This past summers participation in Googles Summer of Code has really revitalized the K-3D project to some degree. Especially with the realization that we1 need both more regular users as well as developers, to keep interest in the project alive and as a reason to continue development.
One of the suggestions was to create demos of K-3D as screeencasts. In my own experience a screencast tell me more about an application and the work flow than a screenshot or tutorial ever will. Over the previous week-end Joe Crawford2 really applied himself to the task and spent ten hours making this quite impressive introduction to K-3D.
My apologies for the poor quality. Google Video resized and transcoded the hell out of it while Joe’s original TechSmith video is razor sharp.
1 I haven’t contributed to the projects for years, but will again once I get my new workstation.
2Joe Crawford teaches 3D at VanArts in addition to running his own studio and serves as “superuser”-consult to the project.
I must say that Wings 3d are THE polygon and subdivision mesh modeler. It have been on my radar a long time, but the trouble of getting Erlang and compile everything have put me off of trying out the software before. Wings 3d came up once again during our work on K-3D’s next generation user interface when Joe Crawford told me that its user interface is regarded as the best for modeling of all 3D software out there.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago when I was in desperate need for a texture mapped polygon model I sat down with the notion of really trying to learn how to use it. I must say that there are few programs like Wings 3d where you go from total newbie to create quite good models in less than an hour. Possibly some text editors were you at the end of the hour have authored the first chapter of your new novel, if you’re creative enough to write a novel. That’s what I think Wings is, it is to a 3d artist what a text editor is to an author.
Håkan “Mr Zap” Andersson posted his latest short movie Intermezzo Dualis - Reloaded as QuickTime and Windows Media a month ago. Now upon popular demand he has also posted a page detailing how it was done. Check it out, it’s fun!
And don’t miss his Star Wars fan film Kid Wars … it also include a making-of-film.