eh, that's a flower!?!

I have been working away trying to comprehend the splender of Blender 3D.

First let me say that surveying the landscape of Linuxville is a great thing, but........ you usually wind up with one of two things. The Linux Bazaar, hey look at this , look at that, try this, do that. OR deep in the darkest part of the network jungle, there lurks a circle of very hot servers cooking this Linux code and that code. Well, since I am a Linux user and a "personal" system admin instead of a corporate one, I want to show you what I brought home from the venerable Linux Bazaar. Why, because the applications are the whole mystery of Linux on the desktop. Folks rave about the Linux OS, you get the picture you can't do anything but server work. Let me tell you, servers don't need a GUI, or pretty wallpaper and you the average desktop user doooo! Even hardened text terminal gurus will have a desktop PC near by to have and behold a graphic file once in a while.

Also your personal activities are as valid to you as the data being managed in a corporate setting. That's what makes Linux so wonderful and it's called scalability. That's both to fit the range of hardware and also the range of user purpose.

My thing is digital art, not for some commercial venture (at least not yet) but for personal learning, personal adventure and experimenting. I will add that with Linux and Free Open Source Software (FOSS) you can not only start something with low or no cost, you can alter the code (if you have the skills) with no reprisals or legal harassment.

I started Blender 3D after years of hearing how hard it was to learn. What button do I push first? The secret is the bread crumbs left by ones who been there. Get the tutorial videos, play them till they make sense, the logic is subliminal, not apparent right off. While using it, it becomes clearer.

Here's what I am working on:

So far I learned to rearrange the windows, some basic keyboard shortcuts, what different commands and windows do. I am learning the feel of manipulating the cursor and scene, making and placing objects. What is that? That is what I call the Sunflower Dome Haus. Remember the cargo container home thing? Imagine 10 small cargo containers in circle the wagon style, then cover the middle with a dome. The space inside would be wonderful. And this is my other point, you can play with some ideas better if you can illustrate them. In 3D this is mind boggling and exciting. You may not build it in your backyard but on your PC, hummmmmm!

How does this compare with CAD drawing? 3D modeling may or may not be as precise as CAD but is definitely more efficient in working with concepts. Once you "get the picture" the details are easy. I tried Google's SketchUp, it is cool but no Linux version, that is sick. Ah, the road less traveled.

The other thing is weird. Once you start really using a Linux application, it seems you are all by yourself, everybody else is using some MS platform app. You need to peruse the Linuxville neighborhood and find some companions in the same pasture. Yes Martha there are warm weather penguins. They are the Birds in Black. They wear shades and make a PC look good!