Animating a Character Picking Up an Object (on Blendercookie.com)

Blender Tutorials Downloads Videos & Education – Blender Cookie – Animating a Character Picking Up an Object.

HAH! I knew there was a trick to this. Just didn’t know how easy the trick was until I watched David’s tutorial tonight.

Now watch me forget this next time I actually need it.

 

My result from following Patrick Boelens audio visualizer tutorial

Here several weeks ago, I watched Patrick’s fun little tutorial on building an audio visualizer with python. It looked like so much fun, that I had to try it for myself.

So with one hand on the pause button, I built my first audio visualizer. Then of course since I can’t ever just leave anything the way it is, I started um… well messing with it.

First I just changed the grid size, then I changed the song. Then I got a bright idea to create an audio visualizer for my hubby for our anniversary.

Patrick’s tutorial was cool, but grids are just not fun or romantic, so I set about figuring out how to un-gridify it. I’m sure there is a python solution, but until Patrick makes a tutorial for it, it ain’t happening here.

So I played with various ideas:

• hiding/deleting some of the cubes (that works, trust me I played with that option for quite a while)
• adding loop cuts to each cube and deleting faces (that works too, but way too much work )
• different colors for each cube

I ended up deleting cubes to create the heart shape (deletion is done after script is ran and you have your grid). And then I started playing with materials.

My final result is the combination of 3 separate sets of cubes:

• one set to Halo
• one set to wire
• one set to solid, but very low alpha

Creating a kind of over the top, should have known when to stop glowy effect.

All 3 sets of cubes were then put in a reflective box with a low gloss reflections and ran through the compositor (whoo did that part without a tutorial, aren’t you proud ) where I added a bit more glow. Not that it needed more glow, but well I did it anyhow.

Then I spent 3 days waiting for it to render. Sigh.

All said and done, it tickles me to no end and hubby liked it too. Score one for me!

So here is the kicker, I was a bad girl and used a copyrighted song that I love and therefore can’t upload the version I gave to hubby. But I encoded out a section of it without the music and uploaded it to youtube if you are curious to see my finished result.

It was done to the song, “Stuck Like Glue” by Sugarland, which you can find also on youtube   (you can do a search and try to sync up starting both videos at same time ) Or you can just watch the pretty light show.

bye now

Node Compositing Library available at AssistCG.com

I just saw at BlenderNation that AssistCG.com has created a Node Compositing Library. And even better, they are offering it as a free download, along with a pdf that explains how to use it. Very cool.

The library is composed of a nice selection of useful Node groups that can be appended into to your projects or even used as a study aide to poke at and explore.

This library presents node groups and files for color correction, rotoscoping, keying and other video compositing activities. Also there is a small set of effects which demonstrates work with library.

Node Compositing Library

Laplacian Lightning Generator Blender 2.5 at BlenderNation

Laplacian Lightning Generator Blender 2.5 at BlenderNation.

HOLY COW! Would you look at that. I just read on BlenderNation about a Lighting generator add-on.

An ADD-ON that makes Lightning!!!!

Now how cool is that?

At the rate add-ons are added in addition to the speed of Blender development, makes us of the luckiest users ever.

More Information, Blend file and Add-on Script:
http://www.funkboxing.com/wordpress/?p=301

And you can join in the discussion here at BA

Way too cool!

Wanna practice animation, but don’t have a script?

Well I have some good news for you. I was buzzing around on Amazon today looking at all the Blender books now available and saw this new notice about half way down the page I was on.

Of course I didn’t write it down, because that would be entirely too easy, but I did click on the link and that is just as important for now.

Amazon has a new area set up called Amazon Studios, where guess what, they have scripts available for you to play with ( A LOT OF SCRIPTS). And even better, they have all kinds of contests that you can enter for cash prizes and instant fame (okay the fame part is sooo not guaranteed ).

You can even create your own studio space and collaborate with others.

So there you have it, absolutely no excuses left not to get animating.

bye now