Ok, so I’m pretty new to Blender. I’ve played around with it for awhile but, I want to get pretty serious in to it. I’ve watched a good many of beginner videos and read some articles, and understand a little bit of it all. Where should I start? What are some good meshes to learn with? I like to jump in head first and go for the hard stuff, but that’s just not to smart. Any suggestions would be really appreciated.
Thanks,
Derek
you are doing all the right things
if there is a user group nearby that would really help
the web has tons of tutorials on it–i have found the books on blender not that helpful but the web yes
i know you have done this but it really helps to know that you have help here and we will share the grief learning this fantastic product
hth
peter
ok
here’s a project
go to bellalugosi.com and enter the site
your project is to make the leaves of the first tree on the left get more detail as you dolly in
also and here is the biggy
as you enter the bat cave–make a wall more realistic than the first entry ones
make the wall appear damaged in a earthquake and have some smoke gently flowing thru some of the cracks in the wall
hows that for a project
hth
peter
The definitive Blender site to start with would be http://www.blenderartists.org.
The documentation site, http://wiki.blender.org also contains links to many hours of good video tutorials. (I am particularly impressed with the ones at http://www.blendercookie.com.)
By now, most of the techniques you’ll encounter with any package have also been implemented to some degree in Blender. (Although I realize that, had I made this comment in any other thread but here, it might quickly bring out a list of things that Blender doesn’t do, that only “package thus-and-such can do,” which list is obviously correct.) So, you can expand your self-study almost in any direction and not find yourself saying, “gee, that’s nice, but Blender can’t do this.” (At the very least, you’d have to add the last word: “… yet.”)
I am personally of the thought that it makes a lot more sense to focus your attention on “what you can do (using a tool),” rather than on “what the knobs and buttons do.” (I’d say that for any product … and not just a CG product.) Once you understand what you’re aiming at and how to get there, well, first of all you’ll realize that TMTOWTDI. 
Then, you’ll be able to find the knobs and buttons that you need “to do it” in the way that you select.
Footnote: what’s the Python equivalent of “Tom Toady?”
i have been foolin with if for about 1 year on and off–clue i think to the leaf is to make a mesh and paint on it
the stones i have been working on are coming along–basically a mesh and the sculpturing them–i just got a sgi octane up and run ning to run blender on it–so far noting but agida
i plan to get texture from actually scanning a cobble stone
the smoke is sort of easy
that would be enough for me
blender is very very kool and so are the people who use it
peter
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