Video Tutorials for Beginners and Advanced Users
I
nfinite Skills is a company that offers downloadable and DVD video training for many business software titles. I have recently helped them with a SolidWorks 2012 course. Check out the site to see the Table of Contents with the 106 lesson titles. The materials include models for all the lessons, which include the motorcycle I have used as an example over the last 6 months or so. Other models are also used in the class using castings, machined parts and plastic parts, as well as some conceptual models to convey ideas.
Also to be released this week is an Advanced course, which will include 83 lessons on the following topics:
Chapter 1: Advanced Multibody
Chapter 2: Surfacing Primer
Chapter 3: Complex Shapes and Surfacing
Chapter 4: Working with Solids and Surfaces
Chapter 5: Advanced Solid Features
Chapter 6: Master Model Techniques
Chapter 7: Advanced Mates
Chapter 8: Assembly Tools
Chapter 9: File Management
Chapter 10: Top-Down Design
Chapter 11: Advanced Assemblies
Models for this course will be diverse, from the full face helmet to an engine assembly, among others.
Matt, You are a star. I prefer books.
@Alin
Book publishers take all the profit out of writing hard copy books. Authors make next to nothing on books unless you sell hundreds of thousands. The iBooks are the same thing. Cool format, but Apple robs you blind as an author.
@matt
Thanks Matt. Have you considered trying to create interactive books, like the new iBooks textbooks, where you can have both text and videos?
I know you are an Android fan; the iBook mention was just a reference. 🙂
@Alin
I had an overall outline for the course, and each chapter. So each lesson had a pretty restricted topic. I approached it like a user group presentation. For some of the lessons I wrote a script, but that wound up sounding kind of wooden when I read it. For some I had to do them several times, so I got practice on each topic. The hard part was when the file changed a lot, and matching up views for editing.
Mostly the lessons were recorded live, with video and audio together, but there were some exceptions.
The detailed production was done by their in-house people. When I did stuff for Solid Professor, I just wrote the script, and they recorded them. With Infinite Skills I have more flexibility, but also had to worry about stuff like neighbors mowing the lawn, the fish tank gurgling, and had to watch the slang.
The tricky stuff for me was equipment and setup. There’s a big difference between equipment that sounds good and the other kind. I left the editing to the pros.
In some ways video is easier than text and images. The books are still the most detailed. Detailed video would take a lot of planning to make the story line hang together.
Impressive. I watched a few videos and I like the way you present the material.
Can you share a few tips on how you created the videos? Did you follow a script? Did you record the video separate from the audio?
How long does it take to produce just one of the 5-10 minutes videos?
Thanks, Matt!