Blender: Open Source Software in Media Production & 3D Printing

Blender is an open source 3D animation suite. It is used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, and more. What truly sets Blender aside from competitors such as Maya and Cinema 4D is its philosophy: it is free to use, available on the operating system of your choice, and designed to be a community project for artists of all types.

But how can Blender be so capable if it's free? Is it really used in the media production field? What is "open source" computer software, and how does it fit into the creative pipeline? Join WPLUG at Pittsburgh Filmmakers for an hour-long seminar as we explore these questions and more with special guest Roland Hess!

Roland will provide an introduction to Blender's capabilities, including design for 3D printing. If you've never explored 3D printing before, you're in for a treat: imagine being able to digitally design a work of art and then print it out as a physical object! Roland will give a live demo of Blender and describe how it works.

Two short films will be screened - Big Buck Bunny, which shows off the character and texture animation capabilities of Blender, and Tears of Steel, demonstrating how live action and CGI effects can be combined.

Free pizza will be available for attendees! If you can't come for the full talk, then at least stop by and have a bite to eat.

5:00pm - Doors open, set up
5:30pm - Food served
6:00pm - Featured Presentation
7:30pm - Meeting ends, everyone out.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Roland Hess has worked with Blender since before its transition into an Open Source success. Since then, he has been one of its committing developers, worked as an artist on the Blender Foundation-sponsored Elephants Dream which was honored with a place in the Museum of Modern Art's Design and Elastic Mind exhibit, and has authored a number of Blender-related books including the best-selling Blender Foundations and one that captured the 2011 National Publishers Association Award for Best Book in Art Instruction. He serves as one of the founding members of the Foundation's Trainer Certification Board, and currently works as a Partner Technology Manager (and resident go-to-person on 3D printing at the Pittsburgh office) for Google.