First thoughts

Now it's time to mention, that I intend to focus my work on the organisation, design and layout of the manual and not on the creation of content for it.
That's your part! ;) Don't stop reading! g

The manual

This webpage offers lots of content and will be the base of the printed vvvv manual. So the quality of its content is a mayor issue. A nice book with bad content is a no good book!

This brings us to a few things every user could do to help us avoiding that:

• Read as much as possible and report back every flaw you can find or correct them yourself.
• If you think, that certain aspects/information is missing, feel free to create new pages and share your knowledge!

My concern is then to find the best way possible to extract all the articles for the manual, close some missing gaps and then compiling it to the first part of the vvvv manual.

The second part

As already mentioned, the book I'm going to make should consist of more than just a manual and so the showcase for vvvv and everyone working with it comes into play.
A requested part in my diploma is to cover a research topic and because I’m studying “MultiMediaArts”, I have chosen:

The possibilities of a node based programming environment regarding graphic- and motion design

Let me explain:
Create a patch, set some rules and hit “GO”. Your patch creates a series of designs for, let’s say a flyer, and all you have to do is to choose one. Not a big advantage you say? Think bigger!
A patch that creates banners for websites dynamically out of given design rules and some variables (weather data, current prizes, stock markets, whatever). For each webpage its own banner, uploaded via ftp. But Flash can do that! Right, but think bigger!
I’m doing some thinking myself and will provide background information, several example patches, maybe a tutorial and all the help you might need. Yes! You! :)
In the second part of the manual I want to host your ideas and projects to demonstrate, what vvvv can do for print and motion design.
Contribute!!!

If I would have to set a deadline for this, I would say… “In three months: 15.April!”

And, thinking bigger, the centre of my diploma will be the development of a vvvv manual that creates itself and its design directly out of vvvv.
At least a concept and some examples and some semi automatic task should be possible in this time and with a bit of luck...

A big issue is here, that I would need someone, who could help me to do the step between the sql database and an xml file readable in Quark or better InDesign...

Please give me feedback about this part because if nobody likes my idea, I will rather not follow this path any further…

These were some of my first thoughts regarding my diploma. Time isn’t too short (4 months) and I really intend to do manufacture something useful in this period!
I want to create a manual that helps beginners to start less painfully, offers further information for experienced users and holds lots of ideas and inspiring, even for people which have nothing to do with vvvv.

Feedback!
PS: Thanks for reading this stuff!