San Diego Blender Users' Group

[CJ Maynard]

UPDATE:
The San Diego Blender Users' Group is officially running. For more information about meeting times and locations, check this BA thread or visit our website:
http://www.sdblender.com

The group will meet on the 1st Saturday of each month, pending member availability. For an update from the last meeting, check this BA post, further down in the thread:

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showpost.php?p=1207805&postcount=52

-------OLD POST-------------------
Is anyone here from San Diego, and if so, would you be interested in helping form a local Blender users group? Please either add your name here or contact me and let me know if you'd be interested and what your regular availability would be. The more, the better!

CJ

PS-The credit for this idea really goes to Ghost_Train, who brought it up in this somewhat unrelated thread. I am just doing my part to help.

[donweldon]

Retracted message

[sarah]

Hey, I'm in San Diego too, and I'd love to have a local Blender users group! Please count me in!

Sarah

[Ghost_Train]

My schedule may be a little tight since I work at a recording studio. But I usually
have weekends free.

Edit:

Count me in. I can figure something out as far as working it in my schedule. It really does depend
on how often the meetings would happen (Once a month, twice a month, weekly...6 times a day)

I am not sure how much of a help I could be, but if I can, I will.

There has to be a bajillion Blender users in San Diego. How could there not be? It's pretty populated
and this is one of the places where SIGGRAPH happens. I wonder if more advertising for this got out on
other forums like CGTalk how many responses we'd get.

Is the 3D world community really that small?

Hey CJ Maynard, where is this possible facility located?

[paulhart2]

As stated in the "other" thread, I am San Diego based, 3D enthusiast, member of multiple forums and local user groups. Yes, I would be interested in a Blender group. Availability varies.
Paul

[CJ Maynard]

Hey guys!

Good to see there are at least a few of us down here in San Diego!

First, the facility is near Rosecrans and the sports arena, and I haven't heard back from them yet, so that's not set in stone. Initially, we could all just choose a restaraunt and have a planning meeting. From there we can hash out the details and decide how we want to setup and run the user's group on a regular basis.

So for now, I will take the initiative to get this started, and in the next day or so I'll send everyone on this thread a message (except donweldon, I'll retract his-lol). One fair word of warning, though...I am stretched extraordinarily thin right now and I do not have the time to organize meetings on a regular basis. I don't mind organizing the initial group get-together, and I'll certainly do everything I can to assist whenever I possibly can, but someone else will need to take charge officially once we are established.

CJ

[sarah]

I have many questions... I'll post here to save CJ the workload of sending private messages all over the place...

Are we planning regular meetings?

Monthly, maybe?

Nth Saturday of each month, or something like that?

Are we going to meet in a conference room, or an office, or a computer room, or a restaurant?

(I kind of like the restaurant idea, because it makes it a little more relaxing and informal and social... and we can always bring laptops. And lots of restaurants have meeting rooms, if you ask around a bit.)

I work at UCSD and I might be able to arrange something up here, should the need arise. It's possible we could meet in a conference room at the Price Center, and they have a food court too. But I'm only speculating; I'd have to look into it. Plus, to be blunt: parking sucks. A lot. It's probably a lot better on weekends, though.

CJ, let us know what's needed and we can all help a bit. I'm stretched thin too, but I'm more than happy to help when and where I can.

My availability: 4-8pm Mon-Fri, plus weekends. I go to bed kind of early, though, so late night meetings won't work for me.

[kbot]

If I'm ever at San Diego I'll go to one of those classes.

[Ghost_Train]

Yeah. CJ Maynard. Sounds good.

Has anyone here ever been to a users group?

Oh yeah...paulhart2. Can you share with us what that is like? Or anyone?
Can you share with us how things are usually structured? I know nothing
about doing these kinds of things.

Do people just sit there and talk? Are there group projects that people do just
to keep up on how things work and learn new techniques?

Like for example, I've read tons of tutorials on rigging, but still have trouble getting
more complex rigs to work the way tutorials say. It'd be awesome to go through
the process with a group and be able to ask questions about certain details.
I don't know.

I would really love to see some sort of official community arise here as well. Like
even to the point where it is affiliated with Blender Foundation directly. Like a
US representative who oversees events and meetings to make Blender grow in the
states. That's probably a HUGE full-time job in itself, but it would be cool to see
one day. Lets over run the industry with Blender. haha.

[CJ Maynard]

Wow, well...I think we have enough people here to get something going. Over the weekend I plan on reading through the Michigan user's group thread. They have been updating for awhile, they seem to have a good idea of how to get this kind of thing done:

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=78022

Sarah, I agree with you- let's keep it simple, at least for the first couple of meetings. It'll be easier to plan that way. After that (this one's for you Ghost_Train), the sky is the limit. San Diego is close enough to LA that a well-organized group that really has something to offer would likely develop a pretty large draw of people over time.

Also, I am just chiming in for a moment here, I'll be sending out a pm to all of you tomorrow morning with a number of questions so we can get the first meeting set up. Catch you then!

[paulhart2]

User meetings can take on any flavor, depending on the groups needs and skills. Inviting people to present who have an area of expertise, sharing of a particular technique or project, demonstration of a feature area, sharing of a application that you have done, including asking for assistance, these are all in-bounds from my perspective. Occasionally we have been able to orchestrate a presentation by remote broadcast by some "expert" who may be located elsewhere, using TightVNC?? for video link and Skype?? or some other setup to bring in a separate synced audio feed which allows question and answer aspects. I am very confident in a wide array of software, having taught many of them, but I am pushing hard to add Blender to my skill set so other's input is very welcome
Paul

[Ghost_Train]

Keep it simple. I agree too.

I might be jumping ahead too quickly with my imagination like I always do.

Awesome. Is there there a dress code?

Dude I'm so excited this is actually coming together so quickly.


(Side question: Do any of you in San Diego know if Plat Collage is worth it for animation classes)

[Ghost_Train]

Originally Posted by CJ Maynard PS-The credit for this idea really goes to Ghost_Train, who brought it up in this somewhat unrelated thread. I am just doing my part to help.

By the way man, thanks for giving me credit.

[kbot]

I really envy you folks. I live in the biggest city in the world (well area-wise any way) and have yet to shake hands with a fellow blenderhead.

[Ghost_Train]

Originally Posted by kbot I really envy you folks. I live in the biggest city in the world (well area-wise any way) and have yet to shake hands with a fellow blenderhead.

Move to San Diego.

This will be the first time in my life meeting other people who use Blender. So I know what you mean.
I'm kind of nervous too. Usually I'm the quiet guy who stairs off into space, daydreaming about music
or things I wish I was animating while people have normal everyday conversations. This will probably
be different though. I don't think I know anyone who has an interest in 3D modeling/graphics/animation
the way I do. Most people just care about sports, etc...

[Felix_Kütt]

Well, i'm obviously not in the area so all i can do is wish you guy's good luck.
I've been toying with the idea of an 'EstBUG' so any info about the organizing, and how it went/is going,
posted here, would be very welcome, and ill have to go trough the Michigan BUG thread too.

[Ghost_Train]

Originally Posted by Felix_Kütt Well, i'm obviously not in the area so all i can do is wish you guy's good luck. I've been toying with the idea of an 'EstBUG' so any info about the organizing, and how it went/is going, posted here, would be very welcome, and ill have to go trough the Michigan BUG thread too.

hey good luck with your's too Felix_Kütt

[Ghost_Train]

I'm eagerly awaiting the first meeting. Did everyone who's wanting to go post
their availability? So for, I am available Saturdays.

[Cire]

Hey, can all of you San Diegans cruise on up to my neck of the woods? . . . I'm only 95 miles away.

Seriously though, time constraints and gas prices will probably keep me from joining in, despite my interest. But I'll keep my eyes on this thread, in case I can make the drive on occasion.

Hope all goes well!

[Ghost_Train]

Originally Posted by Cire Hey, can all of you San Diegans cruise on up to my neck of the woods? . . . I'm only 95 miles away.

Sure thing Cire. We'll be right there.