[Bf-education] Teaching Blender in Mauritius: Some Notes

Tom M letterrip at gmail.com
Fri Mar 24 08:53:16 CET 2006


On 3/20/06, Hans Ramduth <hanslr7 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hello everybody,
> I am attaching a text document of  my course outline/ method of teaching
> Blender. I am teaching the animation module for the first time and Blender
> is central to my method of teaching animation.
>
> Comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Hi Hans,

I think you might want to consider that 99% of 3D content creation
tool users are actually using the tool to create still images for
print, and thus assuming 'No, more than that: good animation and good
games.' is wrong in many potential user cases.  Of course your course
might be specifically dedicated to animation.

"The objective is not to learn how to play with a wonderful toy and
impress yourself and others with your skill but to make animation with
it."

I think this depends on the course - for instance the 3 hour night
course that many Blenderheads will teach are going to be quite the
opposite - a toy to create something to impress oneself and ones
friends will be the primary interest and purpose thus the teachers
goal should be to meet that need but in the process teach them that
Blender is a powerful tool and that to create even better work will
require a longer term investment of time and effort.

Reading further you appear to use standard training tools (early
success; progressive goal accomplishment).

I am very much impressed with your overview document, I think it would
be valuable to have a full training course based on your paper.  I'd
also recommend we design a number of '3 hour courses for beginners'.

Below is a brief sketch that I'd started for teaching 3 hour courses...

***************************************************************************
Teaching 3d/Blender in a short (3 hour) course

Key Points –  People think animating will be fun and easy, if it is
hard and dull for the first lesson they will probably quit before they
can learn more.  You should start with something that provides early
and easy success to encourage interest and provide a willingness to
accomplish more difficult things later.  Also to provide something to
'show off to friends' and provide a sense that they 'accomplished
something'

This suggests –

sculpting and painting (sharpconstruct and/or bbrush) followed by
basic modeling skills for better starting geometry.  (sculpting, uv
unwrapping basics, painting, possibly modeling, possibly improved
texturing and lighting)  You can provide a starting model (ie a pre
created head) for them to work on.  Making 'alien heads' is fun and
easy.

or

Game 'customization' – start with a game framework but make their own
vehicle or other simple character (modeling, texturing, possibly uv
map projecting, and applying game physics, possibly basic wheel
animation)

or

'space animation' – prebuilt universe and some ships – but they can
make their own and then animate them (can focus on simple
modeling/texturing, simple particle, and basic animation ideas)

or

simulator fun – fluid simulation or physics simulation or playing with
creating interesting particle effects



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