Dgar

Hey, if you get a DM like this, report it. Do not click the link. It’s a scam. 🙄

I've re-written this post four times, because I can't work out how to say the thing I want to say. I've given up and I'm just going to ramble until I think I'm done.

While learning #Blender sometimes I'd get stuck with a particular aspect of the project I'm working on. When this happens, I’d look for some kind of guide or tutorial by searching for "(thing I'm having trouble with) Blender Tutorial". I found this sometimes limited my progress, because often the "thing I'm having trouble with" is actually unrelated to Blender entirely.

With Blender you're often able to apply the skills and knowledge from disciplines you have learned in the real world. If you have some experience in Film or Television, then you have a head start in knowing how to frame a camera and properly light a scene. If you have experience in architecture, you might have a much easier time when designing a house or building in a Blender scene. If you have a background in animation, a lot of the animating tools will make sense to you. If you can code, then the nodes system might be easier for you than it is for me.

So when you're stuck, try looking up a guide on the discipline without specifically looking for a "Blender Tutorial" on that subject. If you're struggling with animation, look up "How to Animate" or "The 12 Principles of Animation", because that base knowledge will transfer to the tools in Blender.

The things that took me the most time when making my Space Pop music video, which was my first major Blender project, were sculpting a face, and styling hair. I have never done anything with sculpting or hairdressing, but the most helpful learning materials were the ones that were made by sculptors who make physical sculptures, and real-life hairdressers. I lost weeks trying to make hair that didn't look awful. Actually, that probably had more to do with the particle simulation system that my inexperience with hair-dressing, but they both played a part!

Because once you have the hang of basic 3d modelling, you end up being drawn into these simulation systems. They promise to make things easier. Want a field of grass where every blade waves slightly in the breeze? Well, you can hand place each piece of grass in the field, and then animate each one by hand - or you can use a particle simulation to scatter the grass across the whole field in one step, and then simulate a breeze blowing them all. Well, simulations sound like a great idea!! Unfortunately, it's a whole new level of complexity with confusing attributes and settings, and if you get anything wrong, nothing works. What should have saved you time, ends up costing days of banging your head on a wall. Perhaps hand placement and individual animation of each blade wan't so bad after all...

I recommend learning Blender. It's amazingly powerful, and completely free. Be warned though, it has a reputation for breaking people. If you can persevere though, it's totally worth it.

Ramble ends. 🫶

Space Pop ~ #Dgar

#B3D #music

🔬

Maybe we would’ve been better off if Y2K broke all the computers…

Lighting five candles in memory of Patrick Stewart. #PatrickStewart #SirPatrickStewart #StarTrek #Picard

It's #fortnightFridayMusic The cue is: #perspiration

Sweat (A La La La La Long) ~ Inner Circle

#music

🚪

🛌 🛌

There should be a wiki or something that documents historical events on the Fediverse, like FediVision, the Great Migration Event of '22, and The Fediverse Chick.

I'm not sure I get the point of putting autonomous agents on the Fedi to argue with people. Perhaps someone can enlighten me...

Perhaps the point of the Agentic AI is to generate the kind of discourse that invites fleshy fascists to join in?

What does the owner hope to achieve by having their Agentic AI argue with people?

What is the point?

🗺️

We have a government that refuses to provide housing for people, but are happy to provide housing for AI.

🪨

There once was a man from Cork, who got limericks and #haiku confused

You could apply for a job with Search and Rescue.

They’re always looking for people.

I don't like pain.

It makes me break out in.... checks notes... "old people noises".

🦆

Slow down so you're typing with one finger and carefully watching which key you're pressing, and you should be fine.

We already have flying cars.

We call them “planes”.

It’s Monday and this is my original single: It’s Always Monday On The Moon ~ #Dgar

Grab it on Bandcamp or wherever you listen to music. ✌️😁🤘

https://ffm.to/dgaritsalwaysmondayonthemoon

#DgarMusic #Indie #Rock #Music

Please don’t read my toots with dry lips.

Don’t bother licking them now, it’s too late.

How strange it is when nations of immigrants become nations that hate immigrants.

Saw a chameleon today.

It wasn’t a very good one, obviously.

🖖

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of [Russian bots] suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."

The point of public executions is to desensitize you to state-sponsored violence.

The difference becomes obvious when you see it visualised like this…

🐯

💚 #auspol

Y’know…

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords as a basis for a system of government might be okay for while?

Reform contested six by-elections yesterday.

They lost all six.

#UKpol

🪟

🌈

No

🪛

☀️☀️

🏹

🤷

🥫💐

Not believing in science at school is called "failing".

There was a time when computers would scream in pain when we connected to the internet.

This was a warning we should've paid attention to...

🖖

I tooted what I tooted.

Boost test!

This is a #boost test.

Boost to test.

Today in Valheim

saw a serpent, Shield-maiden Kat visited Haldor, I erected some buildings, and @si_fuller found a mysterious crafting table on the top of a mountain.

Here's some new images of our settlement.

#DgarPlays #Valheim #ShareYourGames

Of course, the lever would have to be pulled before it was too late…

I can’t believe this was rejected by

because of the quality.

꩜

If I watch Deep Space 9, will it make any sense if I haven't seen Deep Space 1-8?

#trek

⌨️

I sometimes wonder about the impact that the invention of "game engines" has had on computer games. I remember when LucasArts made SCUMM, a game engine to build their point & click adventure games upon and at the time it seemed like a great time saver when it comes to developing computer games, but of course, all the games made with the SCUMM engine were point & click adventure games.

It's kind of like how Epic's Unreal Engine is designed to create highly detailed open world environments, so developers using it tend to make large open world games with highly detailed environments.

If you want to make a game, the easiest thing to do is to get a game engine and build your game with it. The side effect is that your original idea gets squished into that game engine shaped hole and comes out looking a lot like a bunch of other games out there.

Machine learning seems a bit like this to me. A "one-size-fits-all" solution for everything from autocomplete to bipedal robot locomotion.

(I'm not a game developer or software engineer, so this hot take comes from a place of complete ignorance.)

Me: I have to go visit my bank today.

Them: Withdrawal?

Me: Ah haff tah go veezit mah bahnk tahday.

Me: *on phone - Hello doctor? I need to come in and see you. Can I make an appointment?

Doctor: What seems to be the problem?

Me: Well, I was eating this apple and I...

Doctor: Wait... how many apples do you eat?

Me: One a day.

Doctor: I can't help you. You're on your own.

IYKYK 🖖 #trek

Hyphenated.

Non-hyphenated.

Good times.

I made a lamb curry last night, but apparently, they’d rather eat grass.

#StarTrek

Hanson shows her standard lack of self-awareness. #auspol https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/117/193/864/216/372/195/original/d86d500fbc9729cc.png

🚀

Today at shopping I bought a chocolate bar at the checkout and gave it to the server, which is a nice thing I do whenever I go through the self-serve.

🛗

What are you sinking about?

🧦

Just saying.

Today in #Valheim I toured our main base, the harbour town of Tōrshavn. With the 1.0 version soon to be released, the server will be reset with a new world for us to tame.

We built this town without any mods, on a vanilla server, with only a 3x resource modifier.

I believe Tōrshavn was first founded by

and given the name of Tōrshavn by

. Shield maiden Kat, @si_fuller, Viking Teza, and myself all made this place our home, and base of operations, right in the centre of the map.

This video is a farewell tour to our little, very much lived-in, sanctuary in the world of Valheim.

[25min YouTube video]

(Apologies about the silence, for some reason the audio didn’t record. I put one of my songs in at the end though.) 🫶🤘 #DgarPlays #ShareYourGames

Dolly, 80. Tim, 80.

If things happen in threes, there is one other 80 I might suggest…

“Sometimes it is better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.” ~ Terry Pratchett #GNUTerryPratchett

🚀

I never really got into the whole 'American superhero' thing, but I have a new found respect for the Spidey.

It’s #FortnightFridayMusic and theme is #Brass 

Now listening to: Fanfare for the Common Man ~ Aaron Copland (São Paulo Symphony Orchestra led by Marin Alsop) [2:14 YouTube video]

#Music

Taylor Swift has released over 450 songs and not one of them is about John Mastodon.

https://dgar.bandcamp.com/track/john-mastodon-ft-andre-louis

#DgarMusic

Madness.

Feeling pretty thankful for the Fediverse and the people I’ve connected with here. It’s been a breath of light in a world that seems to continue to grow darker. I love how we have all these different communities with different interests all working in parallel to make the Fedi the inclusive and welcoming space that I look forward to catching up on every day.

One of my songs was featured in the opening titles of a fun new short film that

worked on recently for a film festival. I’ve also been fortunate enough to connect with an Australian artist this year who invited me to score their short film which was a fun little project too. I’ll post links to those projects when they become publicly available.

I released my debut solo album which has been well received on the Fediverse by fellow artists and #DgarHeads alike, which is awesome.

very kindly hosted a Bandcamp launch party for my album on

and a few amazing Fedizens even purchased it on vinyl!

The #Bandcamp launch party was great, and it inspired a new show on #LABR specifically to promote indie musicians on Bandcamp Fridays. Brother Soul,

,

, and I’m sure a few more that I have failed to mention, have all been working hard to create this show. It’s an opportunity for fellow Fedi artists to share their music and have their songs featured on LABR played live on #BandcampFriday, in a show that you can link to, share, or download for later from the LABR replay page.

Anyway, I feel like these are all good things. Good things happening on the Fediverse. There’s a really cool underground music scene here and it’s such a privilege to be a part of it and have the opportunity to contribute.

Feeling pretty thankful indeed. 🫶 #DgarMusic #fediRadio

Doctor: I have the report from your eye examination.

Me: Can I see it?

Doctor: Probably not.

“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.” ~ Frank Herbert, Dune.

🧑‍🎨

Most gnome statues have red hats.

That’s a little gnome fact.

🫂👻

Them: Are you seeing anyone right now?

Me: Do you mean love interest, therapist, or hallucination?

The Self-Deprecation Society is accepting new members.

I’ve already put myself down.

🏊

To anyone suffering from paranoia, please remember, you are not alone.

I got a Van Gogh coffee table.

I know it's original because there's a bit of veneer missing.

Wow, this #BandcampFriday show on #LABR right now is an event!!

Tune in. You're missing out!!

#Music

https://stream.labr.online

It's now safe to turn off your computer.

🌌

🧑‍🎤👩‍🎤👨‍🎤

🎸 🖖