Big Buck Bunny by Sakse Dalum
Category: Blender
30/05-2008
It's been awhile.
I've been busy doing various stuff - Parkour, playing music, working on a website that I was "obliged" (in terms of being forced without any interest) to make and reading up on the exams -- or, I don't really read up on exams usually, but I spent at least 30 minutes on it in the meantime.
I decided to get into Python (more specifically PyGTK). It's pretty simple, but of course I've been into programming and scripting for a while now, so I would be surprised if I found it difficult to grasp. However, this blog entry is not about me or this blog, because Big Buck Bunny was released today!
I've been "following" the project since December and I'm quite fond of the Blender project, although I don't work with it myself very often. It is (probably) the best Open Source 3D Modelling program out there, and the Peach Open Movie Project plus the Orange Open Movie Project - better known as Big Buck Bunny and Elephants Dream respectively - are definitely proofs of that. They were launched with the aim to help developing Blender, and I believe that the projects have succeeded in both cases -- at least I've seen a significant improvement on various aspects from the first to the second movie.
So, now you're probably eager to know, where you can download this video (unless of course you've already heard of it). The answer's simple: http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/index.php/download
Warning: Content spoiler ahead!
The following content may (read: does indeed) include information about the movies Big Buck Bunny and bits of Elephants Dream. If you do not wish to read this information, please skip this part. And don't say I didn't warn you.
Big Buck Bunny is, unlike Elephants Dream, without any actual dialogue between the characters. It is interesting because it makes it viewable for people in all ages and from any nationalities (my 7 year old little brother, who speaks naught but Danish, found it very entertaining and watched it three times with the same joy in his eyes). I, myself, find it very entertaining as well and it is brilliant to see what Blender is capable of. Of course it is not at the same level as the CG movies produced today, but it is definitely a good deal of the way there, and compared to Toy Story and other movies from that time, I believe it is surely a lot better.
Despite the fact that this movie is gorgeous, there are things that could be improved. Some of the bushes have, too obviously, not been worked on for very long, and the grass seems a bit too static. There are places where you can notice the grass 'cutting through' the model moving across it, and it just looks unprofessional. 'Specially because they've done it later in the movie, where the grass appears to be 'avoiding' the objects.
The stones also do not appear very stone-like. This is probably the most difficult thing to model (even more difficult than hair it appears, seeing that the hair in BBB is quite decent), but it is lacking and leaves a bad effect on the viewer. They look more or less like grey plastic. But then again, I don't recall ever having seen any splendid rock or stone in any 3D animated scene.
About the story etc. I think it's quite excellent. At the moment Furry and Funny videos occur everywhere, and it would only be sane to prove that the Blender Institute can follow the professional studios on that part as well. It is simple and yet original in its violent content. It shows how the Big Buck Bunny – someone who is peaceful and a lover of the nature – suddenly can turn into an evil punisher, when someone attempts to fight against his beliefs. In general, this movie is not about the plot or story, but about the graphics and it has succeeded in many places there. The characters feel very alive and expresses mood on a very high level.
In overall, I'd rate this a 9/10. There are very few things that I feel have been left out, which is why I don't think I can rate it a tenth. It leaves a good impression and is yet another proof, that great things can be accomplished with Open Source. And I can already say that I'm really looking forward to the up 'n coming Open Game Apricot: http://apricot.blender.org
» Sakse “Don S” Dalum
“When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers." - Colleen C. Barrett
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Category: Blender
30/05-2008I've been busy doing various stuff - Parkour, playing music, working on a website that I was "obliged" (in terms of being forced without any interest) to make and reading up on the exams -- or, I don't really read up on exams usually, but I spent at least 30 minutes on it in the meantime.
I decided to get into Python (more specifically PyGTK). It's pretty simple, but of course I've been into programming and scripting for a while now, so I would be surprised if I found it difficult to grasp. However, this blog entry is not about me or this blog, because Big Buck Bunny was released today!
I've been "following" the project since December and I'm quite fond of the Blender project, although I don't work with it myself very often. It is (probably) the best Open Source 3D Modelling program out there, and the Peach Open Movie Project plus the Orange Open Movie Project - better known as Big Buck Bunny and Elephants Dream respectively - are definitely proofs of that. They were launched with the aim to help developing Blender, and I believe that the projects have succeeded in both cases -- at least I've seen a significant improvement on various aspects from the first to the second movie.
So, now you're probably eager to know, where you can download this video (unless of course you've already heard of it). The answer's simple: http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/index.php/download
Warning: Content spoiler ahead!
The following content may (read: does indeed) include information about the movies Big Buck Bunny and bits of Elephants Dream. If you do not wish to read this information, please skip this part. And don't say I didn't warn you.
Big Buck Bunny is, unlike Elephants Dream, without any actual dialogue between the characters. It is interesting because it makes it viewable for people in all ages and from any nationalities (my 7 year old little brother, who speaks naught but Danish, found it very entertaining and watched it three times with the same joy in his eyes). I, myself, find it very entertaining as well and it is brilliant to see what Blender is capable of. Of course it is not at the same level as the CG movies produced today, but it is definitely a good deal of the way there, and compared to Toy Story and other movies from that time, I believe it is surely a lot better.
Despite the fact that this movie is gorgeous, there are things that could be improved. Some of the bushes have, too obviously, not been worked on for very long, and the grass seems a bit too static. There are places where you can notice the grass 'cutting through' the model moving across it, and it just looks unprofessional. 'Specially because they've done it later in the movie, where the grass appears to be 'avoiding' the objects.
The stones also do not appear very stone-like. This is probably the most difficult thing to model (even more difficult than hair it appears, seeing that the hair in BBB is quite decent), but it is lacking and leaves a bad effect on the viewer. They look more or less like grey plastic. But then again, I don't recall ever having seen any splendid rock or stone in any 3D animated scene.
About the story etc. I think it's quite excellent. At the moment Furry and Funny videos occur everywhere, and it would only be sane to prove that the Blender Institute can follow the professional studios on that part as well. It is simple and yet original in its violent content. It shows how the Big Buck Bunny – someone who is peaceful and a lover of the nature – suddenly can turn into an evil punisher, when someone attempts to fight against his beliefs. In general, this movie is not about the plot or story, but about the graphics and it has succeeded in many places there. The characters feel very alive and expresses mood on a very high level.
In overall, I'd rate this a 9/10. There are very few things that I feel have been left out, which is why I don't think I can rate it a tenth. It leaves a good impression and is yet another proof, that great things can be accomplished with Open Source. And I can already say that I'm really looking forward to the up 'n coming Open Game Apricot: http://apricot.blender.org
» Sakse “Don S” Dalum
“When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers." - Colleen C. Barrett
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Comments and Users by Sakse Dalum
Category: WebYodan
27/04-2008
I'm back.
I've worked hard the last two days to finish the comment and user system, as well as finding the font I used for form submissions. Well, the finished blog is currently uploading to the server, as I'm typing. I had to do some modifications to the underlying system (WebYodan), to make it work, so it should be flying now. No one has bothered to make a user yet - that's good, because I had to do some modification to the user system -- there's now a username and a display name for better security.
The comment system is now up 'n running! It's pretty plain: You create a user, you post a comment. It will automatically insert the correct date and display name. HTML is not allowed. BBCode is not allowed either. I used the neat function known by the name of nl2br, which automatically converts a newline into a
tag, so newlines in your comment will work ;-).
I've also added an anchor tag to the comments section (surprise!), so you don't have to scroll down.
As mentioned previously, I've also added a display name to users. The display name can be up to 50 characters (the username has a max. of 20), and will provide greater security as well as better looking names.
I've also done minor fixes to the WebYodan CMS, to support the comment and user system optimally, apart from fixing minor bugs. This means that it has entered the stage of 0.3.0.2! Wohoo, app. only a year until it will reach a stable status (if I'm being optimistic that is).
I think that's it for now. Hopefully someone will create a user and perhaps post a comment, just to prove that this page is being visited.
» Sakse "Don S" Dalum
"Ernest, the rich are different from us."
"Yes, they have more money."
Read comments (3)
Category: WebYodan
27/04-2008I'm back.
I've worked hard the last two days to finish the comment and user system, as well as finding the font I used for form submissions. Well, the finished blog is currently uploading to the server, as I'm typing. I had to do some modifications to the underlying system (WebYodan), to make it work, so it should be flying now. No one has bothered to make a user yet - that's good, because I had to do some modification to the user system -- there's now a username and a display name for better security.
The comment system is now up 'n running! It's pretty plain: You create a user, you post a comment. It will automatically insert the correct date and display name. HTML is not allowed. BBCode is not allowed either. I used the neat function known by the name of nl2br, which automatically converts a newline into a
tag, so newlines in your comment will work ;-).
I've also added an anchor tag to the comments section (surprise!), so you don't have to scroll down.
As mentioned previously, I've also added a display name to users. The display name can be up to 50 characters (the username has a max. of 20), and will provide greater security as well as better looking names.
I've also done minor fixes to the WebYodan CMS, to support the comment and user system optimally, apart from fixing minor bugs. This means that it has entered the stage of 0.3.0.2! Wohoo, app. only a year until it will reach a stable status (if I'm being optimistic that is).
I think that's it for now. Hopefully someone will create a user and perhaps post a comment, just to prove that this page is being visited.
» Sakse "Don S" Dalum
"Ernest, the rich are different from us."
"Yes, they have more money."
Read comments (3)
Users and whatnot... by Sakse Dalum
Category: WebYodan
18/04-2008
Hello again!
I've worked for countless hours the last two days, on fixing a bug with the layout of this blog. If there is one thing I hate about programming and basically anything that involves computers, it gotta be bug-fixing. Especially when there seems to be a bug with CSS and not my scripting. At least I fixed it. I'm not very fond of workarounds.
Well, the problem was that the containing div did not increase with the nested absolute div. This caused huge problems with the copyleft notice -- duh, minor problem -- but I'm more a less a perfectionist at times, and I don't think that counts as a disadvantage if you are a programmer, musician and Traceur - and casual role player.
So, how did I fix it?
It was actually rather easy. If I changed the absolute div into a relative div and added float: left to it and float: right to the already relative news div, then it worked. Easy as pie. You may think. Because then a new problem began. The two nested div's - the main div and the news div - couldn't have a fixed height, if the problem was to disappear. So I should either dump the idea of having a brown/white background, or find another solution. I really like the fading, and then I came up with another idea: Add a fading image to the bottom of each div. And it actually looks better now - yay for creativity!
I really hate this kind of design-scripting - HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The worst part is browser support. I have decided to go down a solid path - always make the website look pretty on the latest Firefox browser. I know PNG-transparency is not supported in IE6, but it is such a wonderful feature, that I cannot live without - and I don't want to change my design style, just because some odd company has created an incompatible browser. No matter how popular it is.
Now, now, back to what I wanted to say. I have worked most of today's spare time away, on getting user registration and log in/out working properly. I'm quite satisfied with the outcome, but unfortunately, I haven't got around to add support for comments, which is a shame, because I don't expect to have time before next friday - 8 days -- one day after Hardy Heron release! So, sorry I was really hoping to get it finished before I had to go. Anyhow, I don't expect many to read this blog either ways. Yay for me!
Später! (Yes, you guessed it, I'll be in Germany.)
» Sakse "Don S" Dalum
"If you removed the bones, it wouldn't be crunchy, would it?" - Terry Gilliam on Chocolate.
Read comments (0)
Category: WebYodan
18/04-2008Hello again!
I've worked for countless hours the last two days, on fixing a bug with the layout of this blog. If there is one thing I hate about programming and basically anything that involves computers, it gotta be bug-fixing. Especially when there seems to be a bug with CSS and not my scripting. At least I fixed it. I'm not very fond of workarounds.
Well, the problem was that the containing div did not increase with the nested absolute div. This caused huge problems with the copyleft notice -- duh, minor problem -- but I'm more a less a perfectionist at times, and I don't think that counts as a disadvantage if you are a programmer, musician and Traceur - and casual role player.
So, how did I fix it?
It was actually rather easy. If I changed the absolute div into a relative div and added float: left to it and float: right to the already relative news div, then it worked. Easy as pie. You may think. Because then a new problem began. The two nested div's - the main div and the news div - couldn't have a fixed height, if the problem was to disappear. So I should either dump the idea of having a brown/white background, or find another solution. I really like the fading, and then I came up with another idea: Add a fading image to the bottom of each div. And it actually looks better now - yay for creativity!
I really hate this kind of design-scripting - HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The worst part is browser support. I have decided to go down a solid path - always make the website look pretty on the latest Firefox browser. I know PNG-transparency is not supported in IE6, but it is such a wonderful feature, that I cannot live without - and I don't want to change my design style, just because some odd company has created an incompatible browser. No matter how popular it is.
Now, now, back to what I wanted to say. I have worked most of today's spare time away, on getting user registration and log in/out working properly. I'm quite satisfied with the outcome, but unfortunately, I haven't got around to add support for comments, which is a shame, because I don't expect to have time before next friday - 8 days -- one day after Hardy Heron release! So, sorry I was really hoping to get it finished before I had to go. Anyhow, I don't expect many to read this blog either ways. Yay for me!
Später! (Yes, you guessed it, I'll be in Germany.)
» Sakse "Don S" Dalum
"If you removed the bones, it wouldn't be crunchy, would it?" - Terry Gilliam on Chocolate.
Read comments (0)
Welcome! by Sakse Dalum
Category: WebYodan
14/04-2008
Hello and welcome to my brand new blog.
I'm currently setting things up to work properly - eg. users and comments, and I haven't really got anything to write about yet, so it might seem completely pointless reading this. But keep in touch, I'm working on it, and expect it to be finished somewhere before Hardy is released.
This blog is powered by WebYodan, a CMS/Forum/Blog-like PHP programme I'm working on. The design is also made by me (save the Ubuntu countdown). All the content (but the login information for my MySQL server) is freely available for redistribution and modification, as long as the modifications are released under an Open license. For more information regarding WebYodan, please visit the Launchpad project at:
https://launchpad.net/webyodan
Though I advice you to not use it, since there is no documentation, and it is still very buggy. And the code is rather messy, since it's written over a long period of time, and I was quite the beginner when I started. So, first thing for me to do after making the installation work properly, is to do a rewrite of most of the codes, and thereby hopefully also solve some of the random bugs.
If you have any comments, feel free to wait until I get around to set up the Message System or if it's really urging, send me an email on don.s@yodanism.org.
Well, good luck with whatever you're doing.
» Sakse "Don S" Dalum.
"If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain.
Read comments (0)
Category: WebYodan
14/04-2008Hello and welcome to my brand new blog.
I'm currently setting things up to work properly - eg. users and comments, and I haven't really got anything to write about yet, so it might seem completely pointless reading this. But keep in touch, I'm working on it, and expect it to be finished somewhere before Hardy is released.
This blog is powered by WebYodan, a CMS/Forum/Blog-like PHP programme I'm working on. The design is also made by me (save the Ubuntu countdown). All the content (but the login information for my MySQL server) is freely available for redistribution and modification, as long as the modifications are released under an Open license. For more information regarding WebYodan, please visit the Launchpad project at:
https://launchpad.net/webyodan
Though I advice you to not use it, since there is no documentation, and it is still very buggy. And the code is rather messy, since it's written over a long period of time, and I was quite the beginner when I started. So, first thing for me to do after making the installation work properly, is to do a rewrite of most of the codes, and thereby hopefully also solve some of the random bugs.
If you have any comments, feel free to wait until I get around to set up the Message System or if it's really urging, send me an email on don.s@yodanism.org.
Well, good luck with whatever you're doing.
» Sakse "Don S" Dalum.
"If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain.
Read comments (0)
"Windows is dead."
Latest articles:
• Big Buck Bunny
• Comments and Users
• Users and whatnot...
• Welcome!
Categories:
• WebYodan
• Blender
Latest articles:
• Big Buck Bunny
• Comments and Users
• Users and whatnot...
• Welcome!
Categories:
• WebYodan
• Blender
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