Darren New wrote:
> Does anyone here use blender?

Yes.  Is that a poll?

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Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> Does anyone here use blender?
>

I haven't touched it in a while due to display issues.
I got a new "daytime" laptop with horribly buggy display drivers.  I went and
got some updated ones and I'm no better off. Blender doesn't work properly
without the most advanced video drivers. I've put off trying the customer
support route to fix things until I have a whole day to kill.

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nemesis wrote:
> Darren New wrote:
>> Does anyone here use blender?
> Yes.  Is that a poll?

No. I just spent like 5 hours trying to figure out why something wasn't 
working in spite of something else configured exactly the same was working. 
But in trying to put together a post for the blender forums, I figured out 
which of the 105 things you have to get just right I was getting wrong.

It's a pretty cool program, but anything with a drop-down list picking which 
toolbar you want to work with, followed by toolbars you have to scroll, is 
just *way* too complicated. :-) Maybe if I was a professional, I'd 
appreciate it.

There isn't any way to actually get it to open two OS-level windows on the 
same scene, as in dual-monitor use, is there?

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   "Ouch ouch ouch!"
   "What's wrong? Noodles too hot?"
   "No, I have Chopstick Tunnel Syndrome."

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Robert McGregor wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>> Blender! The animation package for people who thought C++ was a good idea!
> 
> Umm, C++ *is* a good idea (unless maybe you're a functional programming geek
> like Invisible/Orchid XP)!
> 
> And Blender *is* very powerful, just watch one of the cool movies they've made
> over the last couple of years if you doubt it:
> 
> http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/movies/
> 
> I'm starting to think that maybe I'm just not smart enough to use it though,
> heh.
> 
> -Rob
> 
Nah. You just don't think like.... what ever the hell sort of person 
thought Blender's menus, layout and design make sense. I couldn't even 
manage to follow a tutorial on using it for something, because one step 
in it said to do something with textures, which I got wrong the first 
time I tried, got right the second time, after looking for 20 minutes to 
find it, then got wrong the third time again, because I forgot how the 
hell to get to the "right" settings. lol

-- 
void main () {

     if version = "Vista" {
       call slow_by_half();
       call DRM_everything();
     }
     call functional_code();
   }
   else
     call crash_windows();
}

<A HREF='http://www.daz3d.com/index.php?refid=16130551'>Get 3D Models, 
3D Content, and 3D Software at DAZ3D!</A>

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Robert McGregor wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>> Does anyone here use blender?
> 
> Anyway, I know that Sam Benge is pretty good with it,

Who told you this? I certainly didn't say it... I just know how to 
navigate through some of the program. Putting out some good images with 
it is another story... Say, when's the last time you saw something I 
rendered in Blender? :')

> and he's even said before
> that the Blender textures are comparable to Povray's, it's just a different way
> of thinking I guess... Sam, you out there?

Oh no, I do believe I said POV-Ray's texture system was superior in many 
ways to Blender's:
http://news.povray.org/povray.general/thread/%3Cweb.48fdae14f034d1aa519bbb570@news.povray.org%3E/

Each program has its strong points, so it's all a matter of preference. 
  POV-Ray is a much more *fun* environment to experiment in.

Sam

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I just started using the program about 3 months ago and have been liking it. 
The learning curve is steep and navigating through the program sometimes 
makes me want to tear my hair out, but I have been able to do some cool 
things with it. I uploaded a few animations to youtube. Here's one and it 
should have links for my other ones next to it (username dig3d)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqmRT87HhtE

Mike


"Darren New" <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote in message 
news:499732e8$1@news.povray.org...
> Does anyone here use blender?
>
> -- 
>   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
>   "Ouch ouch ouch!"
>   "What's wrong? Noodles too hot?"
>   "No, I have Chopstick Tunnel Syndrome."

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Patrick Elliott wrote:
> find it, then got wrong the third time again, because I forgot how the 
> hell to get to the "right" settings. lol

I just spent another 15 minutes looking for the button that says "No, 
looking through a transparent texture shows you what's behind it, not just 
the color of the sky."  Again. :-)  Getting there, tho.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   "Ouch ouch ouch!"
   "What's wrong? Noodles too hot?"
   "No, I have Chopstick Tunnel Syndrome."

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stbenge wrote:
> Oh no, I do believe I said POV-Ray's texture system was superior in many 
> ways to Blender's:

It certainly seems easier to understand wtf is going on, at least. And more 
consistent.

> Each program has its strong points, so it's all a matter of preference. 
>  POV-Ray is a much more *fun* environment to experiment in.

Yep, altho I expect I'll be playing with the python interface to blender 
soon. I haven't gotten far enough to get trapped, but Blender definitely 
looks like the kind of program where you build something, "apply" your 
changes, start the next part, and realize you need to fix something from 
before when you "applied" stuff, so now you're kinda screwed going thru a 
lot of manual steps again. Unlike POV, where you'd just fix your source and 
run it again.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   "Ouch ouch ouch!"
   "What's wrong? Noodles too hot?"
   "No, I have Chopstick Tunnel Syndrome."

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Darren New wrote:
> Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> 
>>>> My saturday night LOL! :-D :-D
>>>
>>>
>>> It's not *that* dumb a question. :-)
>>
>>
>> Do you know where you are? :-P
> 
> 
> Yes. Does anyone here use Wings3D?   Blender doesn't totally compete 
> with POV-Ray.  

You're both right.  True POV and Blender are NOT exclusive like the 
Hatfields and the McCoys.  But also true that dual users tend to be more 
about image-making and less about the shear geekiness, software-loyalty 
or otherwise, which seems to define the core of these groups.  I know of 
artists that move between the two technologies, and others, depending on 
the needs of their artwork.  They rarely post here.

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Darren New wrote:
> No. I just spent like 5 hours trying to figure out why something wasn't 
> working in spite of something else configured exactly the same was 
> working.

Best way to get into Blender is to slowly learn your way through both 
its 3D space and through its interface, which is organized in panels 
containing related functionality.  All of it via keyboard, of course.

First time I touched blender there were so many buttons around that I 
felt tempted to just push around some of them so I only accomplished 
horribly distorting the default 3D cube beyond all recognition.  Then, I 
decided to first learn how move around in the 3D space, how to 
manipulate objects in the 3D space, how to add and remove objects, how 
to constraint their 3D transforms to axis or planes.  Took about 1 week, 
I guess.

Then I begin learning edit mode, extruding faces etc.  Later, texturing, 
at which point I first began learning why all those panels below 
(texturing is all about F5 and F6).

Trying to hurry things up won't do any good.

> There isn't any way to actually get it to open two OS-level windows on 
> the same scene, as in dual-monitor use, is there?

I don't know, I'm a single-monitor guy. ;)

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