2.53 Beta Add Ons

It's so new that the URL still says alpha! Versions of 2.53 Beta can be downloaded for Windows 32bit, Windows 64 bit, Linux 32bit and 64 bit, Mac OS X, and Solaris. As a beta version, the basic features should be in place, although bugs are still expected. There are many bug fixes, some reorganization of window choices, and some new features. You can read more about all the changes in Blender 2.5, at:

http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-250/

In this tutorial, I'm going to talk about the new Add-On repository, which is a way to extend Blender functionality by adding Python scripts. A number of these scripts are shipped with 2.53 beta. They are documented online in the Blender 2.5 Add-Ons Repository, at:

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.5/Py/Scripts

I will show you where the add-on scripts are stored and how to install and run them. I will also show you how to edit the source code of the installed scripts, which are a great resource for learning how to write add-ons.

Blender 3D Cookbook, Volume 1

I am pleased to announce the publication of Volume 1 of my Blender 3D Cookbook available from lulu.com, either as a book or a PDF download, at:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-blender-3d-cookbook-volume-1/11777448

The Blender 3D Cookbook consists of the scripts to 62 or my my Blender 3D tutorials, at http://www.youtube.com/irakrakow. Each script has a link to the Youtube video, if you purchase the book as a PDF. If you purchase the book, the URL is printed. Many of you have requested such a book. I called the book a “cookbook” because you can think of the scripts as “recipes” for producing a desired effect in Blender.

I don't assume any particular level of Blender expertise. My videos cover a wide variety of topics, from beginner to advanced, including some that I have not seen as tutorials anywhere else. Like a cookbook, you can pick and choose those recipes you are interested in and skip the ones that you either know about or that you're not interested in. I tried to include something for everyone, including topics such as the Blender Game Engine and Python scripting that have only been lightly covered in other tutorials. If you have suggestions for future tutorials, please email me at ira.krakow@gmail.com.

As of this date, Blender is undergoing a massive rewrite and restructuring. The current, production version, 2.49b, will eventually be replaced by version 2.5. 2.5 has a different user interface and has many improvements to old features, as well as many new features. It is currently in alpha, which means that there could be some changes made until the day when 2.5 becomes the production version of Blender. On my Blender 3D forum, at http://forum.irakrakow.com, I took a survey of who used what version. I discovered that roughly half worked in Blender 2.4x (although 2.49b is the most current production version, some were working in earlier versions), and the other half worked in Blender 2.5. I have written tutorials based on both versions. For each tutorial, I note which version (2.49 or 2.5) I made it for. Some of the 2.5 tutorials were done in different alpha versions, such as Alpha 0 or even pre Alpha. For the most part, the effects I write about can be produced in any version.

These tutorials are not intended to cover every conceivable Blender feature. That would, in my opinion, be too thick a volume. Note that I suffixed the title to this cookbook “Volume 1”. Blender is too complex and rich a program, undergoing constant upgrading and changing, for that. I plan on publishing many more volumes of the Blender 3D Cookbook, in the future, that will explore other amazing and unique Blender features.

I welcome your feedback and hope you enjoy my cookbook.

2.5 Object Orientation

The name of this tutorial is Blender 2.5 Global and Local Orientation. Thank you to Near Hirsig (nhirsig@tufts.edu). The tutorial on which is this based is at http://www.gryllus.net. Blender uses 3 dimensions, X in red, Y in green, and Z in blue. The default orientation is global. The orientation remains constant, regardless of which object is selected or which view is active.

2.5 Empty Object

The name of this video tutorial is Empty Object. A big Thank You to Neal Hirsig (nhirsig@tufts.edu), who created the tutorial on which this tutorial is based, at http://www.gryllus.net. An Empty Object is a non renderable object that represents a point in space.

2.5 Splitting and Joining Windows

The name of this video is Splitting, Joining, and Expanding Editor Windows. It is possible to expand an editor window by moving the cursor to the edge of the window until you see a double arrow. Left click and drag the window open. This can be done horizontally or vertically.

2.5 Object Origin Center

The name of this tutorial is Blender 2.5 Object Origin Center Tutorial. Each object in Blender has a center point. In 2.5, this is called the Object Origin. In Blender 2.49 the origin was called the Object Center, although the problem is that the object's origin is not always at the center, and this can cause problems.

2.5 Default Scene

The name of this video tutorial is Ira Krakow's Blender 2.5 Default Scene Tutorial. I would like to give a big Thank You shoutout to Neal Hirsig, of Tufts University, at http://www.gryllus.net, who created the video on which my video is based.

When you first open Blender a number of default windows, panels, and controls, are displayed. At first you might be intimidated by it, but as you become more familiar with the Blender interface, you'll find that the layout is very well organized and provides an efficient interface for modeling and animation.