DbBlender at MySQL Conference, Santa Clara – Help Needed

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mysqlconf.gifNathan Letwory is integrating Blender and MySQL, which allows new ways of using Blender such as working with huge scene files or distributed/team work. If you though that is cool, wait for this: he has been invited by MySQL to present this at the MySQL Conference in Santa Clara on April 16! After the conference he’ll be showcasing his work and for that he can use your help.

Nathan writes:

In April I’ll be holding a session about DbBlender (Blender and MySQL integration), at the MySQL Conference in Santa Clara, California.

I’ve also been asked to showcase it at the DotOrg Pavilion, and for that I receive 4 passes for entrance to the conference and one full conference pass (shared) for entrance to all events. I’ll be needing a few people who can help me out at the DotOrg Pavilion booth for showcasing DbBlender.

If you’re in the area and able/willing to come, contact me through e-mail ( jesterking at letwory dot net), then we can discuss this in more detail.

About DbBlender

DbBlender is a project to integrate MySQL in Blender as a data backend. The idea is that using a database can enable new ways of using Blender, like huge scenes when dynamic loading (streaming) of the “.blend” is implemented. Also teamwork can be managed through this, with the possibility to create ie. web-based management interfaces to the database, user roles and so on. Databases are created to handle saving data, lots of data, so this power we can use.

This project is currently being prototyped using BPy, but after the conference closer integration into Blender, likely in Blender2.5, will be done.

Demo videos

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    • http://www.virgiliovasconcelos.com Virgilio

      Sweet idea!

      I dunno, but this kind of integrations sounds like a killer feature which – when implemented – will help a lot the inclusion of Blender in more studios’ pipelines. =)

    • unstable

      Is there a project page for DbBlender?
      No link in the article.

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      There is no real project page, but I’ll be putting most of the interesting/useful stuff over here: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/DbBlender

      For now I’ll be posting youtube videos of the progress, and I’ll publish at least a windows binary when I’m ready for public beta testing. (Well before the conference, of course ;)

      /Nathan (jesterKing)

    • http://www.martineschoyez.com.ar Martín Eschoyez

      Wow! Sounds really great… we’ll keep an eye on them! ;)

    • bob

      Sounds great, but the choice of database weird.
      Would MySQL need to be running as a service, or be installed on the machine?
      Maybe SQLite its a much better choice.

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      @bob, the database would run Somewhere Handy. In a production environment you’d have it on a dedicated server. Of course, having it run on your own machine is possible too, but would rather defeat the idea behind it…

      /Nathan

    • Aussiedude

      “Also teamwork can be managed through this, with the possibility to create ie. web-based management interfaces to the database, user roles and so on.”

      PLEASE DO THIS!!!

      I’m trying to start a project to create a 3D virtual central coast, a region in NSW, Australia. The portion I’m want done is about 286km²!!! And also in high level of detail in the environment… not Toy Story 2 level of detail… like GTA game level of detail. Everything is also meant to be accurate to the metre or less. All the signs, all the roads, all the houses, all the trees, and all textured…..

      A database system using MySQL built-in to Blender to manage the project and the people involved would be a god send gift! It’s either this or I have to use my programming skills to create my own system…. which I don’t want to do… cause I’m too lazy :P

      I’ll (not now, it’s 2:10am here) see if I can do anything to help them. I’m not the best programmer but maybe I could help here and there. I REALLY WANT THIS BAD!

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      @aussiedude, drop me a line at jesterking (at) letwory (dot) net, so that I can approach you when I get into beta testing. Your kind of project is exactly what this is intended for :)

      /Nathan

    • Christopher

      Well, I didn’t quite think it was that useful to do something like this, until I saw aussiedude’s post – yeah, storing everything in a DB would be much, much easier than flat files (and permissions managed by the underlying OS)

      I think MySQL isn’t right for the job though – this would be handled, with aplomb, by SQLite – compile it right into blender, statically, so it’s MUCH easier for users to use and configure.

      Not that I want to sound like a MySQL downer – I use it all the time for my stuff…

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      SQLite would be ok only for local installations, and then you still have the limit of your local storage space. I haven’t really done any benchmarking, but I know I can count on support from MySQL in doing this integration (and hey, I get to talk at the conference, my first trip to the US of A!). For the vast amounts of of data that will have to move across the network, I’m sure that MySQL can offer what I need to achieve at least some degree of usability.

    • bob

      OK, I get the propose of this now, and SQLite wouldn’t be a good choice.

    • davidh7426

      If you want help testing this I’d be glad to help…

      I’m running…
      Vista Home Premium
      MySQL 5.1
      Python 2.51

      and of course Blender…

      …everything a growing Blenderhead needs…

      …Let me know if I can be of assistance…:)

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      Hi David,

      I replied to your email. All help is appreciated! There is still room for two more, please do contact me if you want to help out.

      /Nathan

    • http://www.marketiers.org/ shul

      Hi,
      way to go Nathan!

      As for sqlite, don’t go near it, it will not support your needs,

      shul

    • Dekki

      Great initiative Nathan.
      I’m working in a opensource game dev team and one of our problems is distributing art files (.blends) between our members. Right now we are using SVN but there is always a risk that two people alter the same file and the artists have to commit and update the repository outside blender, that they sometime forget. Having everything inside blender would be awesome.

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      I created a page on the wiki for those interested. There I’d like to discuss and collect use cases. If you have ideas about workflow, integration, features, please, let’s contemplate together :)

      http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/DbBlender/DbBlenderDiscussion

      It’s at the moment of writing still very empty, but I’ll organise it today.

      /Nathan

    • NielsBlender

      /Nathan,

      I guess you are aware but ‘just in case’…

      From Python 2.5 on, a feature is integrated to support .dll’s.

      + You need to ‘convert’ the .dll to .pyd, which means recompile and enclose an initfunction for Python and rename the extension to .pyd
      + The ‘.dll’-support isn’t at level ‘full-support’.
      + I am not aware of possible ‘platform-problems’

      Niels

      ps.
      I guess the real goal is doing the implementation directly in Blender (…and offer access from Python).

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      @NielsBlender I don’t really see how this is related to DbBlender? Yes, I now prototype using the BPy API, but I will be implementing this eventually in C.

      /Nathan

    • NielsBlender

      /Nathan,

      The relation?…
      Mmm, MySQL(.dll) can be spoken to from within Python already using .pyd?
      This would make ‘right away in C’ a better choice than ‘eventually in C’…

      Niels

    • http://www.letwory.net Nathan Letwory

      I’ll be writing out binary data (the raw data) to which BPy doesn’t provide an API. Of course, I could add that to the BPy, but I’d be the only one using it. Dunno how useful that’d be. It’d be an easy way to prototyping, though. hmmm.

      /Nathan