Lets Do It!

It looks like we are going to have our meeting this evening!  See you all there.

Who's Going to Come?

Realizing that we are so close to the holidays, I thought it might be a good idea to find out who will be able to make it to tonight's Blender User Group meeting.  The holidays usually get busy for everyone.

So, if you could send a "yea" or "nay" to blenderusergrouputah@gmail.com , we can decided whether we will be doing a meeting or not.  If we have around 4 people, besides Will Thorup, Jacob and Bryce,  we will do it.  Less than 4 we will cancel.

I will post the verdict around 5 pm today.

And a little note about our meetings for next year. Nothing has been scheduled so far.  The Salt Lake Public Library will only let you submit a reservation application at certain times.  I am waiting for that time.  But I will post the new dates as soon as I get them.

Also, sorry for the late post.  I will try to do this at least a day ahead in the future.

Reminder for 12/6 Meeting

This is just a quick reminder for tomorrows meeting.  And an update on location.

I managed to get a room that is slightly bigger than our last one.  It is still at Salt Lake City Public Libray in conference room L-1 by the Children's Department.  I am not sure where it is personally, but I am sure the person at the front desk will help out.  So make sure to ask someone who is working there if you can't find it.

Also,  just a little bit about what we might do.  We had allot of people last time who had used Blender for the first time, that night.  If we have some of you along with some more new people, we will be going over the basics again.  And if we need to we can switch into smaller groups, teaching specific needs or wants.  There will also be some insight on some more advanced stuff if you are interested.

If you have any questions, go ahead and email blenderusergrouputah@gmail.com .

Other than that, come, have fun, and mingle with the Blender users of Utah!

A Little Correction...

I am sorry.  I believe that I advertised that there would be a Blender User Group this week.  But double checking the meeting schedule revealed to me that I was wrong.  So everyone, not this week, but next.

Also a note on next week.  I was able to switch to a bigger accommodations.  At least that is what they told me.  So there should be a little more seating and table space.  (It was a bit cramped last time, don't you think?)

Invite your friends!

Yesterday was great!

Thanks to all that came out to Blender User Group Utah yesterday!

It was a great turn out.  And guess what, no one took any pictures!  But that is okay.  The next time we meet up, pictures will be taken.

But to recap a little bit of what happened yesterday.  We had a really good mix of experienced and beginning users.  So it was time to hit the basics.  And it seemed like everyone enjoyed the time we spent blending, even thought there wasn't quite enough room for everyone.

On that note.  I will be contacting the library to see if we might be able to switch to a larger room with a larger table, for next time.  And I will see if I can get the reservations for next year.

One other thing that needs to be mentioned.  I started a Google group, and you can sign up for the mailing list on the right-hand bar.  It will give you a few options, just make sure that the one at the very bottom is selected and everything should be ready to go.   I will make sure that everything that is posted on the blog will be sent through the group as well.

Also, for anyone who is starting with blender, and needs something to work on until next time, go ahead and check out the previous activities we have done.  Here, and here.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. Post under the Google group, and we will make sure it gets addressed.

By raise of hands.

Another reminder for Blender User Group Utah tomorrow. And If I could have everyone that is planning on going to send an email to blenderusergrouputah@gmail.com saying that you are coming. just want to get a head count, to determine what we might do tomorrow. See you all then!

Blender User Group Tonight!

Hi everyone we are doing Blender User Group this evening.  It will be at the Salt Lake public library again.  Go ahead and check the meeting schedules for the time and address.

We won't be doing anything specific this evening, but we are providing a time to talk and teach anyone who comes what they want to learn.

Also,  a little bit about parking again.   I gave a little of misinformation on the parking prices for the underground parking at the library.  It is actually $1.50 for every half hour.  So if you use the underground parking it will be about $6 if you come at 7:00pm.  Not the best, I know, so make sure that there aren't any empty parking spaces above ground.

Hope to see you there!

Canceled for Tonight

There will be no Blender User Group this evening.  Some things came up on our end, and it seems that allot of the regulars won't be coming out.  So just plan on doing it in a couple weeks.

I will be getting another activity together for everyone to do.

Tonights User Group

Ok everyone!  W have another user group this evening at 7pm.  If you check the meeting schedule you will see that this time it is located out in Bountiful.  This is still the plan, but is subject to change.  I will post the final decision on the location around 5pm this afternoon.  I will post the address to the new location here.

Also, just a reminder.  There was a small activity that was given a few weeks ago.  It is at the bottom of this post.  If you haven't put together a still life yet, now is the time to do it.  Any time in Blender is well spent.

Remember to invite friends and family that may be interested.  See you all there!

Blender PodCast

Here is something I would like everyone to listen to, before our next meeting.

An awesome blender podcast.  One part I particularly like is about tutorials and whether they are good or not.  Some really good info there for beginners and old timers alike.  Check it out!

http://blender-podcast.org/?p=202

Oct 18th Activity

Before I forget. Here are a few of the logo animations from a few of the people that attended the user group last night. (The assignment is below).

Ok everyone, here is the activity for next time.

Put together a simple still life. This includes constructing a simple enviroment, 3 different still life objects, and a well lit scene.

Here is an example:

Have fun, and we will see you on the 18th.

Oct 4th Meeting

Looking forward to everyone's logo intros. We will spend just a few minutes at the beginning of our next Blender User Group session looking at and discussing any questions or problems you may have run into. Also if there is something new that you learned during the project, this would be a good time to share it with everyone as well.

Speaking of our next session, it is tomorrow! It will be at the Salt Lake City Public Library again, but it will be in conference room 2, instead of conference room D. Check it out at the schedule here. I believe that conference room 2 is on the second floor. If you can't find it yourself, go ahead and ask somebody at the front desk on the 1st floor, they can help.

Also, a small note on parking. Often you can find free parking on the streets that border the library, but if you are unable to find parking above ground, there is parking below the library. It is about $1.50 for 2 hours. Which, if you come no earlier than 6:45pm, will be plenty of time to attend the user group.

And for a little preview of what we will go over tonight. We will be learning about material shaders, and textures. So if you want search 'materials' and 'textures' for Blender 2.59, you can get a leg up on what we will be covering tonight.

One last thing. For those who have been attending for the last while, if there is anyone you know who would be interested in learning the basics of Blender, bring them with. We have enough people to help out anyone who is just starting to those who have been using the program for years. In other words, bring your friends!

Hope to see you all there!

An Activity to do Before Oct 4th

Okay, to keep everyone busy, we thought putting together a little activity for everyone to do before our next user group meeting, would be a good idea.

Since we have gone over the basics for modeling, texturing, animation, lighting and rendering, everyone should be able to put together a little logo animation.

So the activity is a 3 to 10 second logo animation.
We suggest that you come up with a simple logo.

If you need a little inspiration, here are a few logo animations that I know anyone that has been coming to the group can do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEIcXkzfD4I&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAdCWPA-bRk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktCVt4Xwa2Y&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w15OX-Kc2HM

We understand everyone is busy with their lives, but do what you can even if you cant finish the activity. The point here is to practice. There will be time in our next meeting to show what you have done to the rest of the group, if you want.

I know everyone that has been attending has the ability to do this. But if you have questions, a good source is the internet. Another ok source would be Will or Jake. If you would like to get a hold of us, just send and email to this address. blenderusergrouputah@gmail.com, and I am sure we can point you in the right direction.

Have fun!

This is a quick reminder to you all about User Group this evening. Do all you can to get there at 7:00pm sharp. Time is a little more precious than before because of who is accommodating us now.

Also here is a little preview of what will be taught this evening.



We will be going over cloth simulation, to make a flag, and particles, for the lawn. Also, if we have some time we will jump into the node editor to add some filters and color correct the image.

Here are some references and tutorials for what we will be going over it you want to get a head start.

Waving grass tutorial - We wont be going into this much detail, but the information about setting up the particle system and the material can be very helpful for getting started.

And here is a Cloth Flag video tutorial on YouTube by CleverNameStudios

Schedule Updates for the Year

As the title says. Click the tab above or just click here.

Good News

Good news everyone!
We will have a much more official place of residence.  The Salt Lake City Public Library happened to have space available till the end of the year.  This will allow us to have up to 15 people attend the user group at a time, and also provide a more central location.

I will post all the dates soon, and provide a simple flyer for the class.

Blender User Group Utah 101

Blender User Group Utah 101

This is the first post for the Blender User Group Blog.

I would like to just give a quick introduction to Blender User Group Utah.

First of all, this whole thing is based around an open source piece of software called Blender. Which can be download for free here. Go ahead and take a look around blender.org to learn a little more about it.

The Blender User Group provides an opportunity, for those who haven't used blender, or any 3D application, to learn how to use Blender. It also provides an opportunity, for those who already use Blender, to share their knowledge, learn more, and find out what others in their area are using this wonderful piece of software for.

One of our main goals help people use this software to benefit them. And hope to create a local community to benefit each other .

So we hope that you can join us.

If you have any question go ahead and email the administrator at blenderusergrouputah@gmail.com