that has the structure to hold the following features:

An Lscript manual with information on each of the functions and user added tips and code (see php.net for a good example of this kind of manual)

Downloadable LScripts that are free to use and can be read (ie not compiled) to learn from.

A forum - or a link to the LScript section of this forum

User submitted tutorials

Actually creating the engine for the site in PHP and mySQL won't be a problem and I'm more than happy to do that if there is the desire for a site of this kind.

So what I'm looking for is responses and ideas. Are you a LScript guru who could help with the first draft of the manual? Are you a lightwave artist who thinks LScript would be useful but has had problems learning it because of no real programming background? Are you a lightwave artist who has no real interest in LScript but would like to help with the design and graphics to give something back to the community? Are you a NewTek manual writer who is working on comprehensive documentation for LScript in LW 8 and would rather I didn't do this.

Sorry this has been rather wordy, but I'm not going to go ahead unless there is a desire for this kind of information.

Martin

[faulknermano]

i've written for every lw architecture except shaders and object replacement. i suppose i could help some about the manual.

email me: faulknermano1@yahoo.com

[KillMe]

that would be cool - never been much of a programer but lw is one of the ew thigns taht inspires me to learn i would love to be able to write my own tools - so yes please

thinking on this i was considering doing some programming classes recently and was wondering what the best thing to learn if you want to be in a good postion to start programming lscript afterwards?

[Verminity]

I'm rather new to LScript with is why I'm looking to build a community site as I am in no position to write a complete manual, but from what I can tell it is quite a low level language that doesn't - for example - allow you to write your own functions. So it is easier to get you head around than most other languages.

My programming history goes Macromedia Director's Lingo (great language that is easy to learn but allows you to lots of high level stuff once you get into it - however its syntax is very individual so doesn't transfer well to LScript) Flash's Actionscript (Closer syntax to lscript than Lingo and still a quite easy language, however there are certain ways that it does things that rub me the wrong way and that you won't find in any other language) Java (closest language in syntax to LScript and very powerful, but difficult to learn) and PHP (probably the most commercial language that I know, but it is server side so a bit complicated to get started in and with a different goals to LScript)

C++ will allow you to code your own plugins eventually, but is a really hard language to learn for a beginner.

Basically any language will teach you the logic required to code LScript (If and while loops, arrays etc), if your completely new to programming and only want to learn it to help you with LScript then I'd go with Java or C++ if you want to be more employable as a programmer. Either way the functions in Lscript are completely individual and relate directly to Lightwave so there is no other language that will teach you that except LScript.

Anyway, thanks for the responses, I'm going to be away for the weekend. So I'll have a look on Monday and if I think there has been enough interest to go ahead then I'll get in touch with anyone who has offered to help then.

Cheers

Martin

[fxnut]

Hi Martin,

I know I said I'd help in the last thread, but I just wanted to show my support in this 'higher traffic' thread and to stand up and be counted as offering you support with this project. :)

Hey Newtek, can we hear what you've got to say on this subject? I.e. are you already developing a new LScript manual for LW8? (We don't want to duplicate work with this!) Would you be able to offer any support to us on this? Afterall we would be doing you a favour!

Regards

Andy

[faulknermano]

Originally posted by Verminity
I'm rather new to LScript with is why I'm looking to build a community site as I am in no position to write a complete manual, but from what I can tell it is quite a low level language that doesn't - for example - allow you to write your own functions. So it is easier to get you head around than most other languages.



unless i'm misunderstanding you, you are not accurate. you can write your own functions, both in lscript or in C / C++ and use it in your script.

[kevman3d]

Cool idea - I'd be more then keen to assist in supporting a development site for LScript - Its amazing how many 'tiny' details are missing from the current documentation for LScript, and how a few more examples for some things could really make life a LOT easier for people by clarifying exactly how things worked!

Most my LW development experience was writing .p's in C/C++ (mostly for 5.x), but I've been doing a lot of LScripting in my spare time lately... Its a great tool for quickly making tools and plugins for LW, and I love it! :)

[Verminity]

Hi all,

Well I got back from my weekend away yesterday and I must say that I am a little underwelmed by the support that this idea has recieved.

The way I intended the site to work was with the community building up a strong information resource so that there wouldn't be the need for one overseeing LScript guru to write a lot of the stuff as I am not in a position to do that. However I think with the amount of response that this has got that idea wouldn't work.

I still think there is a need for this, and I am still willing to do all the coding to create the site, but it isn't going to work as a community site and I don't have enough knowledge of LScript to pull it off myself. If anyone wants to write the information for the site I'll set it up, but until I have a couple more years experience coding in LScript I'm ditching the idea.

Thanks to everyone who offered their support

Martin

[fxnut]

Hehe, shame on everyone ;)

Oh well, it was a nice idea. Martin, if I get a bit more time and fancy setting this up myself then I'll give you a shout.

I'm most disappointed that no-one from Newtek offered any response on this. Having said this, I've just read the Readme.txt file that accompanies the LW7.5c (and LScript 2.6) update and it says
-LScript documentation will be made available on the LightWave3D.com website in the coming months. Look for it!
A bit vague as to exactly what they'll be posting to say the least(i.e. is it going to be an incremental documentation or a full re-write?), but I suppose we can only hope.

But I'll ask Newtek once again...


Are you going to do a new set of documentation for LScript when LW8 comes out??


(If I don't get a response here, then I'll try asking in another forum, but I'll come back and post the result here)

Regards

Andy

[faulknermano]

waiting for lw8 may be a good idea. you never how much has changed.

[Chuck]

Originally posted by fxnut
Are you going to do a new set of documentation for LScript when LW8 comes out??

Hi, Andy!

We certainly do plan to improve all areas of documentation in the LightWave [8] cycle, and that includes the documentation for LScript.

[fxnut]

Hi Chuck!

Brilliant! Thanks for your response Chuck. You've just saved us from a lot of work, and given me another reason to upgrade to LW 8 when it comes out! :D

Best wishes

Andy

[amorano]

Originally posted by Chuck
Hi, Andy!

We certainly do plan to improve all areas of documentation in the LightWave [8] cycle, and that includes the documentation for LScript.


And may I inquire as to any update to the SDK documentation? I hope we forget not those who provide plugins and not just Lscripts.

[richpr]

All would probably include the SDK too ;)

[amorano]

Originally posted by richpr
All would probably include the SDK too ;)

Would be more reassuring comming directly fron NT.