Jason van Gumster - Blender For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Blender For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Jason van Gumster

Blender For Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Copyright 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011924143

ISBN: 978-0-470-58446-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Jason van Gumster got into animation when he realized that he wanted to create movies... but that actors are generally intolerant of having pianos dropped on them. Using open source tools at nearly every step in his production process, Jason has produced animations and visual effects for television, film, and video games in his official capacity as a Production Monkey for Hand Turkey Studios, the company he helped start in 2005. A Blender user since 1998, Jason is well recognized in the Blender community for his knowledge of the program and has given numerous live demonstrations and workshops on Blender internationally. In January 2008, Jason worked with the Blender Foundation to assemble the Blender Certification Review Board and led the launch of the Blender Foundation Certified Trainer (BFCT) program.

Based in Richmond, Virginia, Jason can often be found in cafs and diners drawing, espousing the virtues of open source software, or catching confused looks from strangers as he contorts his body to better visualize a pose in a scene hes animating.

Dedication

To Heather. I love you. No backsies!

Authors Acknowledgments

My first thanks go to Blenders team of developers, led by our benevolent dictator, Ton Roosendaal. Without these developers, Blender would never exist in the state that it does today. Of course, equally deserving of gratitude is the overall Blender community, without which Blender would never have been made open source.

Thanks, also, to everyone at Wiley, particularly Kyle Looper, Kelly Ewing, and Colleen Totz Diamond. Without their patience and tolerance for the wacky scheduling involved with writing about open source software, this book would not see the light of day. Im truly grateful for their ability to keep me on task and (mostly) on schedule. Id also like to thank Bassam Kurdali for agreeing to work as the books technical editor. Hes one of the most knowledgeable and talented members of the Blender community, and I hate to think of how little sense this book wouldve made without his input.

In the first edition of this book, I gave thanks to the unsung genius who first filtered water through ground coffee. I still believe accolades are in order here, though I think I must also acknowledge pastries. Theyre horrible for you, but theyre the most delicious kind of horrible.

And finally, Id like to thank my dear friends and family. Be it your talents, your honest opinion, your patience, or a well-timed insult, you give me exactly what I need, whether I know it... or want it. I cant explain how much that means to me.

Publishers Acknowledgments

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