Dark Scarab

Audio Visualization

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:39:20 -0500

Learn how to create a visualization for your favorite music in Blender. Includes the use of Indirect Lighting and F-Curve Modifiers,

New Tutorial Format, Updated Blender Tutorial

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:15:15 -0500

In the world of Blender tutorials, people can choose between reading a text tutorial or watching a video. My tutorials have always been written tutorials for various reasons. On the other hand, most people would rather watch video tutorials, which is obvious considering how rare it is to see anyone making written tutorials any more.

DS Community Project

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:43:11 -0400

I recently posted a new thread in the forum outlining the new community project. Basically, the project is open to anyone who is a member of the forum and anyone is able to contribute to the project. Even if you don't know squat about Blender, you can still post comments and suggestions on where you think the project should go.

Puppet Master Video

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:24:43 -0400

About a month ago I was contacted by DJM (who is also a member of the forum) and wanted to know if I was interested in making a video for one of his tracks in an EP he recently released. I hemmed and hawed before answering, almost deciding not to. However, I really wanted to do it, so despite having other things to do I did it anyways.

Blender 2.5 HOTSHOT Review

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:45:56 -0400

I recently finished reading Blender 2.5 Hotshot by John Herreño. This book includes 8 different projects and 2 downloadable projects (which anyone can download on this page). For each project there is a description of what you will do in the chapter (the planning stage) and the steps you will take to get to the final render. Then after you going through all the steps, there is a nice review of the key points of what you did in the project and how you could make the final outcome even better.

DS Challenge Error

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:40:58 -0400

Hey all! This morning I was sent an email asking about whether or not their DS Challenge entry made it through. Turns out it didn't and I had made a really dumb mistake when making the entry form. Essentially, none of the information was saved, so on my end it looking like absolutely no one was entering. So, for those of you who had entered, you'll have to enter again. For those of you who have yet to enter, I am extending the deadline to August 14th.

Blender 2.5 Character Animation Cookbook Review

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:57:00 -0400

After reading my last cookbook from Packt, I really looked forward to going through this one, titled Blender 2.5 Character Animation Cookbook and written by Virgilio Vasconcelos. I really like the idea of relatively short sections that can be done fairly quickly. The format allows you to walk away without having to worry about being halfway through a project when you need to take a break. You can do a couple sections, walk away, let it sink in a bit, and come back with a new mini-project to go t...

Using Blender For Reals

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:19:24 -0400

It is pretty common to run around the Blender community and see some really nice renders and animations and fresh tutorials and all that on a daily basis, but it isn’t so common to see models that are made into physical objects. No, I’m not talking about 3D printing. I am talking about hands on building. With wood. And nails. And a handful of tools. Here’s the story:

Future Blender Book Reviews

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:44:00 -0400

So, I just got my virtual hands on a couple of e-books today from PacktPub and just like the last book I got about a month or two ago, I will be writing a review on them as soon as I finish each one. Anyways, here's a little preview into the books I will be reading here shortly.

Action Editor

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 22:35:54 -0400

Get a handle of the basics on the action editor with this tutorial.