plugin creation for dummies ie me lol

Red posted some sample code to import a 3d model. Hope that helps:

(Future) custom objects and built-in textures

Also, if you have any experience doing procedural programming then you'll have to wrap your head around what objects are since Java is an object oriented language

Also, I just found an awesome video that explains what objects are. I had so much trouble wrapping myself around objects when i was younger. this video explains it so well. i did't even know that when I thought I was creating an object, i was making a reference to that object. Kinda gives a good insight into how the JVM works so I learned something new today

Quote from ozmods

seriously can someone write a tutorial and use words that "normal" people can understand,

This is a request which pops up regularly, so I am not replying specifically to @ozmods, but perhaps a bit more in general (so, ozmods, please do not take the "you" as specifically addressed to you).

It greatly depends on what you mean by "normal people" and what your background is.

Take for instance a request like "can someone write a tutorial and use words that "normal" people can understand about how to have a conversation in Chinese?" If you have a good command (or are a native speaker) of Viet, things may be relatively simple (ignoring writing, of course...), if you only have a limited knowledge of Tibetan, it will require definitely more details and time; if you never learned another language, well, it is going to take a looooong time, and a lot of patience and perseverance...

Programming languages are languages (of a specific kind); indeed, natural languages are more complex and less rigorously defined, but there are things in common to both, so the analogy has some ground (and many limits, of course).

1) If you have a good command of Java, you only need to learn the peculiarities of a RW plug-in in respect to Java programming in general. And this is mostly covered by @red51 posts at the top of the Plugin Discussion section (there are uncovered aspects, but mostly because the API itself is not finalised yet).

2) If you have a good command of a language widely used and not abysmally different form Java, like C++, you need a crash course focused on learning the differences (specifically, there are good tutorials about the C++-to-Java transition) and then 1).

3) If you only had a limited exposure to some non-object oriented and non-strongly typed language or to some scripting language (like Javascript or PHP; note that HTML is NOT a programming language at all) or have no programming experience at all, then you need a 'real' course on programming in general and about Java specifically, then 1). There are good, free, tutorial collections (almost equivalent to a course) on the net; but expect that the time needed to gain any proficiency is measured in weeks, at best.

There are no effective short-cuts. If you take one today, you will spend more time later by fixing errors you would not have done or understanding why these errors happen and from where (lack of foundation concepts).

Quote from ozmods

I would like to add a few models to RW but if its going to take an engineering a computer science and Stephen hawking to do it, then I have no chance lol.

Nobody in this community is Stephen Hawkins (or at most only one person could be him, assuming he plays RW), still many peoples can contribute nice -- and working! -- plug-ins. The more one knows of the topic, the better/easier/faster it will be, of course; but nothing of this is outside the grasp of an average person.

As an aside: if someone has no experience of programming at all, this might be the occasion to discover a life-lasting interest. But chances are that this someone is not really interested in this approach to things and might find it surely doable, but repulsively boring and devious.

Quote from ozmods

Lol, the stephen hawking bit was tongue in cheek.

As was my comment about it (but being a programmer's tongue -- or a programmer's cheek, who knows --, probably it went unnoticed..)

Quote from ozmods

I didnt realise i would need a programming degree to add models

You don't need a programming degree. If someone plans to come to Italy (let's make a less exotic example, this time...) and wants to interact with peoples here, he doesn't need a PhD in Italian Language and Literature. But he should not expect that a two-page leaflet would explain everything he needs to know about Italian language and customs. If he does, he should expect to make a lot of errors, to waste time, to lack opportunities and so on. Some lessons of Italian would help...

Same (or similar) here. No need to attend a one-year academic programme; but some solid ground to build upon is needed.