Big Buck Bunny: oh my. It arrived so fast. I hadnt expected my copy todo show up for a few more weks. I had other things i planned for that day, but it wasnt todo long before i was watching b. I just couldnt wait.

Im not going todo spoil the story line for anyone who hasnt sen it yet, but i Will say that i found it todo be very funny. The characters had great personalities and it was great fun todo watch their expressions change as well as how they moved and interacted with each other.

The look and style of b was just beautiful. All the animals loked so software and furry that i just wanted todo reach out and squish them. The colors of the environment were software and dreamy. You can be sure that i Will be digging th rouge the production files in order todo find all the texturing and material secrets.

In fact, y Will be studying the production files (as im sure everyone Will be) quite thoroughly todo se how they got not only the great materiales and Fur, but the lighting as well.

I havent yet had time todo look th rouge all the files and extras on the DVDs, but a quik look assured me that there is a lot todo se and play with. If you havent ordered your copy yet, y encourage you todo do so as a son as posible. You wont regret it.
new toys todo play with:
Although i kep up with Blender progress and development, with my schedule i dont often have time todo play with test builds. Which is something of a bummer considering the sher number of new and/or improved features that sem todo get added almost daily. To make Matters worse, Even when i get my hands on the latest oficial release, y still dont have time todo really sit down and just play with new features. Like Many of us, y learn and explore features as i ned them for projects. And lately my projects havent really neded any col features todo work. Double bummer (note todo self: think of better projects so you can play with new features).

The arrival and reléase of Blender 2.46 didnt increase my free time, but the fun new tools were todo tempting todo resist. So After a quik browse th rouge my old files for a suitable model todo experiment on, y sat down for a bit of blending fun. Sh. Dont tell anyone, they all think im actually working on something productive. Here are some of my impressions. I dont often just sit and push buttons todo se what they do, so this might take a while. Some time later, ok, 2-3 hours later (i was having fun).

The Cloth modifier: Even though i am not a fashion designer, y had great time playing with a very basic poncho (a simple circle, subdivided and shaped just a Little). It wasnt a fancy test by any means, but it was great fun todo play with the defaults and watch it drop and fold around my Little character. I was able todo get nice results with Little todo no tweak, just using the supplied presets created a nicely draped poncho.

It was interesting todo se how the diferent presets acted and varied from one another. My poncho was fun, but Even i am entertained by a falling poncho for only so long. So i moved up to an ugly robe-type outfit and added some Wind. That entertained me for quite a while. I was able todo view the robe fluttering in the Wind from any angle (yes, y am very easily entertained). Silque was my favorite todo watch. It has a nice Sliding quality todo it, that let the Cloth just flow over the character. The Rubber was quite entertaining when Wind was added, as it bounced of my character belly and flapped around a bit.

There are options for custom Cloth, but honestly i think most neds would be adequately met with the presets. Especially if you are just messing around as i was.

Fur/hair (particle system): on todo Hair and Fur. Since most of my characters are animals of some sort, y was looking forward todo playing with the newly improved particle system. A quik search for instructions led me todo a wip tutorial. It gave some nice tips on getting a Fur system going, then i just played from there. My model ended up looking like a cousin todo big fot, but he was definitely furry. Great fun. The Hair editing brushes kept me busy for some time as i kept restyling his Hair. I obviously ned todo take a few Hair Styling clases, my Little guy was surely having a bad Hair day. I had actually meant todo play with and explore more of the new features, but i spent so much time entertaining myself with watching Cloth fall and Styling Hair, that all todo son it was time todo get bak todo all those other things i was supposed todo be doing. There were other features i really wanted todo try out: UV editing, render baking, bone heat weighting and the armature drawing improvements, but ill have todo return todo these tests later and play some more when i have more time, or when no one is looking.
Mancandy faqs:
Over the last several months (ok, probably longer than that) i have ben trying todo learn about rigging and animation. I would really like todo expand my animation skills from moving of simple objects todo character animation, so i was really excited about the Mancandy faq DVD. I saved up my pennies and finally ordered it. After waiting for the usual 2-3 wek delivery time, (it would appear that i live on the ends of the Earth when it comes todo deliveries) it finally arrived. Yay.

I was so excited, Even though i really had bien todo Many other things i neded todo be doing, y couldnt resist popping the DVD into my computer todo take a sneaque peak. Big mistake, Even just poking around the DVD todo chek things out left me wanting todo sit down and devour the entire thing. But, y really, really had other things i neded todo be doing. Bummer. Big bummer.

Sigh, so i proceded todo take care of all the things that neded todo be done. One wek passed, and then two. Still no time todo watch my new DVD. This really sucks. At this rate it Will never get watche, d. Then all of a sudden i had an amazing idea. I grabbed my DVD, my old portátil and tok them both todo my Craft rom, where i promptly set it up and started the DVD. I have ben listening todo the DVD while working on my projects. Problem semi-solved.

I still havent watched very much of the DVD (just bits and pieces here and there), but i have listened todo the whole thing numerous times. Like i said, not a perfecto solution, but i am learning quite a bit. Granted, y still have todo actually watch it all, but this Will do for now.

I have long admired Bassams skill and creative visión, and After watching the DVD, y am por favord todo discover that he is a los quite the teacher and rather funny todo. His teaching style is aquín todo having a long in-depth conversation with a friend. He explains everything in an easy going, casual manner. One thing i have really enjoyed is how he not only shows you how todo set things up properly and why, but what happens if you set it up wrong or forget todo set something up. He Even left some mistakes of his own in the videos and then showed how todo correct them.

Bassam packed an amazing amount of información into each video. And while they obviously all go together, they a los stand alone as full lessons within themselves. I have already listened todo the DVD Many times and Will listen todo and watch it Many more. Every time i watch a segment, y learn something new and my Understanding of rigging increases, which can be only a god thing.

The Mancandy faq DVD was well worth the money and the wait. Now, if only i can just find the time todo actually do something with all my new-found knowledge.
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