I am using version 2.49b but should I be using one of the 2.5x versions or wait for 2.6 to come out?
Thank you.
I am using version 2.49b but should I be using one of the 2.5x versions or wait for 2.6 to come out?
Thank you.
I’d go for 2.5 so you can get used to the new ui. Both versions have very different feel altho most features are on both. Getting on 2.5 also gives you access to all the new cool stuff and optimisations.
My 2 cents.
2.5x is easier as hides properties that aren’t applicable,so would suggest it.
2.5 as long as 2.4 has a script 2.5 does not yet support.
2.5 is way more productive and easier to use then 2.4
Once you learn a few new tricks for handling the windows, the interface is much more manageable in 2.5 than 2.4. The most important change is that the Buttons window has become the Properties window with a new easy to navigate layout. You can custom configure all keyboard and mouse control settings for the interface in the User Preferences.
For example, in my opinion the 3d cursor is more of a snapping tool. In Blender 2.4 all I could do was set it to right or left mouse click. I use a pen tablet most of the time, so I prefer to select with left click, which is putting the pen directly on the tablet. That way, moving vertices around while modeling is as easy as drawing with a pen. “Right clicking” with the pen in 2.4 places the 3d cursor. Not very useful to me, and sometimes annoying when I have the cursor exactly where I want it.
In Blender 2.5 I changed that in the User Preferences. Now, when modeling in the 3d window, simply “right clicking” with the pen extrudes points, edges, faces, or bones; a great way to quickly draw a line of connected vertices or bones without pressing any key on the keyboard. “Left click” is still select, and “right click” still cancels a move. I’ve set the 3d cursor to CTRL-SHIFT “right click” instead. But really I hardly ever need to use this combination since the SHIFT S menu handles the 3d cursor accurately.
Experiment and see what works best for you. All that said, I think you should still know how to find your way around 2.4 since some older blend files just don’t play nicely in 2.5.
Definitely Blender 2.5. Version 2.56 is already quite stable.
2.5x and 2.6x are the same thing. When 2.5x isn’t a beta anymore, it’ll be called 2.6. 2.5x is pretty damn stable if you ask me so I use it all the time.
So, to summarize, use 2.49b when 2.5/2.6 doesn’t yet have something that you need (usually a python script) because it’s way more fun to use and it’s the wave of the future.
2.56 is the definate easier…i opened blender 2.49b and was so confused i threw my laptop out the window…i have some anger issues lol
Thank you for the information guys! I downloaded 2.56 beta and have figured out a few things in the new GUI. For now I am just sort of fat fingering my way around and trying to get things the way that I like them and am used to.
A few questions though (if you don’t mind) which version of python should I be using and how do I steer blender to it? Also I am getting an error on start-up saying " unable to initialize quicktime. What does that mean? Do I need to install quicktime and if so, where? Do I need to point blender to that as well?
I can relate to frustrations with 2.49, but I kind of got used to it. Now I have 2 leasrning curves to conquer!
I have never had that “unable to initialize quicktime” before?? Anyhow if blender works no need to install anything
You can download the latest python, but blender already has python. So relax and enjoy the program
Edit: 2.5 is way more intuitive, keep it up, and you learn it in no time.
I would consider only the 2.5x series at this point. Realize that you will encounter some bugs, but not too many. This is radically different software, in several key ways, from all of its predecessors… “but, by and large, they did it.” :eek:
you can get python 3 at python.org
and also the quicktime error is because it didnt install correctly, uninstall then reinstall and it will go away.
oh and blender will steer itself to python after you download it, so there wont be any problems
Blender 2.49 is probably best because it has the most tutorials. 2.5 is just a matter of getting used to once you’ve got used to 2.49.