Blender For Dummies®

About the Author

Jason van Gumster got into animation when he realized that he wanted to create movies ... but that actors are generally intolerant of having pianos dropped on them. Using open source tools at nearly every step, Jason has produced animations and visual effects for television, film, and video games in his official capacity as a Production Monkey for Hand Turkey Studios, the company he helped start in 2005. A Blender user since 1998, Jason has given numerous live demonstrations and workshops on Blender internationally and his Advanced Blender Fluids training DVD from cmiVFX is recognized as one of the best learning resources for Blender's integrated fluid simulator. In January of 2008, Jason worked with the Blender Foundation to assemble the Blender Certification Review Board and lead the launch of the Blender Foundation Certified Trainer (BFCT) program. He also periodically writes for BlenderNation (www.blendernation.com), the primary news Web site for Blender users. Based in Richmond, Virginia, Jason can often be found in cafés and diners drawing, espousing the virtues of open source software, or catching confused looks from strangers as he contorts his body to better visualize a scene he's animating.