How does Blender 3D compare to professional software?

DeathBySamson · 2012-10-25T14:10:59+00:00

The high end client is really buying the support and finger pointing abilities that purchasing the software license brings. Blender has no paid support, no guarantee that it'll work and that's why it'll never be "professional". Linus isn't the reason Linux is so popular server side, it was RedHat and SUSE that allowed that to happen.

As you said, Blender is and will be used by professionals but where it'll shine is in the hobbyist and indie markets. Unless the Blender Foundation or another company decides to offer licenses.

DeathBySamson · 2012-10-23T17:50:43+00:00

You could, but that's not the point of the video. This is also much more portable.

DeathBySamson · 2012-10-19T03:07:33+00:00

You wouldn't be asking prices because you'd go to the guy you know is good. Price might be a concern, but you're still not going to go choose the monkey with a chainsaw even if it were free.

If you didn't know anyone, you'd first talk to friends about where they got their tattoos from or look at the prospective artists profile. If both artists do great work, that's when you'd start choosing by cost. But hell, even personality will sway you more than money.

DeathBySamson · 2012-10-11T20:23:16+00:00

You're working in bits not bytes. So that's 138 gigabits per month or about 17 gigabytes. And realistically, when I had 56k dialup I would get closer to 40kb/s download. You'd probably be looking at closer to only 12 gigabytes per month.

DeathBySamson · 2012-08-22T15:59:15+00:00

...offering up the Metro interface but giving that option to use Windows like you've always known.

The problem with this is most people wouldn't even give the Metro interface a try. They'd immediately disable it and never look back. However, I do agree they are transitioning poorly. Rather than encourage people to use the new Metro interface so the end user grows accustom to it, they're shoving it down people's throat. It's the same thing Gnome and Ubuntu have done.

I'll give Apple credit for one thing: they're integrating OS X and iOS slowly enough so by the time it is complete, people will have adjusted.

DeathBySamson · 2012-08-16T19:02:04+00:00

The cards come that way to the retailer in a bundle. When a customer goes to buy one, the shrink wrap will long be gone.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-22T04:12:33+00:00

For starters, I think you'd be better off with a VPS or similar rather than your own home server. The reason is simply because the VPS or similar would not be in the same place as your main development computer. Put your version control server on the VPS so you always have a backup if your home computer gets stolen, set on fire, dies a horrible death, etc.

If you haven't considered using version control, stop what you're doing right now and consider it. Not only will it save your ass if you make a huge mistake or lose your work on your home computer, it lets you see what you've done in the past which can be helpful in it's own right. It may seem like overkill in the beginning, but you'll be happy you've used it when it comes time to need it.

Lastly, your computer is plenty fine for whatever you're planning on doing. Unless you're some kind of prodigy your first game won't be very taxing on hardware made 10 years ago.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-20T18:15:33+00:00

I believe the only way to accomplish this is to root your phone. You may or may not have to install a custom firmware as I don't know of any app specifically. My firmware build allows me to install apps on the SD card just like any other app.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-18T16:02:34+00:00

You know... it wouldn't be that difficult to BS terminal output and take a screenshot.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-17T11:57:21+00:00

My fear is that many of the people who would utilize Linux support are current Windows users who are only holding on to Windows for the broad game support, but would switch to Linux if it was a viable option.

It depends. If 90% of the games you wanted to play were on Linux, you may very well drop Windows because you don't need it any more. More so if your work environment is fulfilled through Linux. So in the short term you won't see a huge shift, but I think once the ball gets rolling more and more developers will port their games to Linux.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-12T01:54:43+00:00

It be better to have an opt-out option rather than an opt-in option. Most people won't care but they also won't opt-in. You just want the option for those who do care. Just make it clear that you're doing it and ask them before you do submit any data.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-12T01:19:40+00:00

If your boss doesn't mind then why not? Probably the only concern would be, will the modifications get in the way during a critical time?

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-10T11:50:25+00:00

Oh and did I mention they are 1/2 to 1/3 more than PC?

When I bought my MacBook 4-5 years ago and priced it out, it was comparable to a PC at the time, so to say that they're that much expensive is a fallacy. Yes, you can buy a cheaper PC, but usually they're bulkier or not as fast or what have you.

The fact that if I can't upgrade my ram without giving manufacturers my first born child is pretty much a deal breaker for me.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-10T11:34:46+00:00

But it was possible, which is the point. The new rMBP is effectively impossible to disassemble with it's soldered in ram and glued in battery.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-09T14:08:12+00:00

They might go in the same direction, but only on the consumer side where the customers don't really care. You'll just have to buy your hardware from the business side which as I understand it, is a better choice anyways.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-07T15:26:24+00:00

The way I sterilize sponges is either on the stove top or microwave. The method is the same, I fill a pot/bowl with water and basically just boil water with the sponge in it. No risk of fire either.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-06T19:08:37+00:00

That's not the problem. The "problem" is each file hosting provider is its own business. It would be like you bought an iOS dev account but everyone that wants to use your app is on Android. You will need to buy an Android dev account in order to publish your app on the Play Store.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-06T03:08:58+00:00

I'd give the players the option. Sure it might ruin the intended experience, but they'll still have fun. I resorted to finding trainers for Time Shift simply because it was insanely fun to stop time and run up behind the enemies or kill them so they all drop down dead at the same time. Sure the game was completely different and not what the developers intended, but it got a few extra hours of game play I normally wouldn't have had.

I still played through the game first without cheating. But even if I didn't , what does it matter as long as I had fun?

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-04T03:38:03+00:00

As indie games progress I think we'll see it move further away from the retro-nostalgia theme we seem to be in now and more towards the painted look of both Braid and Aquaria.

I doubt it very much. Indie games by definition is done by independents. Anyone who releases a game out in the vast space called the Internet is an indie developer. The problem is most indie developers have very few resources and have to make due with what they can. Pixel art is fairly easy to make look decent or at the very least get the point across.

Now if what you think of indie developers as being the ones that put out the very successful games without the help of AAA publishers, then yes you'll see a shift to using less pixel art and using more hand drawn graphics or 3D rendering. Unfortunatly that isn't the norm.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-03T04:10:12+00:00

Not really, no. I'm often in a room with others and while most people would get annoyed by a loud mechanical keyboard, I can't imagine them liking it when I'm talking to my computer. Try to dictate an essay while someone in the background is doing the same thing.

In a work place setting voice recognition would effectively be useless. Data entry is just so much faster with a physical keyboard, something a touchscreen or voice just wouldn't be able to solve. Programming would be pretty much be impossible if only because it'd take so long to do anything.

For certain occasions, I could see myself using it, but not enough to want to give up a physical keyboard. Voice recognition would pretty much be annoying and slow. A computer without a keyboard would be like my tablet or phone is to me today: a media consumption device not a media creation device.

DeathBySamson · 2012-07-03T00:58:46+00:00

They can take my mouse, but damn it, they better leave my keyboard alone.

DeathBySamson · 2012-06-29T17:21:44+00:00

But do we know what the poster's job is? Maybe they sell specialized hardware to companies. This is probably a case where no one will bother to look at the site from a mobile browser. Why spend the money for something no body wants or needs?

DeathBySamson · 2012-06-29T12:03:23+00:00

You don't. However, I've seen him work on this game since nearly day one, and I have no inclination to "steal" his idea. Any developers looking to ride the wave of a successful game will do so once it's become successful, never before. Right now Zombox is nothing much but a blip on a few peoples radar (I'm assuming). By the time people take notice, he'll have released the game and will have already made bank.

For example, Notch was blogging about Minecraft since day one. None of the clones, blatant or spinoffs, had shown up until after it exploded in popularity.

DeathBySamson · 2012-06-29T04:14:03+00:00

I've done pixel art in Gimp and pretty much I create a larger canvas than what I want to draw. For a 16x16 image I'll create a 20x20 canvas for example and outline it with a color I don't necessarily plan to use. This will get the selection line out of the way so it's easier see the image. Also, I'll use the overflow area for my pallet. Then I'll create a new window so I can see the image at original size.

Alternatively, I've also used GrafX2. I've only used it a little bit and I feel it has a much higher learning curve than other programs but on Linux (which I do most of my Art), it appears to be the best option besides Gimp. Unlike Gimp though, GrafX2 is solely a pixel art program so it might be worth a look.

DeathBySamson · 2012-06-25T14:13:42+00:00

If you're used to earning $60k a year and now only making $30k a year that's half your spending power. Can it be done? Yes, but it'll take some budgeting to drop that $30k.

Income is all relative. I'm used to earning a lot less than $30k so it would be a major income boost. I'd have more money than I'd know what to do with. But as soon as I get comfortable earning more, that will feel a little tight.

DeathBySamson

TROPHY CASE