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Blender Sighting: Tears of Steel in HP Video

29

http://youtu.be/0cFc-kuK2_0?t=38s

Several people have reported this: HP is using some material from Tears of Steel in their latest product video for the Z1 G2 Workstation. Without proper credits of course, these companies just don't get it.

About the Author

Avatar image for Bart Veldhuizen
Bart Veldhuizen

I have a LONG history with Blender - I wrote some of the earliest Blender tutorials, worked for Not a Number and helped run the crowdfunding campaign that open sourced Blender (the first one on the internet!). I founded BlenderNation in 2006 and have been editing it every single day since then ;-) I also run the Blender Artists forum and I'm Head of Community at Sketchfab.

29 Comments

  1. Did anyone else notice that during the ToS bit, the speaker is talking
    about using the workstations in the "architecture, engineering, and
    construction markets?" I guess HP plans to construct a working quadbot.
    :)

  2. It's pathetic... They could at least show the Blender logo somewhere, just to communicate to everyone that those machines are able to run DECENT software too, not just Word and Powerpoint *gg*

  3. If you want Blender to be accepted as comparable to other 3D packages, you'd better get used to this, folks. Autodesk sees this kind of stuff all the time--material used from their professional software, but not always credited.

    If you'll notice, this is just to showcase the hardware, not the software. They're trying to promote the hardware as much as possible, without distracting the attention so much on the software. They don't want to seem like they're endorsing a software more than any other--the focus is just on the hardware here. The other DAW software in the video likewise didn't get any credits. Don't think they're complaining, though.

    A credit in the video's Description would've been nice, but still, Blender users shouldn't always expect promotion of Blender wherever it shows up. We'll stick out like a sore thumb as "amateur" that way.

    • Case in point:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79SdxuA1WjY

      Nobody has to introduce Photoshop here. I've seen likewise with Autodesk's SketchBook Pro and 3ds Max with other hardware showcases.

      I think it's becoming more common now that showcase videos leave their videos as much about the product at hand as much as possible, and leave recognition to the software users. Credits are becoming rather more implied these days.

      Wacom didn't even have to put a single reference to Photoshop in the video's Description. We just know. I think it's more up to the Blender user base to promote Blender through their work and showcases, to get Blender to the point where people "just know."

      • Perhaps the Blender Foundation or other well-established Blender power users can help be the ones to show how well Blender works with hardware such as the Z1 G2 Workstation (and hey, why not Wacom, too, while we're at it?).

        We've got plenty of good examples of what people have done with Blender, but no real line of demonstrations showing how well Blender plays well with others. If we're to become more professionally-promoted, we've got to get out there in this way.

        Companies like Adobe, Autodesk, The Foundry and Pixologic do not shy away from offering to showcase people's hardware and promoting how well their software gets along with the hardware such as Wacom and HP (or sometimes, even other software, such as Unity3D and iFX Clarisse).

        Here's an excellent example of where Blender users can step up--if you go to 3D Connexion's website (makers of the 3D mouse products SpaceNavigator, SpaceMouse and SpacePilot), you'll see they're still using Blender 2.49a to showcase their SpaceNavigator product (right on the product page). [http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacenavigator.html]

        Blender 2.49a, folks. Right on the front page. There's a short showcase of SpacePilot being used on Blender 2.5x, but it's rather buried in the Video section. Sure, 3D Connexion could update their page on their own, but imagine if someone offered to do a full demo of their product using an recent version of Blender?

        Blender's hardware support changes often between developments, so I wonder if 3D Connexion is even aware that Blender 2.6x continues to support their products. 3D mouse-usage with Blender isn't brought out a whole lot.

        Perhaps if we took more initiative to offer showcasing Blender on professional hardware, it'll help give Blender more professional prestige and a level of "users just know" recognition.

  4. Lawrence D’Oliveiro on

    Touch doesn’t go with vertically-oriented screens. Do people keep forgetting about “gorilla arm”...?

  5. I don't care if HP shows Blender on their new product - it would not make me want to use an HP product. My current HP "workstation" PC provided at work has a puny 400W power supply that, unbelievably, is a non-ATX size so it can't be upgraded to power a better graphics card. And when our old HP LaserJet 5 'workplace' printer (that had lasted for years) was replaced be the new version of the same printer, it was so constantly unreliable it had to be replaced by a Konica Minolta product. Similarly, my home HP printer lasted just over a year, then started showing error messages, then failed.

    • I have a similar history of faulty HP products, at least with their consumer-level products, as I've had a two printers, an external DVD burner, and a couple mice that have been nothing but malfunctions for me.

      • SonlenofBlender on

        I know you may have had bad experiences with HP but considering they supported ToS I think it would be a good idea not to bash them.

        • My comment didn't bash them. I'm just attesting to Reaction59's comment of their similar experience with HP products. Though, even if HP supported ToS...what's it to me? I'm not the Blender Foundation. ToS wasn't my project. I'm not being unappreciative of their support, but at the same time, I owe them nothing here.

    • It's funny, I'm sure that the horror stories of HP, like most companies, seem more prevalent than they are because you usually only here from the unhappy customer, but I'm still using my 10 year old HP printer and computer. It's getting pretty long in the tooth, for sure. Can't go above a AGP graphics card. Hard drive died last year, I did have to upgrade power supply. Likewise, my parents have always had HP printers and computer, and really, have been reliable.

      I hear the horror stories, but I've always been happy with their products.

  6. Kirill Trideshny on

    They could give some good donations for this at least. It would be justified then. Well, they dig a trap under own company. It looks stupid or their ad-managers lacks of competence.

  7. FluxCapacitance on

    If Ton demanded credit for every detail through lawsuits and nagging, no company would ever want to even get close to Blender. I would shy away as well. Our response sort of goes with J. Williamson's excellent fanboy article.

    Then again, there's the permissible corners of Blendernation, where I can be a fanboy and enjoy the satire of this post. :)

  8. I have personally provided the file to HP. They have supported and sponsored Blender in many occasions in the past. Not _everything_ that happens with Blender is published on here or elsewhere.

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