Update index.rst

I have reorganized the page putting some paragraphs under their own sections on top of removing some repeated information. I have also removed the Panda3D is not a beginners tool or toy because of the issues discussed in panda3d#17.

Author: raytopianprojects

introduction/index.rst

@@ -3,19 +3,12 @@
 Introduction to Panda3D
 =======================
 
-Panda3D Basics
---------------
-
-Panda3D is a 3D engine: a library of subroutines for 3D rendering and game
-development. The library is C++ with a set of Python bindings. Game development
-with Panda3D usually consists of writing a Python or C++ program that controls
-the Panda3D library.
+Why Panda3D?
+------------
 
 Panda3D was created for commercial game development and is still used for
 developing commercial games. Because of this, the engine needs to emphasize four
-areas: power, speed, completeness, and error tolerance. Everyone knows what
-power and speed are. But completeness and error tolerance deserve some extra
-commentary.
+areas: power, speed, completeness, and error tolerance.
 
 Completeness means that Panda3D contains many unexciting but essential tools:
 scene graph browsing, performance monitoring, animation optimizers, and so
@@ -27,54 +20,39 @@ mistake. Too many engines will just crash if you pass the wrong value to a
 function. Panda3D almost never crashes, and much code is dedicated to the
 problem of tracking and isolating errors.
 
-Finally, to come back to power and speed: to gauge Panda3D's capabilities you
-can take a look at the :ref:`Sample Programs <samples>`. These are short
-programs that demonstrate a sampling of Panda3D's capabilities. The screenshots
-have frame-rates in the upper-right corner, taken on a Radeon X700. Note that
-some samples are old and use placeholder art and so are not great examples of
-Panda3D's visual capabilities.
+Finally, to come back to power and speed: Panda3D is very powerful because it 
+let's you structure your project in the way you want and imposes very few design
+choices on you. As for speed Panda3D is very lightweight in both download
+size and system requirements. It doesn't even need a GPU to render.
+
+Samples
+------
+You can view Panda3D's samples here: :ref:`Sample Programs <samples>`.
+
+History
+-------
 
 Panda3D was developed by Disney for their massively multiplayer online game,
 Toontown Online. It was released as free software in 2002. Carnegie Mellon
 University's Entertainment Technology Center, which currently hosts the website
 and other Panda3D services, was actively involved in the development of Panda3D
-into an open source project. It is now developed jointly by Disney and
-contributors from around the world.
+into an open source project. 
 
-You can read more about Panda3D's :ref:`features`.
+Who is Working on Panda3D
+-------------------------
+
+There are a number of developers in the commercial and open-source community.
+Currently, besides the active contributions from the open-source community, the
+most active member of the development community is Disney. Disney's primary
+interest in Panda3D is commercial. Panda3D is being used in the development of a
+number of Disney games and amusement-park exhibits. To serve Disney's needs,
+Panda3D must be a fully-featured engine, capable of all the performance and
+quality one expects in any 'A-grade' commercial title.
 
-Panda3D is not a Beginner's Tool or a Toy
------------------------------------------
-
-To successfully use Panda3D, you must be a skilled programmer. If you do not
-know what an "API" is, or if you don't know what a "tree" is, you will probably
-find Panda3D overwhelming. This is no point-and-click game-maker: this is a tool
-for professionals. While it is important to point that out so you have accurate
-expectations, it's also relevant to be aware that Panda3D is one of the easiest
-and most powerful engines you will ever use, and we welcome your participation.
-
-If you are just getting started with programming, we suggest that your best
-option is to start with a class on programming. Alternately, you could try
-teaching yourself using a training tool like `Alice <https://www.alice.org>`__,
-from CMU.
-
-Panda3D supports the full range of what modern engines should: it provides
-convenient support for normal mapping, gloss mapping, HDR, cartoon shading and
-inking, bloom, and a number of other things. It also allows you to write your
-own shaders.
-
-People sometimes have the mistaken impression that Panda3D is written in Python,
-which would make it very slow. But Panda3D is not written in Python; it's
-written in C++. Python is just used for scripting. Developers usually write the
-performance-intensive bits, if any, in C++ or something similar
-`Cython <https://www.panda3d.org/blog/panda3d-and-cython/>`__. To see what kind
-of framerate a small Panda3D program typically gets, take a look at the
-screenshots of the :ref:`Sample Programs <samples>`. Those were taken using an
-old Radeon x700. Of course, only a sample program can run at 400 fps like that,
-but for a real game, 60 fps is quite attainable. One caveat, though: to get that
-kind of performance, you need to understand 3D cards and 3D performance
-optimization. It doesn't happen automatically. Panda3D includes profiling tools
-you need to hit 60 fps.
+The most supported language is Python. Though you can use C++ too, the
+documentation is mostly aimed at Python use.
+
+You can read more about Panda3D's :ref:`features`.
 
 Panda3D's Software License
 --------------------------
@@ -95,19 +73,6 @@ also comes with OpenAL which you can use instead of FMOD.
 
 You can read `Panda3D's License <https://www.panda3d.org/license/>`__.
 
-Who is Working on Panda3D
--------------------------
-
-There are a number of developers in the commercial and open-source community.
-Currently, besides the active contributions from the open-source community, the
-most active member of the development community is Disney. Disney's primary
-interest in Panda3D is commercial. Panda3D is being used in the development of a
-number of Disney games and amusement-park exhibits. To serve Disney's needs,
-Panda3D must be a fully-featured engine, capable of all the performance and
-quality one expects in any 'A-grade' commercial title.
-
-The most supported language is Python. Though you can use C++ too, the
-documentation is mostly aimed at Python use.
 
 The Introductory Chapter
 ------------------------