Sisyphus Revision: Lifting the stone to the top of the tree

[Reqrefusion]

This great feature had to finally come to the home page, and it came to the home page with two of the best possible examples. I think I made @marcuspollio's job a little harder, or rather, it made my job harder too :D

The first animation is the best possible version of an animation of the f16 landing gear made by ppemawm. It feels like it is landing on the ground. The movement in the animation and the movement on the page are very compatible with each other. I've wanted to do this for a long time, but I kept postponing it.

The second is probably why this is happening. Thank you to Kris Wilk for doing such a great thing, he was also kind enough to send me high quality images so I could push the system to its limits. I converted a 16-second HD video and made it like this. Cleaning the background of more than 450 images was a complete ordeal. However, the main challenge was to reduce the file size, unfortunately I could only reduce it to 10 MB. Since this was a bit much for me, I also created a file with only single frames. I used the second one when they didn't make much difference visually. Even 5mb is a bit much, but I think it's worth it. It has a particularly addictive point and kept me on the page for a long time to understand what was coming from where. There is also a very small joke.

Due to the screen size on mobile, it looks better there.

They can also be changed, provided that the first image is on the left.

Apart from these, the relevant articles could be improved a little, but I found the message tried to be given good. I was impressed by @yorikvanhavre's 1.0 article, and some parts are directly referenced there. I also love the word shackles. Any changes can be made in these sections.

You can access the relevant page here.

ScreenRecorderProject1_709.mp4

[kriswilk]

@Reqrefusion Thanks for your kind words. You did a tremendous job isolating the content from all the frames of my video -- it looks great!

That said, I worry that even at 5MB the sprite sheet may be prohibitively large on slower internet connections. Even on my 1 Gbps connection scrolling the page pauses for a couple of seconds at that panel.

I notice that the the sprite sheet has >200 sprites. Although it makes for a wonderfully smooth animation, it might be best to reduce the sprite sheet to a fraction of its size. My original animated GIF only had 24 frames which might be an the low side, but maybe experimenting at 30-50 is worth a try?

Another possible optimization would be to mask out the black tabletop, leaving just the 3D-printed support structures. This would reduce the image content considerably. Not sure how it would look visually, just a thought.

[Reqrefusion]

@kriswilk thank you for your kind feedback. This is also related to the slowness of my own server and its distance from you, but yes, its size is very large. Actually, this is a choice because this is the furthest lossless size reduction can come. I preferred it to be fluid this way. But of course a better middle ground can be found.

The current number of frames is now 225 and the size is 5.03 mb. When we halve it, the number of frames becomes 113 and the size becomes 2.5mb(I tried it and it works on 1.7. Technology surprises us more and more every day.). When we halve it, the number of frames becomes 57 and the size becomes 1.25mb. Of course, I haven't tried these yet, it may be lower. Maybe 113 frames would be good, 57 frames would also be quite acceptable. I don't find the range between 30-50 very good, you should at least try these. Of course, another method is to reduce the resolution.

Later, I changed it to 113 frames, which seems fine, both in terms of size and fluidity. Clear cache or try in incognito tab to make it look correct.

I tried removing black tabletop it disrupts visual perception. There seems to be a need for such an object because there is a visual illusion. I think it is of critical importance that he stays.

[yorikvanhavre]

The animations are gorgeous, and the final file size seems acceptable.
I'm less sure of the texts, maybe the @FreeCAD/design-working-group could have a look?

[kriswilk]

@Reqrefusion The reduced file size with 113 frames is better. I just noticed that some of the sprites have the edges of the irregular beige supporting turntable masked out. If you have the time to do it, I would suggest removing these from each frame. A less time-consuming alternative would be to restore them in the few frames they are missing. Otherwise they pop in/out at certain moments.

I agree with @yorikvanhavre that @FreeCAD/design-working-group could be consulted about the text. I like the idea of highlighting FreeCAD's readiness for both professional and hobby/maker use, all without any limitations or costs. But the exact wording could be refined for greater impact.

[Reqrefusion]

@Reqrefusion The reduced file size with 113 frames is better. I just noticed that some of the sprites have the edges of the irregular beige supporting turntable masked out. If you have the time to do it, I would suggest removing these from each frame. A less time-consuming alternative would be to restore them in the few frames they are missing. Otherwise they pop in/out at certain moments.

Oh yes, I did this. It was an extremely tedious process, but it worked. I didn't delete these because they give a much better feeling of turning.

I'm less sure of the texts, maybe the @FreeCAD/design-working-group could have a look?

I agree with @yorikvanhavre that @FreeCAD/design-working-group could be consulted about the text. I like the idea of highlighting FreeCAD's readiness for both professional and hobby/maker use, all without any limitations or costs. But the exact wording could be refined for greater impact.

Since my native language is not English, I cannot preserve the texts that much, but I think the emphasis in the texts is very appropriate, and each sentence has been prepared with deeper meanings. As a general concept, as soon as I saw the gingerbread house, I thought I should make this concept. On one side is the F16 landing gear and on the other side is something different made of gingerbread. Both are impressive, but it is inspiring to see both of them in different ways, one under the other. Of course it can be improved, let me talk to a friend of mine who is a literary writer. I also like the word shackles, I mentioned above.

I rewrote two of them.

In the meantime, I went to Blender's site to look at something else. One is truly amazed; while it is a much more suitable platform for doing such things, you are faced with a static, standard WordPress interface. These animations and the system I work with make it both more fun and more attractive. Because basically the human visual system is based on movement, and I think these animations activate it. In addition, while Blender prefers complex screenshots, which I think is something that will prejudice the viewer, these flying objects give the impression that they can be made as soon as you open the program.

[Reqrefusion]

@yorikvanhavre I changed the text, how are they now, it would be great to have them on the website before Christmas. Maybe we need an extra creative writing team :D.

[MisterMakerNL]

Just use AI, you get super blend text out of it. But that that is something you would expect on a website about a CAD program.

[Reqrefusion]

Just use AI, you get super blend text out of it. But that that is something you would expect on a website about a CAD program.

I tried it and it gives very general things. My writing is better.

[Reqrefusion]

@yorikvanhavre I think it's unfair to deprive these beauties from the homepage. I suggest you merge this PR and create an issue for the text, if you like the final version of the articles. You can also accept previous versions.

[Reqrefusion]

I think the writing problems here are completely superficial. I have also created an issue for this. It would be better to merge them and fix them in the future.

[Reqrefusion]

I also changed the texts. Newly handled it was quite attractive and convincing. I don't see any problems with them. I still don't understand why this is waiting.

[Reqrefusion]

I don't see any problems in the same way. I do not see an objection. I don't understand why it's waiting.

[Reqrefusion]

What will be the fate of this PR, @yorikvanhavre?

[yorikvanhavre]

I would still prefer some native english speaker to give a reviewing at the texts. Being not a native speaker myself, I'm not sure...

[Reqrefusion]

I would still prefer some native english speaker to give a reviewing at the texts. Being not a native speaker myself, I'm not sure...

Have you looked at the final texts, @yorikvanhavre? I had the final versions written by a friend of mine who does official translations of novels and poetry from English to Turkish and from Turkish to English, and is also a writer.

[yorikvanhavre]

I did... Things like it finally has become official publishing version 1.0. look strange to me... But again, I'm no native speaker

[Reqrefusion]

I did... Things like it finally has become official publishing version 1.0. look strange to me... But again, I'm no native speaker

Sorry, I fixed it. @yorikvanhavre

[furgo16]

Perhaps as an idea to unblock it: are there any native English speakers available on the @FreeCAD/design-working-group with some time to review this PR?

As a non-native speaker, there are a few things that strike me in those texts:

• start doing all your professional work as a real owner => unsure what it is meant with real owner here
• say goodbye to your shackles => I feel the analogy to someone chained here is not appropiate. A more neutral one would be best.

These are just two specific illustratory examples, though. The main point is that these are texts that will be rather visible on the front page, and that will contribute defining the FreeCAD brand. Even if we don't have a professional copy writer, I feel they should be reviewed in depth. It would also be a good opportunity to create a set of copywriting guidelines for FreeCAD materials, if someone would be inclined to do so.

Another thought: if the copy review is going to take some time, could the texts be decoupled from the code changes on this PR, so that they are not blocked by it?

[Reqrefusion]

Perhaps as an idea to unblock it: are there any native English speakers available on the @FreeCAD/design-working-group with some time to review this PR?

As a non-native speaker, there are a few things that strike me in those texts:

• start doing all your professional work as a real owner => unsure what it is meant with real owner here
• say goodbye to your shackles => I feel the analogy to someone chained here is not appropiate. A more neutral one would be best.

These are just two specific illustratory examples, though. The main point is that these are texts that will be rather visible on the front page, and that will contribute defining the FreeCAD brand. Even if we don't have a professional copy writer, I feel they should be reviewed in depth. It would also be a good opportunity to create a set of copywriting guidelines for FreeCAD materials, if someone would be inclined to do so.

Another thought: if the copy review is going to take some time, could the texts be decoupled from the code changes on this PR, so that they are not blocked by it?

The term real owner can be explained as follows: for example, the real owner of a house is the person who owns the title deed to the house, that is, the de jure owner. However, the de facto owner of the house is the person who pays the rent and actually uses the house, that is, the tenant. He stays in the house and takes care of everything, looks after it and does pretty much whatever he wants with it. But at the end of the day, the real owner is not the tenant.

As for the Shackle issue, the analogy used is a product of a literary choice. It may not appeal to the tastes of all readers. It is possible to say that the connotation it creates is negative. In that case, if we use a more neutral expression as you stated, we can avoid the analogy by using the phrase "get rid of your burdens" directly.

Of course, I would choose shackle because it is used as the opposite meaning of freedom in literature. There is little expression that describes being free from getting rid of shackles. I can't think of a better anology for FreeCAD.

[Reqrefusion]

There has been a discussion regarding the writing here from the very beginning; for this reason, I have made corrections as much as I could, and I believe the final version is quite appealing. DWG has been tagged many times, but there has been no feedback to "resolve the issue" during this time. I believe the texts here are acceptable. In this regard, I suggest merging this PR, and if anyone is uncomfortable with the writings, they can make changes later. Otherwise, I do not think the desired "correction" will come. Considering the expected time, I believe it should either be merged or closed, @yorikvanhavre.