Struggled through a tutorial

**angelize** · 30 September 2011, 07:44 PM

For Frank: I took different learning route (I guess what works best for each of us) I started watching video tutorials at Blender Cookie They have a whole section of short easy tutorials geared towards beginners. They have a getting started series that takes you through everything from the the first download through the 2.5 interface to modeling, lighting, materials, etc. That's where I started. And I have also been here a lot picking James' brain. The fruit basket was done using an alpha transparency to "cut holes" in the mesh that James explained here and the apples I learned to model them from a video on Blender Cookie I have started small doing simple objects and learning how to render them as different materials.

One thing too don't leave Xara on the back burner! Xara can make your work flow much easier, for instance you can create any kind of image in Xara and map it to your blender objects very easily! and dont forget that transparency trick! My basket uses a repeating tile with transparency that I created in Xara. And your Blender creations can be rendered with alpha transparency and brought into a Xara drawing! See here Another thing that you can do is create objects in Xara and export them as SVG graphics and import them into to blender where you can extrude them and bring them into true 3D space!

**ODdOnLifeItself** · 30 September 2011, 08:30 PM

Frank,

Re: Having to be in the window to execute key commands.

It has to be that way, because when you are over the other windows, they TOO tend to have key commands. Move your mouse over the left tool window and press "a". Pressing "a" over the 3D window goes through the selection states with objects or elements of objects (vertices, edges, faces).

I recommend only playing in Blender while it is still fun. A small project that comes out successfully will make you infinitely more happy than a larger work that you would never finish. In the beginning I didn't follow tutorials AS MUCH as I went to the manual wiki and learned function by function and forced myself to do something with it.

Most things in Blender will take some patience, but then again, almost anything that you can conceptualize and take the time to create, you can render from any angle with any lighting or animate... It's a powerful tool at helping you realize in image what you imagine or decide to craft in the modeler...

Blender actually adds to my time with Xara. I need my normal usages of it, but now also for creating assets for Blender projects.

James

**angelize** · 30 September 2011, 10:54 PM

I'm actually working on a tutorial for using Xara and Blender together that I hope will be helpful to those who like me are completely new to the 3D world but would like to explore how use Xara and blender together. No promises as to when I'll have it ready, I have about 4 different projects on the go right now 2 of which are paying jobs that have to take precedence. This will be as much a learning experience for me as an opportunity to share what I learned so far

**ODdOnLifeItself** · 01 October 2011, 09:17 AM

Very cool, Frances

I look forward to it.

There should be some kind of reference (here) about integrating the two, Xara and Blender. One can go back and forth between the two. It's not a seamless transition, but it's not really that difficult either... it's really only a matter of knowing the steps.

I'm sure any tutorial along these lines will be helpful and it might get more people to at least give it a go.

It's not for everyone, but if one doesn't try it, they'll never know...

Peace

James