AVB Softworks - Graphics Toolbox

The Tufts university video links are no longer linkable to the Tufts web site so here is a link to Niel Hirsigs web site with all the links to the videos and some new video's that he has realeased.

Niel Hirsigs Web Site

The new Blender 2.46 has a sort of render farm built in.  Two new buttons are on the render output tab, "Touch" and  "No Overwrite". By activating these two buttons, frames that have been started in the renderer will not be over written by another instance of the renderer.

What I've done is created a (smb) shared drive on a linux server, which circumvents the Windows XP, Vista connections limit of 10, and set up all of my shared files, and directories. Anything that will be used by your .blend file should be stored on the shared drive.

Then I create a shortcut on that shared drive with my command line options, but I always save it with the same name so that I can reference it in the startup menu on a windows slave. Then whenever I start a slave computer I just hit the power button and it begins rendering the first available frame.

This technique does not allow for multiple jobs, but it's just me, and there is no way I can create multiple jobs fast enough for that to be a problem.

If multiple jobs is something important to you, you could set up Remote Desktop to all of you slaves and start each on the jobs you wish, but there is no way to qu up jobs as one job is finished.

These are links to many noob tutorials by Neal Hirsig. They are mostly basic Blender tutorials but there are a few advanced concepts covered but if you are new and would like to follow along with my project, you will really need to view these tutorials. They are all in Real Media format so you will need to get Real Player. 

I. Complete List of Video Tutorials

• Blender Default Scene Item
• Splitting and Joining Windows
• 3D Viewport Navigation
• Blender for Laptops
• Viewport Shading
• Perspective and Orthographic Projection
• Primitive Mesh Objects
• Selecting Objects
• Moving Objects
• Scaling Objects
• Rotating Objects
• Transform Properties Panel
• Pivot Points
• Maneuvering About
• Blender Layers
• Loading and Saving Files
• Default File
• Undo / Redo
• Dump Window
• Render Image
• Render Screen
• Rendering Animations
• Duplicating Objects
• Parenting Objects
• Deleting Objects
• Joining Objects
• Separating Objects
• Boolean Objects
• Global and Local Orientation
• Vertices, Edges and Faces
• Selecting Vertices
• Selecting Edges
• Selecting Faces
• Object Centers
• Subdivide
• Smoothing
• Extruding
• Extrude Constraints
• Spinning
• Spin Dup
• Screw
• Empty Object
• Hooks
• Naming Objects
• Outliner Window
• Text Window
• Text Objects
• Warp
• Proportional Editing
• Subsurf
• Vertex, Edge and Face Loop Selection
• Face Loop Splitting
• KnifeTool
• Bevelling Tool
• Symmetrical Modeling
• Noise
• Decimator Tool
• Bezier Curve
• NURBS Curve
• Extruding Along A Path
• Background Image
• Blender Material Basics
• Colored Material
• Tweaking Materials
• Multiple Materials
• Image Textures
• Transparent Image Textures
• Bump Map Texture
• Multiple Textures
• Packaging Texture Images
• Sun Lamp
• Hemi Lamp
• Area Lamp
• Lamp Lamp
• Spot Lamp
• Volumetric Light
• Lamp Textures
• Lamp Constraints and Parenting
• 3-Point Lighting
• Basic KeyFrame Animation
• Timeline Window
• IPO (Interpolation) Curve Window
• Path Animation
• Alpha Animation
• Cyclic Animation
• Layer Animation
• World Background Color
• World Background Image
• Mist
• Stars
• Appending Objects
• Appending Materials
• Multiple Blender Scenes
• Modeling Latice Deformation
• Animation Lattice Deformation
• Camera
• Camera Constraint
• Multiple Cameras
• Camera Path - Fly Around
• Basic Blender Particles
• Objects As Particles
• Fire Effect
• Particles Lattice Deformation
• Static Particles - Fur

Project Concept:

The concept for this Blender series is character modeling and animation. The character I propose to do will be a male alien warrior, humanoid in apperance but with subtle differences. He will be tall and thin with elongated extremities and digits. He will be modeled naked so that we may portray him in various stages of dress. Fully outfitted his common wear will arabic in nature. Loose fitting cloth wrappings tight around the waist, wrist and ankles.

We will dress him with dynamic cloth simulation. This is somthing I have not tried before so some trial and error will be nessasary to find the right combination of settings. I think I'm up to the challenge.

He will be outfitted with at least two props. The common sword of his clan and a energy beam weapon.

We are going to create a scene for him to interact in and with.

This is the picture from where i get my insperation. These look like proud warriors and I feel will make great subject matter. I will post several concept sketches working from this picture in the near future. Be sure to check back soon, i will post my progress.