TED talk by Stephen Wolfram: Computing a theory of everything

Grease pencil & Blender Boids...What the heck??

How to create a freehand sketch in Blender using a Grease Pencil

1. View
2. Grease Pencil
3. Click on Use Grease Pencil
4. Draw on the pad
5. Convert to a Bezier curve
6. In object mode, Convert to mesh: Alt + C
7. Tab into edit mode, select all (A) extrude (Z)
8. Go into side view
9. click use grease pencil and repeat again (extrude)
10. Now you have a crazy facade!!

Some cool links on Grease Pencils:

http://www.blendernation.com/grease-pencil-new-feature-on-development/

http://www.blendernation.com/pencil-2d-animation-software/

How to create Boids in Blender to simulate crowds, traffic flow and more!

Inspiration: Filip Zelenka

I stumbled across Architectural visualizer/animator Filip Zelenka who has a unique portfolio including 3D rendering and photography of exemplar designers & architects!

Below is a design of a gallery in Pilsen by designer, Karel Bus, which Filip Zelenka rendered using 3Ds Max.

GREAT PHOTOS OF VARIOUS ARCHITECTURE

Photographs taken by Filip Zelenka

My first Blender animation!

Here's my first attempt at doing an animation in Blender. I made the goblet using a Bezier curve (only one side), then spun it 360 degrees to make the form. I then created a plane over the goblet, & subdived the mesh. After applying the collision and soft body amounts I pressed Alt + A to animate!

Easter 'Blender' break...

So over the Easter break I attempted a few terrain maps in Blender of the site.

After a few hours my eyes were pretty sore from concentrating and the results aren't that amazing...but I was happy that I'm starting to understand a little more about how Blender operates.

Here are some examples of testing below:

Experiment 1

First I imported a photo of the site into photoshop and created layers according to height/depth. When importing images into blender, black inverts and white rises in height.

I just started with a section of the map to see the result in Blender.

River = black

Land = dark grey

Trees = light grey

Buildings = white

I then imported this into Blender

I abstracted the site by applying different modifers:

WAVE:

BEVEL:

Then I tried adding more 'Noise' in Edit mode

Mesh Deform created an interesting form:

Adding 'Wave'

Experiment 2:

For this experiment I just imported the greyscale version into Blender instead of altering the site map in photoshop. I then applied noise. In object mode added a smooth subsurface.

This terrain is pretty lumpy but it may be ok for rough diagrams.

'

My next experiements will be refining the terrain and adding particle tracing elements and empties.

Cool video made in Blender!

Introduction to Smoke Simulation from Andrew Price on Vimeo.

Also check out this interview by Andrew Price with Blender Guru, Andy Goralczyk!

Edni-Brown's "Architecture & Animation"

EDNIE-BROWN, P. (2001) The Will to Animation. In Architecture and animation., ed. B. Fear, 64-73. London: Academy Press

Ednie-Brown's interpretation and reflection on 'the will to animation' was intriguing as he states, "The will to animation is not a matter of rushing out to make things move but a question of the terms through which architecture becomes animate as a technology in itself."

'In order for the will to power to be able to manifest itself it needs to perceive the things it sees and feel, the approach of what is assimilable to it. " (p 66)

Ednie-Brown also refers to experiments he undertook using latex and plaster which resulted in bizarre casts with a variety of finishes. Due to the dynamic variations of force and materials used, Ednie-Brown was able to document a series of animations in form and diagram his understanding of 'the will to animation'. 

"The shift can be tracked across the path from the shower tap to the plaster-cast production, from rigid moulds to flexible ones:" (p 69)

Below is an image of Jessica Lynch's finished drawings

(http://dia.tce.rmit.edu.au/Dia-extended/Lynch%20j/Jessica%20Lynch.htm)

• Lynch's design evolves through the manipulation of images and patterns in AutoCad
• Software is experiemented with. A fusion of scientific/mathematical data and abstract design.
• Lynch's design shows clear documentation of her design process.