I'm Taking a Sabbatical

216 Comments Published by Bart on May 16th, 2008 in BlenderNation

Recent events in my life (a baby, and starting my own company) and on this site have made me decide it's time to put some distance between myself and the Blender community. I find it too hard to motivate myself for the huge amount of time I need to put in this project every day. So, I'm stepping down for at least a month, maybe longer, maybe permanently. The site is in the more than capable hands of our team of editors now!

All the best,

Bart

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216 Responses to “I'm Taking a Sabbatical”

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1 Gryphon May 16th, 2008 at 9:51 am

Congratulations Bart! We'll miss you, but you've earned it! Thanks for everything!
2 ton May 16th, 2008 at 9:53 am

Respect Bart! We'll have a beer soon. :)
3 johan_zhe May 16th, 2008 at 9:54 am

Aggreed, thanks alot for everything!

Afterall, blendernation is the heart of the community!
4 Jarod May 16th, 2008 at 9:57 am

Thanks for your work Bart!
Good luck!
5 Banjax May 16th, 2008 at 9:59 am

Kinda sorry to hear that, I will miss your time and efforts, thank you for Blendernation.
6 Hassan May 16th, 2008 at 9:59 am

Good luck with the new Company. I really appreciate all the work you have done with blendernation. It's one of my favourite sites, you know one that you open up in a tab when you first start you web browser for the day.
7 skn May 16th, 2008 at 10:09 am

Thank you and good luck.
8 GeeN May 16th, 2008 at 10:11 am

Thanks for everything!
9 rpgsimmaster May 16th, 2008 at 10:11 am

Thanks, Bart
The Blender Community honestly wouldn't be what it is without you and your work (although that said, the 'community' has unfortunately not paid you back very well, sorry to say)

So, Good luck, and thanks for all the fis… Erm, sorry. Good luck and thanks for all the work you've put in.

rpgsimmaster

Say… What does the company do? You didn't mention…
10 Rickyx May 16th, 2008 at 10:13 am

Take your time, thank you for the time you put into this.
We can see it…

Good luck for your company, a kiss to your baby and thank you again.
Rickyx.
11 Imer May 16th, 2008 at 10:13 am

Thanks for all and good luck for your company ;-)
12 MartinR May 16th, 2008 at 10:16 am

Good luck. Just wanted to say thankyou for all your effort in maintaining the blendernation site in all it's 'open-ness'. First thing i do on a computer every day is go to the site for news and quite often. entertainment. All the best.
13 Ogden May 16th, 2008 at 10:20 am

You da man bart dude!
14 Dion Moult May 16th, 2008 at 10:26 am

Thank you so much for the effort you've placed in BlenderNation and the Blender community.

What a pity, I was going to ask you to beta test a system I was making for the Blender community next month! Now who shall I ask? I have absolutely no idea how to contact the whole of your editing team ;)

Congratulations Bart! You're leaving at the peak (well, a high spot anyway, Blender has still far to travel) and that must be great for you!
15 bullx May 16th, 2008 at 10:27 am

:°)
have a lot of happy-time and a lot of luck on your way.
thank you for your time and work.
16 samran May 16th, 2008 at 10:27 am

Thanks Bart and good luck man
17 Big Fan May 16th, 2008 at 10:29 am

bart,
well i'm sorry you fell hosed about the goings on here recently enough to withdraw what time and inclination you do have but honestly I understand your viewpoint.
myself I have contributed here and there thinking that goes against the community grain but I dont think I have ever seen such blatantly ignorant and obnoxious posting as we have had in the last few days.
so I am not going to say thankyou and wish you good luck cos I think that misses the point.
rather I would suggest that the obvious offenders apologise to bart and kernon and the community for trespassing all over the goodwill of various parties with their ugly persistant and thoughtless posting.
18 Tagyn May 16th, 2008 at 10:29 am

Thank you for all your work .
blendernation is the only site i check every morning .

good luck !
19 Jean_R May 16th, 2008 at 10:29 am

Merci Bart, Have good luck with your projects. :D
20 Dusty May 16th, 2008 at 10:30 am

Don't blame you, it's one hell of job running something this popular. Your team I'm sure will do a fantastic job, though maybe not up to your high standards.

Good luck.
21 Ankit Pruthi May 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am

thanks for all that you hav done for blender and for us Bart…thanks a lot..

but please do try to find time to just come here once every month or so…it would be nice i guess

all the best…..
22 luis May 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am

Congratulations Bart! Thanks for everything!
Obrigado,from Portugal.
23 mfoxdogg May 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am

Good bye bart thanks for everything :) and i wish you good luck in everything you do :)
24 Dread Knight May 16th, 2008 at 10:35 am

RESPECT!
25 Len May 16th, 2008 at 10:43 am

Hope to see you back soon Bart.
26 donya May 16th, 2008 at 10:44 am

thank you a lot for all Bart,
your work it have been amasing.
good luck, we miss you.
27 paulR May 16th, 2008 at 10:45 am

Good luck to you on all fronts. All the best bart! :) Don't stay away too long though! ^^
28 Zeirus May 16th, 2008 at 10:46 am

Good luck, Burt! :D
29 Reaction May 16th, 2008 at 10:47 am

Looking back over all the news items, one begins to realise how many had "Published by Bart" at the top!

Thanks for all the effort Bart, which has helped make BlenderNation my first web page of the day for a long time now.
30 pepe May 16th, 2008 at 10:51 am

just one more to say ….

… THANK YOU with a teardrop in a smiling face
31 Sympodius May 16th, 2008 at 10:51 am

All the best, Bart. Whether you come back or not, your efforts have been greatly appreciated. I hope we'll see you soon.
32 NeonU May 16th, 2008 at 11:01 am

1000 Thanx, best luck!

Maybe this is a good point for the "team of editors" to introduce themselves… I'm using this community-site for a couple of months and did not yet find out …
33 Mal May 16th, 2008 at 11:03 am

Enjoy your well deserved break Bart!

As someone mentioned above, you have created one of the only websites that I check daily.
I didn't follow the Microsoft story past the first few M$ bashing posts, but I'm sure it wasn't pretty.
34 TX_RX May 16th, 2008 at 11:05 am

Life balance is everything. :) I'll echo Sympodius thanks and wish you all the best in what ever you decide to do and many thanks for managing this tornado of news for the blender community!
35 NeonU May 16th, 2008 at 11:09 am

Ah and yeah, a small point of critcism: the recent discussion about this microsoft-mail was stopped by bart, sure he had his reasons, nothing I couldn't live with. But even if some of the posts where quite stupid, doesn't the simple number of post show that there is a need of discussion? Who will manage these community-processes in the future?
36 wayne May 16th, 2008 at 11:11 am

i agree bart, family first, great news :)

thanks for all your hard work up til now, you are a legend!!!
37 required May 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am

I am confused.
Who is Ton and who is Bart?
38 Schlops May 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am

Thank you, B@rt! Enjoy your sabbatical and good luck!
39 Jos May 16th, 2008 at 11:21 am

Thanks for all the hard work you have put into Blendernation for all this time. You will be missed. I hope you come back but take your time.
40 meta-androctro May 16th, 2008 at 11:22 am

thanks Bart,
you have done Blender the such a Great Service for so long.
enjoy the time with you child, they really do grow up so fast!
best wishes in your future endeavors.
Brendon.
41 spiked May 16th, 2008 at 11:25 am

Bart, Blender is a wonderfully good part of the open source community that you helped grow. Unfortunately you just witnessed a terrible bad part of it, which exists as well. A bunch of hard headed single purpose idiots whose only real support of open source is for the hate of Microsoft. Ignore them. They contribute nothing to the true open source community except stench. Take a break, relax and remember why you were here to begin with, it surely had nothing to do with that part of the community.
42 Gat May 16th, 2008 at 11:27 am

thanks for your work here Bart! good luck with the company
43 ROUBAL May 16th, 2008 at 11:41 am

Thank you for all your efforts Bart!
Blendernation is the first site I visit every day, and a great source for the Blender Community. You made it alive day after day and I'm sure that it was not easy to find new informations each time. Don't think too much about the last 2 days, and enjoy your break with your family. Take care of you and good luck for your starting company !
44 Sensei May 16th, 2008 at 11:50 am

Bart,

I had a gut feeling this would happen. I certainly hope we see you again. Yours were my very first tutorials with Blender. Building a house, riding through a tunnel, burning steel :-)
Ah, fond memories indeed.

To me, you are part of Blender. No less than Ton, Big Whale, Way Pay, Reevan, et al. I'll miss you and all that you have contributed to Blender and it's community over the years.

When it came to the signal to noise ratio, Blendernation couldn't be beat. :-D
I suspect that will continue.

Good luck to you, and best wishes to your family. Hope to see around again :-)

Now, where did I save that Pawn in a Hurry tute, it's on my hard driver here somewhere ;-P
45 Astrollo May 16th, 2008 at 11:51 am

Dear Bart – total respect!
46 shul May 16th, 2008 at 11:54 am

Bart, thank you for all you have done , and I hope will do, for the community, I know that running a site is a tough work but very rewarding,

Good luck with the new company and hope to see you here in the midst of us commenters :-)
47 Ephalim May 16th, 2008 at 11:56 am

I hope you dont do it because of the last 2 days..

Thanks for your great efforts in developing and promoting Blender (and still to know what comes first..).

Best wishes for your future!

vg e
48 Chris May 16th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

thanks mate, good luck
49 BlenderLovingSquirrel2 May 16th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

congratulations!

thank you for all the efforts!
50 Greg M. Johsnon May 16th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

I think I met you at SIGGRAPH Boston, I was the "only guy talking about povray."
Best wishes.
51 rexprime May 16th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

thanks for all of your hard work bart.
52 MrE May 16th, 2008 at 12:31 pm

Best wishes and good luck with your baby. Hope to see you back now and then.
53 MrNoodle May 16th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Good luck!
54 Givissa May 16th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

I really appreciate your work. Best wishes for your family and projects. Grazie mille.
55 TweakingKnobs May 16th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

Thank you so much !!!!

from the heart.
56 mumluke May 16th, 2008 at 12:41 pm

You've got it, your name along with Blendernation.com, forever, what more does a person hope for!!!
57 Toni Grappa May 16th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

The simpatico front-face of Blendernation is leaving. What a pitty. Good luck for you.
58 PapaSmurf May 16th, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Bart, this site has done more for Blender than we will ever know. You have created a permanent and valuable source of information out of nothing except your ingenuity and brilliance, and you need to be very proud of that. Motivation has its ups and downs, and it is a hard job being an editor. Any leadership position carries with it responsibility, and decisions have to be made, No one can ever make everybody happy all the time. You need to focus on whether you have made the right people happy and have accomplished your mission, which is to broadcast news items. I can tell you, as a fellow leader in the Blender community, that you have done this and more. As I said on BA to the community, BN is not a public forum – it is a news service with limited resources, and your responsibility is to maintain its editorial integrity and control its content. Many people think they have the right to control and consume your limited resources, but they do not pay for it and are mistaken.

Unfortunately, we do not say "Thank You" often enough, or get appraisals / bonus / rewards for our contributions to Blender, and thus we leaders really don't get a lot of tangible recognition as we go about our duties. So, as one leader to another, Thank You. Take some time, take care of the family, delight in those baby bubbles, recharge those batteries, and I hope you to see you back again.

Warm Regards,
Roger
59 Olaf May 16th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

Thx Bart, and all the best wishes!
60 Anthoni_C May 16th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

Well Bart you've done this community a great service and hopefully your team of editors can continue to do so.
61 Chainz May 16th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

We" ll miss you… :'(
Hope to see (hear) you soon…
62 Chaotician May 16th, 2008 at 12:56 pm

Good luck Bart,

I wouldn't have heard half of the cool things I have about Blender if it hadn't have been for this site. Without my daily Blender Nation fix I wouldn't know half the things I do and consequently wouldn't be using Blender as part of my job.

Thanks for everything…

Best wishes for the future

Matte
63 Grzesiek May 16th, 2008 at 12:56 pm

I agree with what PapaSmurf said.

To me, this is the source for all blender information, other sites are a filler more then anything else (yes, even http://www.blender.org).

It has been, it is and it will be the first site I open for Blender News. (ps Blender RC5 is out :) )

All I can hope is that one day you'll come back and the community will grow up a tad. Especially the hole MS/Windows. I to had this issue in blenderstorm. Most simply hate them. But such is life.

So…

Rest, relax, and concentrate on what is most important to you. Your family and the new company you mentioned. And again, hope to hear from you once in a while here on blendernation.
64 claas May 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm

good luck man

I am 5 years away from my sabbatical ;)
65 Pavel Siska May 16th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

Good luck to you Bart and your family :)) We'll miss you. Hope you will be back soon :)
66 TKR101010 May 16th, 2008 at 1:01 pm

Thanks for all the time and effort you put into the site. I wish you every success while you're away :)
67 Marijn May 16th, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Hey bedankt voor al je moeite wel pech voor je dat het nu zo slecht weer is dus even lekker in de zon gaan zitten is er niet bij ;)
Maar suc6 nog met je zaak en je kindje!
68 henk May 16th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

Bedankt, Bart!
69 Micool May 16th, 2008 at 1:10 pm

You made a great job.. Blender nation has become my home page from many month by now…
70 dono May 16th, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Thanks a lot for all your wonderful work, i love very much all what you did and how you think.

Bonne chance pour la suite !!!
71 Florian May 16th, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Thanks for all the effort! Blendernation is one of the few websites I visit daily.

Florian
72 yellow May 16th, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Good bye for now, Bart. Best Wishes to you and your family.

I'd also like to echo PapaSurf's post, they are my feelings exactly.

BlenderNation is usually the first website I go to. It's invaluable and has done so much.

I personally don't think you've made one bad decision here at BlenderNation. Except for perhaps not locking the MS thread sooner. :-)

Best of luck.
73 NCubed May 16th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Thank you!

Enjoy the time with your baby. One's own children are just amazing!
74 SeanJM May 16th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Bart, there's opinionated people everywhere, in fact they outnumber sensible people. Don't take anything personally here, but if a break is what you really need, take it.
75 zapman May 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm

Vielen Dank für alles und alles Gute für die Zukunft! Auf bald!
76 pKrime May 16th, 2008 at 1:35 pm

Yet another Thanks, Bart, enjoy your time, you did very much!

about these days meaningless flame wars, it happens whenever some "key words" arise on the internet, making polite people go away from a nonsense discussion, so don't mess the trolls with the fine blender community.

all the best! :)
77 Martín Eschoyez May 16th, 2008 at 1:39 pm

Thanks for all your efforts Bart, and take care of your baby! Agree with NCubed… Congrats! ;)
Again, thanks for all the time that you've taken for this!
78 pastorJohn May 16th, 2008 at 1:40 pm

B@rt:

As a dad, I fully understand the need to have time for a new child at home. Congrats and blessings on your family!!

As a guy with a busy job, I fully understand when our energies need to go to work with us, not get used up on our other passions. It is very responsible of you, and I applaud your wisdom.

As a Blender perpetual NOOB and HUGE fan, I can say that this site has had a huge part in keeping the Blender community a community. I got interested in Blender just before Ton announced that he was starting the Blender Foundation. (Wow! Open Source!) Over the years, I have followed the story of Blender from interesting Geek app to a tool for artists and professionals.

I read the story here. I remember when the site started, and I was excited then. I loved the format and always will. Your RSS feed button is permanently on my Bookmarks Toolbar. This is one of the 5 websites I access to start my day, and my day isn't started unless I get some Blender news.

You have accomplished far more than you realize. The ugliness of the threads that made you re-think your involvement here is an unfortunate reality in life. Think of it as a cyber-zit: Below the surface everywhere and ready to erupt when there is irritation involved. It was no reflection on you at all, but I fully understand why you want to get some distance. I have had to for stuff like this before, even when I had nothing to do with it.

Thanks for your legacy of a great site for the Blender community. We do love you and hope you will be back refreshed after your Sabbatical. Blessings on you and your family.

pastorJohn
79 GustavTheMushroom May 16th, 2008 at 1:40 pm

*hugs*
80 Drax May 16th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

Thank you! It was pleasure to read your news :) Good Luck!
81 DJ_Boxer May 16th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Bart: I just want to say congrats on the baby. Enjoy the break it is definitely well earned. Good luck on the new company. And I'd also like to wish you all the best in these and any future endevoures.
82 Kukanani May 16th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

Have fun on your "vacation"!
83 blue_bone May 16th, 2008 at 1:59 pm

Thank you Bart!!

For all the years you made blendernation and for all the support you gave the community.

The best wishes,
blue_bone
84 Waystar May 16th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

Bart, you created something wonderful here. I hope you can be proud of your creation and the contributions you've made to the Blender community. Blendernation is one of my daily news sites. During busier times, it has been a lifeline, keeping me connected to the Blender world.

Thank you, Bart.

Now go get some R&R!
85 n-pigeon May 16th, 2008 at 2:08 pm

We'll miss you and THX for everything :)
86 greenlig May 16th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

Good luck bart, and Thank you.

God Bless
87 Mike May 16th, 2008 at 2:12 pm

Get some rest Bart, and good luck with your new company! Congrats on the kid too!
88 Spamagnet May 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Best wishes, Bart! I keep up with a lot of F/OSS projects, but this site is by far the best source of information I have seen anywhere. Thanks for all your work!
89 Seikoh May 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Family… Nice :)
Good luck, Bart.
90 Sam May 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Best of luck! Thanks for all the work you've put into the site.
Have a good rest!
91 davidh7426 May 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

Good Luck with whatever plans you have in the future…
92 arnaud May 16th, 2008 at 2:30 pm

Bart:

Your priorities are in order :)

Best of luck to you and all the best to you and your family.

Arnaud
93 Thomas Vecchione May 16th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

Have fun Bart, thanks for the work you did and hope you enjoy your time off a bit.

Seablade
94 Evan May 16th, 2008 at 2:33 pm

Thanks so much for your hard work. You have truly been an asset to me and my students! Good luck to you in your future.
95 ddwagnz May 16th, 2008 at 2:34 pm

Good Luck for future Bart :)
96 Socceroos May 16th, 2008 at 2:35 pm

As everyone else is saying – well done Bart. Blender wouldn't be the same without the effort you've put in.

Have a rest……although that could be hard with a little baby….heheh. :)

Thanks for everything.
97 oto May 16th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

Good luck and thank you for all "this"!
Bye
98 Burns May 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm

Thanks for your great effort thus far.

Good luck but I'm sorry to see you leave :)
99 AlienMythology May 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm

This will be my first post to any blender community though I have been a user of the software for more than four years. I have also had blendernation as my homepage for about a year now so that I can track all the great stuff happening with this program. Quietly I have been watching and reading, getting to know the cast of characters that make up the core of blender's heart.

It is thus a little sad that I find myself posting on the departure (hopefully temporary) of one of the mainstays of blender. We all get burnt out and frustrated from time to time, we all need time to ourselves. I have noticed that alot of what goes on here is more like one big global family reunion, it's often why I find myself glued to blendernation and other related sites. Familys of course fight, and those can be the worst. But familys always make up, heres for the best. ;)

Bart, I wish I would have commented more and I hope you do come back. Best of luck to you and your family at home, your blender family will be waiting for you when you're ready. Thany you for all your work.

Aaron.
100 Socceroos May 16th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

@AlienMythology: +1
101 ArtIsLight May 16th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

Bravo Bart! You've been a faithful contributor and written many articles of interest. Thanks so much! I hope to become an author and write posts too. We will miss you! God bless your new company, your baby, wife, your blender work, and all that you put your mind too. I do hope you return, but if you don't, we are glad for every day you graced us with great reads!
102 SpikeSpeigel42 May 16th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

It must be amazing to see so many people saying so many good things after several people saying childish things ruined the fun for you a few days ago. Thank you for showing me that FOSS can succeed in any arena it wants, and that Blender is not just a toy. I work with it full time at my school now, and I still don't know how do use half of its features. Enjoy the baby, but come back soon, because the website won't be the same without you.
103 roofoo May 16th, 2008 at 2:54 pm

Take care Bart, we'll miss you! I hope everything goes well for you, and I hope you'll be back someday!
104 greenlig May 16th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Hey socceroos :p
105 edna May 16th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Nothing like kids to change your perspective and priorities eh? I'd like to echo all of the good things that have been said here, talking as somebody who has been using Blender quietly since 2000. We greatly appreciate your hard work, which you've put in remarkably consistently for a very long time.

From one father to another: enjoy the extra time and try not to spend it all on your company instead of with your family!

All the best, hope you'll come back when it makes you happy to do so.
106 FinSteve May 16th, 2008 at 2:56 pm

Nakemiin Bart

Sad to see ya go but you more than deserve the break, good luck in your endeavours, and with the new family!
107 Colezero May 16th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

Because i wasn't online a for a few days, i missed everything. What happened? Back online and then reading this?
Its really sad that you are about to leave. Hopefully that you will come back any time. It doesn't matter how long you take a break, for a month or a year, take your time. The important thing is that you don't vanish at all and complete.

Anyway you were a great news poster, contributor and man. I wish you and your family all the best. And that you may find your way.
Greetings
Cole
108 Rakunko May 16th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

congrats man ^^rise that lil guy to be a open source!!!
lol life is life and have a happy and full one we will be here waiting for your return
(they gotta grow up and give you free time ya know~!)
good luck!
and remmeber babies poo in -Z direction with a velocity of 9.8 * inverse kinematics xDDDD
good luck man (i hope no one gets that joke)
109 AniCator May 16th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

Respect!
Do not leave us forever. :(
110 russose May 16th, 2008 at 3:12 pm

Thanks for your continuous hard work on Blendernation (checked every day!) and good luck for your private and professional projects.

Salvatore
111 Pablo Lizardo May 16th, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Like Martin Says (i copy because my bad english!) "Thanks for all your efforts Bart" and thanks for post some of my articles in the front page. in one way is a sad notice because we will miss your articles, but in the another way now your family will need you more than we need you! so take a rest and enjoy your baby and the rest of the life!… (bad baddd english)
well, nothing more, Big kind regards to you Bart!
112 madcello May 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm

Thank you for everything!

The best for you, your family and make a fortune in your company! Stay well!
113 gunnarstahl May 16th, 2008 at 3:18 pm

Hi Bart,
having a little boy of now almost 5 years I can assure you that spending time with your family is worth more than anything else in life. And building a company is a job which can not be done halfheartedly. So I guess in the end you made the right decission. After a couple of years you will look back at this time and realize how much you have progressed during these years. And this is the hardest part in life: Evolving. Not standing still on the ground you have already taken. But moving on, into an unknown land, leaving the security and safety of the current grounds behind. Seems you're sort of an adventurere, on hos quest to moving on.

But with regards to this community: Don't look back in anger at the things that have happened. There is a nice saying in one of my favorite books (the bible) which was intended at a different thing, but which can be applied to this situation as well (translated by me due to lack of a usefull english bible): "Test everything. Hold on to the good.". Ignore what went wrong and keep the good memories.

Blessings for you, your family / baby and your company!

Yt,

Gunnar
114 Ludo May 16th, 2008 at 3:21 pm

a very big THANKS
115 TroutMaskReplica May 16th, 2008 at 3:22 pm

Congratulations on the baby and starting a new business.

Perhaps when you get back from your well deserved sabbatical, you could scale back your contributions to once a week and let others carry the load for a while.

Take care.
116 Lasphere May 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

Thanks for this website Bart! You areone of the greatets blender artist that exist today! Good luck with the family and company!

Best wishes

- Lasse R. Bruntse
117 Calli May 16th, 2008 at 3:24 pm

Hi Bart,

sometimes it is the time for a change.

At any time, if your company or your free time brings you and your family near Berlin, please don't hesitate to call me.

All the best,
Carsten
118 Irowebot May 16th, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Congratulations and thank you for everything! I hope things work out for you and you eventually find your way back. I hope the large number of comments on this page will reaffirm your faith in the blender community. You're always welcome here.

Good Luck
Irowebot
119 Nation3d May 16th, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Thank you a lot for the hard work in blendernation
120 blendercross May 16th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

You installed the major information source for blender ! Thanks for spending time and work !

Hope we see ( read ) you here again. Best wishes for your family and you and of course for your company !!!!!

Greetings

blendercross
121 mesh#maker May 16th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

So long and Thanks for all the fish !!

;-))
122 dalekbell May 16th, 2008 at 3:42 pm

A baby *and* a company, oh my. Try not to get the two confused, and end up burping your company while seeking investors for your baby. Good luck Bart, and thanks from yet another regular reader.
123 Phil Holden May 16th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Thanks for your hard work it has really made a difference. Every blessing for you and your family.
124 LL May 16th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Best wishes Bart, and many thanks for everything you have done for and with the Blender Community. Nothing but the best to you and your family and all the other endeavors you choose to pursue.

Thanks again for everything. Best wishes Bart!
125 Digitist May 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

Beste Bart,

elke dag was ik benieuwd naar het laatste nieuws op het gebied van Blender. Met veel plezier heb ik elke dag op deze site gelezen en genoten.

Harstikke bedankt voor alle tijd en moeite die je daar voor hebt willen doen.

Afgezien van het feit dat je spannende tijden te wachten staan met de start van je eigen bedrijf, is het zien opgroeien van jullie eigen kind het allerleukste dat je te wachten staat.

Ik spreek de hoop uit om video bijdragen van de blenderconference 2008 van jouw hand hier op BN tegemoed te zien.

Bedankt voor alles en veel plezier,
A3
126 Lucio Cavalcanti May 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pm

This site is my start internet navigation for since it was created. The values I`ve gain for this reason there's no price.

Thank you, Bart! And Good Luck!
127 carlinhos May 16th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

thanks bart for all the great links … and good luck with the other projects!
128 ATB May 16th, 2008 at 4:01 pm

Take care!! Beware for 'burnout'!!

You made BN a great & fun place to be!

John.
129 IAN 3D May 16th, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Many thanks.
130 Month3D May 16th, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Hey bart,

Hierbij nog een bedankje van een bn-lezer. Ook al ben ik nog niet een erg lange blenderaar, maar anderhalf jaar, blendernation heeft mij zeker geholpen om door te gaan blender. Hiervoor ben ik erg dankbaar, dus nogmaals bedankt :)

Ik hoop dat alles met je bedrijf goed gaat verlopen en dat je niet al te veel en geen grote tegenslagen te gemoed gaat (een paar kleine is altijd goed voor de ontwikkeling :p ).
Ik wens je ook heel veel succes met je baby, hopelijk kom je daar ook geen tegenslagen tegen :)

En als laatste hoop ik dat je niet te veel teleurgesteld bent in de blender-communtiy en dat ik over een maandje weer stukken van jouw hand zie.

May the force be with you,

Month
131 hanx May 16th, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Thanks for all your efforts Mr. Bart… And good luck for your company…
I think the community always hope you will be here again soon…
Blendernation will always in my blog RSS list…
132 terence May 16th, 2008 at 4:11 pm

Bart:
As others have mentioned, it's good to see you have your priorities in order. We will definitely miss you here. Get rested, get your company going well, and most of all, spend some time with that baby. As a stay at home dad (who does most of his freelance work after everyone is in bed), you can't beat time with the kids.

I hope to see you back here soon.

Terence
133 scardario May 16th, 2008 at 4:13 pm

thank you for everything

I hope blendernation keeps the same without you, it's very important for all the blender comunity
Don't let those things affect you too much, your work has been invaluable for all of us.
Hope the time you're taking helps you.

Good luck with your company.

Un abrazo…

Oscar
134 Filipe Soares Dilly May 16th, 2008 at 4:14 pm

Thank you Bart, and good luck in your new "journey".
ah, and please come back some time, just to say "hello" with a news. ;)
135 Ben May 16th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

I was actually wondering some weeks ago whether the really huge work done by you (Bart) was as a volunteer or paid by the blender institute.
I got the answer now, and kind of sad with the feeling of loosing such a great source of valuable informations.
This kind of work (that is kind of a huge amount) may actually be rewarded in some way (I am sure we can find a lot of privileges like stages in the blender institute, special features in the software, better acknowledgment…).
The service of a software is very important, also I really think it would be worth it to for the Blender institute to pay a person doing this kind of job. Maybe a part time job.
The recent discussions were actually important and got their place here. Though moderating it probably is overwhelming.

Thanks Bart for the great work
136 Amar Ashworth May 16th, 2008 at 4:23 pm

Thanks for your time Bart, you have been awsome for the Blender community and project, it sucks to see you go.
137 Ben May 16th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

PS: today like everyday since a year, reading blenderNation news (hence often given by Bart), is the first thing I do
138 jan de vries May 16th, 2008 at 4:39 pm

Bedankt!
139 Francisco Ortiz May 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

Thank you very much for everything and please don't give up.

We were with you since the "Castle" and "Dolphin" tutorials (Nan times). Everything you did help people to get into C.G. all arround the globe. :_)

Blendernation is your masterpiece.

Yours,

Ortiz.

Btw my kid is wearing an orange t-shirt right now… What about yours? :)
140 Nicknamz May 16th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

Family first, enjoy your baby, and very good luck with your plans of new company ;) … you really deserve it.

thanks for all the goods news you allways bring to us.

We gonna miss you.

Saludos y buena suerte!

Nick
141 Paul Lunneberg (pablosbrain) May 16th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

Good luck Bart,
Thanks for all you've done to help the blender community grow and prosper. I'm sure your new ventures will prosper as well!
142 Sanne May 16th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

Thank you for everything, Bart, and good luck! Hope to see you back soon.
143 Wildclover May 16th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

I've never posted before, but I've been usingBlender since 2000 ish. As so many have said it takes a lot of effort to put in as much time to this site as you have done. I've really appreciated everything that you've done for the community, and look forward to its future. Enjoy the joys and heartache of your baby and don't rush back here before you're ready.

Hope to see you posting when you are though.
144 maxwildcat May 16th, 2008 at 4:50 pm

Though I try to stay mute, I couldn't let you go without mentioning the mixture of sadness and appreciation this silent stalker and daily visitor has.

I don't think the "thank you"'s and good luck are enough but pleases accept them, not as condescending comments from hypocrites – those thanking you as you go, but that of those who have shyly thought they will always have time to do so; but realize, as papa smurf said, that they don't do it quite often enough.

Forgive the selfish sentiment, I hope we'll see you back when your are rested and have more time. Your legacy will keep us thriving for more. At least it taught us to keep up with the news.

Thank you.
145 arnaud May 16th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

That's true: your dolphin was one of my first tutorial too (and it's in my ol' folder). That was back when you could easily fit Blender install on one diskette :)

Quintuple Cheer to you man! Spy on the community, but don't lose sleep over it :)
146 Danny May 16th, 2008 at 5:02 pm

I wish you and your family all the best and good luck with your company and hopefully see you back at Blendernation!

Thanks for everything,
DANNY!
147 dagobert May 16th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

thanks for your work, and take care of you and your familly.
148 noodlesgc May 16th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Thanks for the posts. Good Luck!
149 Kirado May 16th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

thanks for all the hard work dude! Damn now I'm going to have to find other websites to read every day ;-)
150 manda May 16th, 2008 at 5:16 pm

Thank you very much for your great work!!
ARIGATOU,Bart!!
151 Jan Morgenstern May 16th, 2008 at 5:18 pm

Bart, in spite of the fact that the whole 3D thingamajig is far over my head, I've still been visiting BN just about every day for years. I really enjoyed working with you on those reels and getting to meet you at the BBB premiere. Thanks for all the work you put into this.
152 DramaKing May 16th, 2008 at 5:18 pm

This is sad news, but, as you said, the site is in capable hands. I wish you all the best and hope to see you around again.
153 Mataii May 16th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

We wish you the best Bart :)
154 mallow May 16th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

good luck, Bart. and thanks for everything you`ve done for the Blender community
155 Johan May 16th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

Enjoy your break! Everybody appreciates your work and the vision that it took to start this site. I also appreciate the fact that you tried to stick with it even your life must be insanely busy. O yeah, don't feel guilty about leaving Blendernation. Your welfare is more important to the community.
156 cd38 May 16th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

You'll be deeply missed Bart. My warmest thanks for everything you've done here. Enjoy nurturing your family and your business.
157 rogper May 16th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

Thanks for everything Bart!
One of my dreams was to see my work shown in blender nation, and thanks to you it did :)
All the best and good luck!

Rogério
158 CTOBIAS May 16th, 2008 at 5:51 pm

Thanks for everything Bart……………..
159 Ali May 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm

I am sure you will come back soon :)
Thanks Bart
160 SaphireS May 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm

Have fun, whatever you do.
161 Psion May 16th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Good luck, Bart! I'm another of those quiet observers who enjoyed your work over the years. It's a shame intolerant flamers got you down, but look back with pride at all the good you've done. Enjoy life, raise your two babies well (the human and the company), and know that your efforts are appreciated.

And don't take more than a month … we need you here. Forget all that other stuff, *we're* more important.
162 pyrosever May 16th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Many thanks for everything, Bart, and good luck with your new company
163 aku May 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

Tanks for all your work Bart!

Like many others here this is my first place to look in the morning and the last to check late at night.
thank you for create it.

All the best for you. Valla con dios amigo.

Saludos de de México
164 Eonmach Realm May 16th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

I remenber Blender Nation´s early years, yeah, seems like a eternity man, just thanks and best of luck to you and your family, and proyects. Sometimes is time to close circles in life, maybe this is one of them, but not nessesarily means it a "good bye", but a "see you later".
165 NielsBlender May 16th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

Maybe I see around, maybe I left as well ;)
166 gauavanim May 16th, 2008 at 6:19 pm

Thanks Bart for everything.
Yo man Yo ..See you later ;)

will take care of it
167 Owen May 16th, 2008 at 6:21 pm

Best wishes, Bart! You have been a fantastic community leader, and I think I speak for all of us when I say I hope to see you around again. It's very often a thankless job, but for what it's worth, you have my sincere thanks.
168 Sa'idu May 16th, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Do not take things too personally Bart. Those of us that appreciate effort far outnumber the unreasonable ones. That said, family of course always come first.
Thank you very much for all your effort. Take care of yourself and your family and when you have cooled down a little, forgive and forget and come into BN and say hi again.
169 aws357 May 16th, 2008 at 6:34 pm

Nothing to add to the overwhelming wave positive comments that has been done here.

Blendernation is a very sympathic site where beginners and veterans alike can find their daily Blender news.
It's a site that remind everyone everyday that Blender is larger than life.

The best analogy I came up for Blendernation is that the site is just like a proud grandma' collecting every photos of her favorite grandchild. :)

The fact that few people remarked that Bart published a lot of the news is a proof of his modesty and his will to stay at the same level as his fellow editors.

He will be missed, but I bet he will not resist the temptation to announce the release of the new Blender 2.46… :p
170 niffty May 16th, 2008 at 6:51 pm

I been lurking here since day one and would like to thank you for all the great Blender news you brought us Bart!!
171 ThoC May 16th, 2008 at 6:54 pm

Thanks Bart for all the top notch news – this site has been probably my most regularly visited one over last two years or so.
Enjoy your well deserved time with you family :)
172 Cguy May 16th, 2008 at 7:01 pm

Bart,
not much that hasn't been already said, but note all 167(as of now) responses in less than a day wishing you well, and thanking you! Your work has been greatly appreciated. I hope that you *do* return, and that it is well rested, and appreciated my the minority, as well as the existing majority. Thanks so much!
CGuy
173 Spinnacre May 16th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

Thanks for all your work here Bart, you will be missed!
174 Crypticc May 16th, 2008 at 7:35 pm

Thanks and respect for your huge effort, you have made a difference.
175 blenderson May 16th, 2008 at 8:02 pm

THANKS THANKS THANKS!!!!!
176 kaeru May 16th, 2008 at 8:09 pm

thank you for your great work !

Peace :-).
177 djphotoduck May 16th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

Thank you for all your hard work Bart. Have a wonderful time. You deserve a break. I hope to see you back sometime, but I totally understand and support you putting family first.

Best regards,

Dan
178 Elk May 16th, 2008 at 8:35 pm

You have made a huge contribution to the community. thanks for all the efforts, and good luck to you in your new endeavors.
179 venomgfx May 16th, 2008 at 8:46 pm

thanks you for everything, I hope we get in touch still!, bconf maybe?

hugs!
180 Faquin May 16th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

I sincerly hope you'll come back. Thanks for everything you did !
181 C_Alias May 16th, 2008 at 9:05 pm

Thank You. Enough said
182 ShadoX May 16th, 2008 at 9:09 pm

Thanks you and good luck with all the stuff going on in your life! :)
183 Yorik May 16th, 2008 at 9:51 pm

Thanks for everything Bart, I'll miss you around here… What is that new company you are beginning?
184 sdembel@hotmail.com May 16th, 2008 at 11:06 pm

the number of comment on this post is really impressive!
you are great and have the choice of making your own biz!
we are gracefull to you!
the new team will be able to maintain the site well!

THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!!
185 Eric May 16th, 2008 at 11:17 pm

Thanks for all your work with BlenderNation, Bart! Though I very seldom post here, BlenderNation is usually the first site I visit when I log in after work every day. Good luck with your family and job, and I sure hope you'll continue to stop by, even if you don't write articles!
186 Simon May 16th, 2008 at 11:28 pm

Thanks for all your efforts over so many years and GOOD LUCK!
187 Simon May 16th, 2008 at 11:30 pm

P.s tanks for "Cutting through Steel " my !st and favorite tutorial
188 3DMAN May 17th, 2008 at 12:15 am

Thanks for all work ! And good luck.
189 Matt May 17th, 2008 at 12:28 am

Hey bart, sad to see you're taking a step away but much happier to know that your baby, family and new venture will be in your care and attention. The other baby of yours right here will continue to grow, and will be right here waiting for you. Hope to catch up for a beer next time I'm in the area! ;)
190 grafixsuz May 17th, 2008 at 1:21 am

Take care mate. You will be missed, but I think a guy like you wont be missing too long. I hope! Look after the more important things man.

I have a 1 yr old and another due next month, so I too will be sitting in the shadows for a while. I just hope those who wrote such disrespectful things like the other day are happy.

Take care man!
191 Colin Levy May 17th, 2008 at 2:02 am

Thanks for all your hard work, Bart! Rest up and enjoy life!
192 Omar Modesto May 17th, 2008 at 2:35 am

They've all said everything I was thinking of already (okay, so I didn't read ALL the comments, but I'm guessing they did…it's a lotta comments!).

So, you know… from the old helium.homeip.net (knowledge base, yay…) to BlenderNation, it's been a long road. One that would just not be without your involvement, and you can never be given enough thanks for it.

It's understandable that life must go on, especially when you have a family (and a company) to take care of. So, best of luck, Bart. Don't be a stranger, and what they —^ said.
193 Ichabodcole May 17th, 2008 at 5:53 am

Enjoy the roses, you deserve them.
194 lunatik May 17th, 2008 at 6:43 am

Bart. It's kind of sad to hear you're taking a departure but guess at some point we all have to move on, and hey – you'll have more time for your kid. Thats the most important thing. With that said I wish you'll return someday. Thank you for everything you did for the blender community, and wish all the best to you and your family. Also good luck with your new company.
195 vince May 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am

Hi,
I`m a father by myself and I know what that means for time resources. And starting a company – I just wish you good luck!!
I always enjoyed reading your articles, so I will miss them, but thank you very much!
Wish you all the best!!

Vince
196 indiworks May 17th, 2008 at 10:20 am

All the best for your projects – BlenderNation is a great resource for blender beginners and has helped me a lot in those last two years!
197 Tony May 17th, 2008 at 11:50 am

Bart, best wishes for your family and company. As others have said, this site has been a phenomenal service to the community. Thank you very much!
198 ! FaB ! May 17th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

Thank you a lot for your work here ! We hope to see you back soon !
199 kidd jmadd May 17th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

I'm a better artist for all your efforts. I appreciate immensely the time & resource you've spent to bring up the knowledge base & increase the accessibility of this outstanding program. You should be very proud of the impact you've had. Best wishes & good luck.
200 David Revoy ( Deevad ) May 17th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Have a good Sabbatical Bart , and take care of your family / baby and future project.
Blendernation now is big enought to live almost alone with the feed of all intelligent editors/writers.
Hope to see you sometimes in the comments of some article.
201 Joost Bouwer May 17th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

Bart, BEdankt voor alles! Veel succes met je familie en je nieuwe bedrijf… Heeft Blender enigzins van doen met je nieuwe bedrijf? Als je jezelf in de professionele 3D gaat begeven lijkt het me leuk als je een link naar je bedrijfssite kan plaatsen!
Hoe dan ook, succes met alles!

Joost
202 kit89 May 17th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

Enjoy yourself!
203 jazzroy May 17th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

gl bart, hope to see you back soon!
204 O oh May 17th, 2008 at 7:53 pm

omg, have a break!
205 Bakalov May 18th, 2008 at 7:01 am

hey Bart,
Thank You so much. Your work forced me to learn how to use a RSS feeder. Your news very important to me.
Good look on your new path!
206 goeland May 18th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

Je ne te connaissais pas, mais je lisais sans savoir toutes tes nouvelles. On en oublie presque qu'une personne est nécessaire derrière chaque annonce faite. L'internet est peut-être un endroit ou l'on perd le contact humain. Mais pour ton cas, on s'aperçoit qu'il nous manque quelqu'un.
Bonne nouvelle vie,
Good luck for you "free" life…
207 Neil May 18th, 2008 at 11:42 pm

Just want to add my thanks as well (and thanks to your family for letting us have you for so long already),
n
208 blendenzo May 19th, 2008 at 2:38 am

Hey Bart,

I know I'm a little late to reply on this one, but while I'm sad to see you go, I understand what you're feeling after the last few days. I've been mistreated by the community a few times myself, and I know that at least once I couldn't find the ambition to visit a single Blender-related site for around three weeks. It's very hard to spend so much of your life trying to help people and then to have them turn on you by making accusations and saying scathing things.

I'm happy for the changes in your life as a new father and business owner, and I wish you the best. Hopefully we'll see you back in the future. I appreciate everything you've done in creating this excellent community resource.

Tony "blendenzo" DiRienzo
209 pictorali May 19th, 2008 at 3:55 am

Bart,

I'd like to thank you for all you've done for this community. You were in large part responsible for building and maintaining the blender community back in the .7x days, and you continued that tradition of excellence with Blendernation. Best of luck with your new baby and your company.
210 jacques May 20th, 2008 at 10:24 am

Thanks so much for all your work Bart, Blendernation has been a refreshing and inspiring read. Good luck with your company!
211 jacques May 20th, 2008 at 10:33 am

to show how special you've made blendernation (to me): it's the only website for which I've permanently disabled adblock :-)
212 sen May 20th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

Thank you for all the work!
213 Gaute May 20th, 2008 at 7:57 pm

Thanks for all you have done to the Blender community! take your time, and i hope you come back!
Take care :)
214 GewoonM May 21st, 2008 at 3:54 pm

In fear of repeating just about everyone:

Thank you Bart, for everything!

I too have had my first Blender experiences because of your tutorials.
I'm still awful at it, compared to the beauty of other peoples creations, but the enthousiasm of this community (for which you have been responsible for a very significant part!) always drives me and probably a lot of the other silent Blender fans back to try!
Thank you for that!

It's amazing to see how long you have been around, perhaps we should hook you up for a lintje ;)

But, it's also good to hear that you're making some time for your family! I completely agree with your priorities.
Keep in touch with us Blenderheads, now and then and the best of luck!
215 dave62 May 21st, 2008 at 7:47 pm

i THANG YOU for all you did for the community and wish you GOOD LUCK:)
216 Ataru May 22nd, 2008 at 1:49 am

Congrats on your baby! :-) Have fun with him/her, they grow up fast. And I hope your new company does well.
THANK YOU for your contributions to the community. You've got to be the most amazing guy we've got, right up there with the developers. I'll miss your stuff on here, I'm kind of disappointed to hear this. But thanks for Blendernation. I love it.

I'm Taking a Sabbatical

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