Josh English wrote:
> 
> I've seen a few projects that seem to pop up a lot.. or at they appera
> to be coincidences... so I began to wonder:
> 
> What kind of scenes did other people use to learn POV-Ray? If I were to
> teach a class on it, what kind of assignements could be given?
> 
> Most of the sunsets I've seen recently on this ng also include some
> variation of "in learning how media works..." and there seems to be a
> tendency for people to test their CSG with chessboards...
> 
> Am I delusional? If not, what kind of scenes have you worked on to learn
> the language of POV?
> 
> --
> Josh English
> eng### [at] spiritonecom
> www.spiritone.com/~english

  I was a kid in a candy store. I tried anything and everything. If I couldn't
make it work I ignored it and moved on to something else. I rendered some of
the example scenes if the description looked like it was something fun. I
changed the examples to see what would happen. There were no limits to what
I wouldn't try or care if it didn't behave as expected. I ran amuck and was
out of control. Each new scene an adventure to be explored, new ideas were
formulated to try in the next adventure, and the previous play discarded.
Exploitation was the name of the game and if it couldn't be exploited or
controlled it was used anyway just because it was uncontrollable. No notes
were taken, no presence of forethought applied, not a sense of continuity
shown anywhere. Mad and total chaotic enthusiasm was the rule and nothing
intentionally acted upon. And all of this in the first day !
  Eventually this all faded to a point where further study was needed and a
more thoughtful approach to learning and control evolved. Even this had no
real lesson plan and changed with whatever current whim presented it self.
What happened along the way though was there was more study involved with
each whimsical endeavour and a more skilled artist emerged. Time marched on
to the present day and there are still unlearned functions, new applications
for familiar processes, brave new worlds to conquer and so little time to do
it in.
  So how to advise others in their path of learning when mine seems so
incomplete and in need of advancement ? I can't answer this for you and
maybe no one can. Perhaps it is already in place with the tutorials provided
with the documentation and the examples that are provided. It so far has been
enough for me and failed me at the same time.
  Each person is different and requires a differently structured system to
learn in. You have two basic kinds of people learning the program when new.
Type one is like I described above who wants to play and has a few ideas
about what is needed to do so, still clue less about what is really involved.
This type flutters around like a butterfly sampling different flowers along
the way until either enthusiasm fades and move to other things or realizes
more effort is involved in learning and settles down to get more from the
program . Type two will have a more academic approach, gives thoughtful
consideration to each step and each application, has defined his goals, and 
progresses smoothly from stage to stage until a certain mastery is attained.
  So who do you write to and how do you reach them with the shortest amount
of language used ? Who needs more attention type one or type two ?
Beats me but I wish you luck if you try to figure it out.

-- 
Ken Tyler

mailto://tylereng@pacbell.net

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