I have a current favourite website. It is Blender Underground. Actually, it’s the Blender Underground forums. Blender is an open-source 3D graphics package (and a lot more). It has a different kind of user-interface that takes quite some getting used to but, once you’re used to it, boy does it fly!

If you are a blender user and you’re still finding your feet, this site has the most friendly and good humoured blender-heads on board who are standing by just dying to help you.

Additionally, and on top of that, as well, the main site has links to the Blender Basics video tutorials (weighing in at approx. 1 hour each!). They are, quite simply, the BEST introduction to blender you can find on t’internet. So, if you’re a ‘noob’, do yourself a favour and visit the site, register, ask question, watch the tutorials and – best of all – make friends and have a laugh in the process.

If you’re not a ‘noob’, please come along and enjoy the fun and offer your assistance to the newcomers. I’m no expert and I’ve already been able to help lots of times with questions and hints and tips. It even prompted me to do my first video tutorial (see previous entry)!

The main site is at http://www.blenderunderground.com

The forum is at http://forums.blenderunderground.com/index.php

I have finished making my first video tutorial. It’s for Blender and it shows how to use the screw tool to create a 3-strand rope.

Hopefully, I’ve made it quite easy to follow. Click here to view it.

Yes, I am still playing with my TARDIS model. I saw a picture whilst searching for reference images that I did not take too much notice of. But, because I left it on my desktop, it kind of stuck in my mind.

The picture was of a replica TARDIS that someone had built and left in a room next to a window. It looked quite cool with the sunlight streaming in. So I decided to put my TARDIS into that situation, and here is the resulting image.

After a week of modeling, texturing, lighting and test rendering, the TARDIS is finished. I did have the option of making an opening door, but I just wanted this for still images. And, even if I do use it in an animation, it will either be fading in and out or twirling through space. Doors – closed.

I have put this model on turbosquid for sale. I’ve put these pictures on deviant. I’ve been chatting about it everywhere. Now, I’ll just sit back and check the responses. Or fall asleep.

If I know you, and you’d like the model, you really don’t have to purchase it from turbosquid. It’s just there because I can, if you know what I mean.

Now, what shall I do next (and, no, not Daleks).

For the past few days, I have been modeling a TARDIS in Blender. And it’s nearly finished. I only modeled 1/8th of the body with a mirror modifier and array modifier filling in the gaps. Which was nice.

The render shown here was done in Indigo, which is a free unbiased renderer.