long winded, as always.

I should stop by more often. This started out as a response to a comment left on my post here. It's gone a little long so it'll get its own post.

My max access was back in school, after that I had a couple friends with a copy. They moved, or switched to other things and I drifted away from CGI for a little while as I had nothing. One day I came across something that reminded me of Blender. I had downloaded version 1.73 or something like that, I've mentioned it elsewhere before. The new version was much more powerful, but still a PITA as there was no included documentation. However in the decade or so between the initial introduction the internet had become more mature, and much faster. Youtube, wiki, many more user sites and tutorials helped answer the mystical and mysterious functional questions I had regarding Blender. Both the program and the community had grown into something that deserved another look.

Blender, for the price, can't be beat. It's made and continues to make giant leaps forward in terms of features and function. I see the same "hobbyist" sentiment elsewhere as well. People dabble in makeup or sculpting as well. I know some who have opened a business after a few years of dabbling.

I don't expect Blender to take over the industry as some in the community do, but they've made 2 short films, a game, and are working on another film with it. Many other people have used it to make short movies and games. Hell, a company used it to do a full feature film. The community support and development is.. perhaps rabidly anti other software at times, but very active. I don't see that as a negative for the most part, the bashing is uncalled for, but the passion isn't bad.

Look at it this way. Since I have no idea of your age, experience, or anything like that assume for a moment you are a young teen with no money but a decked out computer and some interest in games or CGI. Your parents already dumped $3000 on a computer so they won't buy you another high end program that you may lose interest in. Along comes Blender, a small download that will run on damn near any system and provide you that gateway into the world of CGI, as well as possibly programming.

Is that a bad thing? Getting a large jump start into a field that is quite complex and ever changing? Learning a complex program that shares many of the same basic functionality as the others but with no financial investment (at first) that also requires some effort by the user as it rarely has up to date documentation (a major drawback as I've said in the past) isn't quite the negative you make it out to be. Were I better with the program and able to talk some friends into it I'd consider a summer camp type of program for children based around Blender, as well as some of the other open source software that the community lauds. Audacity, the gimp, and some others. They may not be the hollywood blockbuster behind the scenes programs, but damn I wish they had been around at their current levels when I was in high school. Programs like them were far outside of what I could afford. Couple those with a mini DV camera and you CAN make a movie today.

I do believe that the there is quite a bit of truth behind "It's not the tool, it's the craftsman." Blender might force a few extra steps or have a harder time getting there, but it will do the job.

As for why I use it, let me run down a few of the reasons.

The cost. Free.

The learning. I'm forced to learn new things, to not stay still. The learning curve is pretty steep, or at least it was/is for me. I had a couple of classes in 3DSM when I was in school. I screwed around with it a little bit, but I never actually took classes in it to learn the real basics. With Blender I was forced to go back to the very basics and start from there. I'm far, like drifting in interstellar space type far, from being good at animation, modeling, or damn near any of the things I can do with it. It gives me something to focus on, that is getting better and doing things the right way.

The features. This goes hand in hand with cost. Nothing else comes close to the features at this price. Besides the basic modeling and animation you get a video editor, a node system that can be used to adjust pictures or do some color correction, fluid simulation, sculpting, and a very active user base to name a few.

In the end I guess it comes down to personal preference, need, and justification. I can't justify dropping thousands on something I use in a production rarely. I'd rather put that money towards tools or things I use constantly as opposed to the rarely used program. If max were in the $1000-1500 ballpark I'd consider buying it and starting from scratch. Same goes for many of the other programs out there that are considered "professional" and mainstream in this area.

With the 2.5 release I think Blender will be making another large leap away from the "hobbyist" world. How large remains to be seen, and how successful will be determined to a large extent by the users of other programs such as max, maya, and the rest that dominate the industry. The future of its hobbyist status will be determined by the community. All those 13 year old kids growing up with it and using it may take it with them into their jobs in the future.

In the end it all boils down to what gets the job done.