About

About Blender

Blender is the open source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. Available for all major operating systems under the GNU Public License.

You can download Blender free of charge on www.blender.org. On the Blender site you will also find a gallery with cool Blender art.

About me

I started using Blender around 1998 (version 1.37 if I remember correctly). There was hardly any documentation available and I wrote some of the first Blender tutorials on the web. After that, I got in contact with Ton Roosendaal (Blender's creator) and produced two Tutorial Guides for him.

When Ton found investors he invited me to work for his new company, Not a Number, as community manager. During my time at Not a Number we did many great things such as organising the first Blender User Conference (everyone was flown in at our expense), visiting exhibitions such as Siggraph, ECTS, and Milia and meeting Blender users there.

After NaN's second bankruptcy I helped Ton to gather the €100,000 to buy back the Blender sourcecode from the investors.

I'm now not so much a Blender user anymore, but rather a Blender groupie and enthusiast. I keep a close eye on the developments and am not so much interested in the new buttons and functions that keep getting added but more in the 'big picture': where is Blender going and what ripples does it cause around it?

If you want to get in touch with me, please use the contact form.

26 Responses to “About”  

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  1. 1 Someone Edit Link Jul 15th, 2006 at 9:34 pm

    Might want ot mention that the $100,000 to buy the Blender code and open it to the world came largely from the public via a fundraising campaign…

  2. 2 Albrecht Edit Link Aug 31st, 2006 at 10:17 pm

    Hi,

    it would be nice if you would tell the reader your name (I suppose its you, Bart, but I am only guessing …).

    Hope to see you in De Waag :-)

  3. 3 Roberto Mora Edit Link Sep 19th, 2006 at 11:46 pm

    Hi Bart

    I must tell you that I am really impressed with the work you have done. Opening up an application that is almost as good as Maya for the good of the community to enjoy and improve, is just what this world needs.

    Because aparently this application is quite sofisticated and improved by techs and their peers, it is quite obvious that the functionality of Blender is at the same level if not more than all other applications out there. Unfortunatelly by the same token, usability is something that has been left behind. This is a common issue facing several good applications, usability and intuitiveness are always lowest priority in the building process. Usability plays great importance in the market share and it can make the difference between a widely use aplication and an obscure one, regardless of the functionality they have.

    I recently started learning 3D modeling and with my little or no experience I needed to come up with a low budget solution to start. I have been timid and concern about what 3D applications. Not only there several 3D apps out there, but I need something that looks intuitive and easy to learn. I have done extensive research and I found myself debating between learning using Blender or using Daz3d Carrara 5Pro. Unfortunatelly, after reviewing carfully the introduction manuals and the applications GUIs, I saw it better investment to start with Carrara 5Pro. Regardless of the price, being in the low cost apps, I like their intuitive and attractive Gui. Although Carrara 5Pro is not free, the time I guess I may take learning it andnmanipulating it will be remarcably shorter. And for simple folks like me time is money.

    Keep the great work you and the Blender community are doing. Hopefully either next Blender version will be user friendly or I will have to wait a while to master 3D modeling good enough to move up to Blender.

    Regards

  4. 4 Philip Edit Link Sep 30th, 2006 at 6:25 am

    Hi
    I was wondering what exactly this does and why I should download it?(I'm new with blender I'm only 12 years old)

  5. 5 Siren Horn Edit Link Nov 27th, 2006 at 8:00 pm

    I have spent the last few days researching 3d graphics/animation applications when I came across the cgsociety link that compares the various applications. I fell down on my knees when I saw Blender. I love that it's open-source and that it also competes on the same professional-level playing field as Maya. Some of the prices out there for these type of applications are completely absurd. No one should pay $7000 for a 3d graphics/animation application. When/if my projects start making any money I will definitely donate to help the cause.

  6. 6 Erin Sue Edit Link Jan 19th, 2007 at 3:51 am

    Ok, I just downloaded Blender and I'm freaking out!!! How do you work this thing??? I LOVE webgraphics and stuff, and I'm a master at PSP, but Blender looks MUCH more complicated… Is there anywhere where I can just learn the basics and where tools are and stuff???

  7. 7 John L Edit Link Jan 26th, 2007 at 3:00 pm

    Erin Sue
    go here: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro
    this will help you to learn Blender.

    J

  8. 8 Toni Grappa Edit Link Jan 28th, 2007 at 11:03 am

    Learning Blender is like learning decathlon. It`s complex and you have to be patient with yourself.

  9. 9 Anti_+Spammed Edit Link Feb 3rd, 2007 at 10:50 am

    Hi!

    I'm just overwhelmed mow I cant speak a lot. Blender really is something. No words to describe but it will soon be taking over my life. It and other related CG software will consume the rest of my free time. No kidding, I really love it.
    Well, to start of, (dont worry not a speech) I'm taking Mechatronics Engineering for college, you know Mechanics, Electronics and Computers in one course, and I've thought that Blendr may help me develop my skills on the field, make movies someday perhaps like that Ian dude.

    Love Blender,(speech to be continued)

  10. 10 Edmond Edit Link Mar 26th, 2007 at 10:12 pm

    Hello,
    I just started using blender about a month ago.Well so far it hasn't been too easy but fun and worthwhile[that's if yu know wat to do] but I still have alot of problems.
    1)Pls how do I enter text in a blender screen[is it possible?]
    2)I saw the F1 contest entries and must say i was overwhelmed.Pls cud yu describe a method i cud use to build a car…a modern car version

  11. 11 David Koster Edit Link May 27th, 2007 at 8:51 pm

    Hey!

    I am a great fan of fantasy and 3D art. I have been looking for 3D animation software for sometime, yet it is extremely expensive, for just scholar like me it was then nothing more then a dream…until i found Blender! After watching the movie ' Elephants Dream' I am totally convinced that Blender is realy something and I can't wait to start working with it! I can't wait for the books I have ordered to arrive!

    well, just thanks towards everyone who has sacrificed their free time and energy to make Blender for what it is!

    I really want to help Blender in the futere in any way I can!

    yours faithfully,

    A fantasyfreak from the Netherlands!

  12. 12 Michael Edit Link Jun 8th, 2007 at 2:48 am

    ha ha, Erin sue, everyone's a master at PSP, it's so freaking easy! And everyone agrees that blender is THE BEST 3d tool around, i mean, games, modeling, sequencing, anything, it rocks!

  13. 13 vaguegirl Edit Link Jun 8th, 2007 at 6:54 am

    i have spent about six months finding the right tools to do some of the 3d graphics i am attempting. i have found that for my needs the best tools are the gimp, daz3d and blender.

    blender has enough high end options that as i get to understand it and 3d objects and animations better, i can continue without having to upgrade to something i am not familiar with.

    also, after reading a couple of the basic tutorials on the blender.org site, i am becoming more and more familiar with what i NEED to do, then i can figure out WHERE in blender that option might be.

    i highly recommend learning first WHAT 3d is capable of doing; as rather rudely mentioned above, blender is NOT a paint program. there are a lot more concepts that are required to understand. but if you stick with it, you will be awed at the possibilities.

  14. 14 Triad773 Edit Link Jul 9th, 2007 at 9:25 pm

    I myself am new to Blender3D and 3D in general. Had the opportunity to try out Maya PLE, 3DS Max- they all seem a bit confusing to me now. Blender's difficult to learn true- especially to one such as myself (like many, I'm sure) who are savvy with Photoshop, Illustrator, some Flash, a little video and After Effects.

    But hey- cannot beat the price, and even if I were wealthy enough to shell out for Maya or LW, I'd still be buying books for it anyway.

    Hats off to those who are developing the product with such outstanding potential for regular folks like me who want to take their creativity to the next level.

    Triad

  15. 15 Béla Frank Edit Link Jul 20th, 2007 at 2:21 pm

    Hi Everyone out there.

    I'm just a newbie to 3D art. I've found Blender some time (about six months) before now and when I started it… it looked damned hard to do anything with it.

    After months and an encounter with a simple but exciting 3D app, Swift 3D, I returned to Blender and started to learn. Now it seems completely rational and handy after two hard weeks. Useful indeed.

    In short, I just want to say 'thank you' for the Blender team for working hard and bringing to us this miraculous app, and thanks to the people writing tutorials on the web, especially on Wiki.

    Béla Frank
    A Hungarian Pal

  16. 16 Nelson Navas Edit Link Oct 11th, 2007 at 1:17 pm

    Hi everyone;

    Does anyone have information about the 2008 Blender Conference, dates, venues, etc.?

    Keep the good work, bye!

  17. 17 Gaudis Sosa Edit Link Nov 7th, 2007 at 9:25 pm

    Hi everyone, first I excuse I don't Speak so well english, but I try. I want to congraturations for your work I recent saw the video of the Blender Conference 2004 Art Festival, I from to Venezuela and in my country blender is a new program, I'mthe amatheur fan of blender and I study like some people using tutorial, I wanna any help abaut the program and I wanna work any colective proyect for to learning to do, Im your service, (gaudisosa@hotmail.com)

    Gaudis

  18. 18 Lance Zalenski Edit Link Dec 3rd, 2007 at 11:48 am

    Prior to the "Elephants Dream" efforts, I evaluated Blender as not a serious production tool. However it is very gratifying to see the amazing improvements in the rendering chain since it was rewritten.

    I am definitely going to give Blender a whril now!

  19. 19 Zbigniew Wasik Edit Link Dec 21st, 2007 at 3:59 am

    Hi

    OK Started maybe 3 months ago Blender and through doinf Blender turotial NobPro I found blender amazing. I already able to model whole room with fridge / furnitures and even more (making drawers) - later puting all these to Robotics Studio and voila - simulated room :)
    Lately also learned how to use photos from camera to model real objects like temples, statues. Cool :)

    So if somebody is saying that Blender is difficult to use - Hello just open your mind and try to go trough tutorials and forget about GUI from Windows or Mac. And learn all these shorthcuts - good tip - print it and put in front of you just beside your screen.

    I just have one issue: I am not Python person but I want to make scripts (know how to program). But how you folks do debuging of python programs for Blender??? And where I can find API (all these functions that imported from Blender)?

    GREAT JOB ANYWAY - and I agree for me also is enough GIMP, BLENDER so far.

  20. 20 Spinnacre Edit Link Feb 25th, 2008 at 6:30 pm

    :) I remember when i was learning the ropes, the first tutorial i ever did was 'A fire with particle effects'!

  21. 21 alonechild101 Edit Link Feb 27th, 2008 at 2:44 am

    Blender is awsome,not only is it fully…umm you know like…buttony with everything ….i cant think of the word… anyways it also FREE!! thanks so much for this free awsome program!!

    p.s i was wondering if there was a tutorial anywhere for the game engine thanks!!

  22. 22 Dread Knight Edit Link Mar 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    Whoooohoooo! xD

  23. 23 Ro Edit Link Mar 13th, 2008 at 9:52 pm

    Thanks people! Thank because Blender made my dreams come true…no kidding.

  24. 24 Hanzinho Edit Link Apr 17th, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    Hi everyone, thanks for your positive comments on the quality of Blender, I realy needed that! I started learning the application two days ago and since I'm a zero at 3D CG Blender realy got me down on my knees! and thoughts about giving up and looking for something friendlier crossed my mind more and more. That was when I scanned the web for reactions from fellow desperate people on this subject. After having read several similar experiences from most of you I feel much better now! At least I continue convinced that Blender is worth the sacrifice of the difficult learning process and I feel less stupid now I know that I am not the only one having a hard time with Blender.

  25. 25 solhex Edit Link May 2nd, 2008 at 1:14 am

    I started using Blender at 2.37. I got it primarily to do moving starfields, and guess what, I had to learn a whole bunch of other stuff before I could produce anything that looked okay. All that other stuff though started getting addictive and I knew I wasn't wasting my time (it's creative right?) so. I watched tutorials, anyones I could find and there are so many of them. pretty soon I understood what a normal was, I knew how to join vertices, and I could model not great to begin with but steadily famliarity increased and it was getting easier to follow tutorials. when I first read someone saying using Blender was like modelling with your hands, I just laughed and thought they don't know how stupid I am, but three years later on Blender feels very comfortable.

    I've heard many comment on the difficulty of learning blender's unique interface, I can only say this; my first experience of modelling, rendering, compositing etc was with Blender, after an initially awkward time, and mainly because of my unfamiliarity with 3d terms (loops, normals, baking, uv's, alpha, png's, radiosity, particles etc) I starting seeing how logically it had been put together G for grab R rotate S scale L link etc. I had never been enthusiastic about learning shortcuts, but the way they were handled here just made the most sense to me. and those sensibilities run right through the heart of blender. Now when I've tried using something like 3Ds Max I get frustrated by the amount of menu bashing and mouse clicking I have to do, while in Blender I just tap a key (or combo) with my left hand while my right hand is doing the modelling. Also, the tool tips available when you hover your cursor over an item are probably the best implementation of tool tips I've seen on any app.

    And you know what? it's starting to feel like i'm modelling with my hands.

    Sonny

  26. 26 islam Edit Link May 6th, 2008 at 9:28 am

    thx to all people converting the dream of wonderful 3d studio for free

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