AdjustToWav v0.2 Download

A python script for C4D that adjusts the project length to match that of a .wav file.
http://code.google.com/p/adjust-project-to-wav/downloads/list

Installing Mercurial on Mac OSX 10.5.8

Most of the builds of source version control system Mercurial are for Mac OS 10.6 and above, but with a bit of internet searching I was able to find a system with a GUI that works on Mac OS 10.5.

1. Download a 10.5 compatible install of Mercurial.
1. Go to: http://mercurial.berkwood.com/
2. Search the page for the text "10.5"
3. Download the install package for the most recent version of Mercurial that says it is 10.5 compatible. For me that was 2.0.2.
4. Install the package.
2. Download and install Murky a GUI for Mercurial.
1. Go to: https://bitbucket.org/snej/murky/wiki/Home
2. Download the latest release.
3. Copy the application into your applications folder.
4. Add the application to your dock.
3. Run Murky and create a local clone of an open source project you want to work with.

Sweep Splines 0.2 - An Open Source C4D Plugin

I'd like to announce that Sweep Splines v 0.2 is available for immediate download. It's a tool that allows you to quickly and easily sweep all selected splines with a square spline.

You can watch a video introduction here:


I initially wrote in response to a post on C4D Cafe. I'm releasing it to the world so that aspiring C4D python developers can take a look at how to create a simple plugin.

Disclaimer:
At this point, I have no plans to update this plugin, so please use at your own risk.

Give up on being perfect.

On my fourth rewrite of this post, I realized that the title says it all.

Ira Glass on Persistence

This quotation has more than made the rounds by now, but I find it encouraging and a regular point of reflection, so I'm sharing it:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”  --Ira Glass of This American Life

Keep fighting, even if you're a pacifist.

Plugin Development Guidelines for a Seamless User Experience

I've been evaluating a lot of utility plugins for Cinema 4D, based on my experiences, here are a few suggestions on creating a better user-experience. In no particular order:

• As much as possible, make your tool fit seamlessly into your user's existing workflow.
• Follow the visual conventions of the application:
• Make your icons looks as much like native icons as possible. No-one likes the bolt-on appearance of most plugin icons.
• Gray out your icon if your tool isn't appropriate to a given mode.
• Ensure that your plugin is undo friendly.
• Choose a simple descriptive name, it should feel like just another command.
• Write a mouse-over help string, include any useful key-commands
• It's better to make simpler discreet tools that don't require user-interaction than one giant tool with a million options.
• Fully document your tool: written docs, video tutorials, and multiple example files.