“hey Jeremy, in regards to your thread about the tools available for 3D art like what you are working on: I am only very vaguely familar with this type of software. But, I wonder how big production companies like Dreamworks are using Linux clusters to render their movies? Is this some kind of custom programming that takes proprietary software tool outputs and exports it to the clusters, or?”

I wouldn’t be surprised. I only worked at one but they used a helluva lot of custom built in-house tools. They even had people from Alias there on a full time basis.

“although these are 4-5 years old. But, for your project, Jeremy,if you were able to raise money to create a renderfarm, and were able to use open source tools, and you were able to create a business model with a satisfactory reciprocating incentive, I believe you’d be able to attract a lot of people.”

Check me out right here yo -

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=78602

It’s already happening

Drew –

“Here is the thing, I figure I have already been “overpaid” by all the Free Software people in the world and I am trying to do my bit, both in the software and in the Art/Literature/Culture realm.”

I’ll agree with that, unfortunately I’ve been underpaid by the free food, shelter, and sex people, for my Open Content artwork.

“If all the people who wanted such functionality would fund the production of a Free Plugin, I recon it would cost the group far less than they spend on getting the same functionality in a Non-Free context. Organization is the problem. Well that and inertia.”

Part of my plan – I will gladly give a percentage of my profits to the Blender Foundation if they promote my project the way they promoted Project Orange.

http://wired.com/wired/archive/14.09/nettwerk_pr.html

Obviously, you have to make the final call on that for you, but are you so sure of that. Is there no way to think outside the box and still succeed even though you lack such a plugin?

“I’ve spent several hours trying to find a simple plug-in for Blender that will put a glow around an object. I eventually found one that more or less works, with an older version of Blender but not the latest version, but it’s light years behind the RealLensFlare plugin 3DS MAX had 10 years ago.”

Now, although the often gratis part of Free Software can be nice, the important thing for me is the libre which is what the Free actually means in this context. If all the people who wanted such functionality would fund the production of a Free Plugin, I recon it would cost the group far less than they spend on getting the same functionality in a Non-Free context. Organization is the problem. Well that and inertia.

“To fill out those holes, people need to be paid to do work that is less than sexy.”

Sure, but why not pay them to write Free Software instead of Non-Free Software.

all the best,

drew

Just a point of clarification here. I see that people with no community thoughts in mind at all could be seen as working for me to promote my stuff when they try to sell it for thier own profit. Now if people with ideas to support Free Works do this, so much the better. If they choose to send something my way in thanks, even more joy.

Now, some thoughts on how I may be able to get in on the action, other than by selling my and others’ Free Works:

I could perhaps “brand” my works where the “brand” is not Free. (Sort of like what Redhat does or once did.) Take my brand out if you want to sell my stuff without giving me a cut. Could this work?

I could develop an “Approved Official Artist Supporter” badge and license it’s use, free of charge, to those who agree to give X (say X = 10) percent of their sales amount to the Free Artists whose works they sell. (For Free think BY and BY-SA or BSD and GPL, whichever set rings a bell. And I know there are others, these are for illustration only.) Could this work?

Other thoughts?

“What if you made contests, wherein people could win prizes for the best remix of your content, or for the best promotional video for your content?”

http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=949&forum=207&post_id=441928#forumpost441928

I really need to get moving on that contest. (ourmedia is having issues lately, if you don’t get through fro mthe link, try later.)

“What do you as an individual, and the collaborating community envision as the satisfactory reciprocation, the satisfactory return on your investment of time/energy/resources/money?”

Here is the thing, I figure I have already been “overpaid” by all the Free Software people in the world and I am trying to do my bit, both in the software and in the Art/Literature/Culture realm.

One of the beauties of dealing in the digital realm is that we get to magnify our production so. We can easily take and benefit from way more than we could ever hope to produce on our own.

One other thing to think about. One this “copyleft pool” of Free Works starts filling up, the ”
“cost of goods” on many of our projects can go way down. How much could you save when making a movies if all of the songs you needed for your soundtrack were available under a license where you did not have to pay?

all the best,

drew

although these are 4-5 years old. But, for your project, Jeremy,if you were able to raise money to create a renderfarm, and were able to use open source tools, and you were able to create a business model with a satisfactory reciprocating incentive, I believe you’d be able to attract a lot of people.