Digital Life Search Results

How To: Find approximate matches in unsorted columns in Excel

New to Microsoft Excel? Looking for a tip? How about a tip so mind-blowingly useful as to qualify as a magic trick? You're in luck. In this MS Excel tutorial from ExcelIsFun, the 639th installment in their series of digital spreadsheet magic tricks, you'll learn how to create a formula that will do an approximate match lookup with an unsorted lookup table that can be copied across multiple columns and do lookup from multiple columns.

How To: Remove and replace your iPhone 4 battery

While the iPhone 4G claims to have vastly improved battery life, some are still not impressed. If you are not convinced of your battery's longevity and wish to replace it, check out this clip. Apple won't do this for you and a repair shop will be pricey, but if you follow these instructions you can do it yourself. So, get ready to operate on your smartphone with this helpful tutorial.

How To: Simulate the sound of the vuvuzela

Does the sound of the vuvuzela fire up your passion like it does for the South Africa supporters at this year's World Cup? Do you wish you could hear their divine drone more often? This video will teach you how to create a vuvuzela-like sound using common household items: a balloon and some hex nuts. If you can't get the real thing, this will be a good substitute if you think your life needs a little more noise.

How To: Texture a head with projection painting in Blender

This clip provides detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to texture a head with projection painting when working in Blender. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, and to get started texturing modeled heads yourself, take a look!

How To: Apply special formatting to past-due invoices in Excel

New to Microsoft Excel? Looking for a tip? How about a tip so mind-blowingly useful as to qualify as a magic trick? You're in luck. In this MS Excel tutorial from ExcelIsFun, the 631st installment in their series of digital spreadsheet magic tricks, you'll learn how to add conditional formatting to a transactional record when the date is 90 days past due using the TODAY function and mixed cell references in a logical TRUE-FALSE formula.

How To: Count dates falling within a given year in MS Excel

New to Microsoft Excel? Looking for a tip? How about a tip so mind-blowingly useful as to qualify as a magic trick? You're in luck. In this MS Excel tutorial from ExcelIsFun, the 632nd installment in their series of digital spreadsheet magic tricks, you'll learn how to create a formula using the SUMPRODUCT and YEAR function to count instances of the year 2009 or 2010 from a list of dates with different years.

How To: Highlight dates falling within a given year in Excel

New to Microsoft Excel? Looking for a tip? How about a tip so mind-blowingly useful as to qualify as a magic trick? You're in luck. In this MS Excel tutorial from ExcelIsFun, the 633rd installment in their series of digital spreadsheet magic tricks, you'll learn how to create conditional formatting that will highlight the dates within a given year using the Year Function and Mixed Cell References in a logical TRUE-FALSE formula.

How To: Compare text with text & numbers with numbers in Excel

New to Microsoft Excel? Looking for a tip? How about a tip so mind-blowingly useful as to qualify as a magic trick? You're in luck. In this MS Excel tutorial from ExcelIsFun, the 634th installment in their series of digital spreadsheet magic tricks, you'll learn how to build logical formulas for counting with criteria or conditional formatting so that the comparison is between text and text or numbers and numbers. Text-to-number comparisons (e.g., 2003 to "2003") do not yield matches. Learn h...

How To: Render a Blender 3D model with LuxRender

This timelapse video shows how to start a simple model in Blender 3D and set up a render in LuxRender. The video also demonstrates how to create a daylight simulation and set up UV Maps in LuxRender. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, including step-by-step inst...

How To: Do long exposure photography of rivers

Have you ever been camping, sitting by a peaceful brook or stream, and wanted to capture the beauty of that delicate flowing mass of water? For most photographers, capturing a river or stream is not hard, but the river often comes out stagnant, frozen in place rather than alive and vital as it is in real life.

How To: Create a realistic lightning storm effect in Blender

Add energy and excitement to your scene with lightning! During this tutorial you will discover how to quickly model a detailed lightning bolt, make an object disintegrate, create light flashes, add glow and glare effects in the compositor. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more ...

How To: Create 3D realistic rain within Blender

Learn how to create realistic rain for animation or stills, how to add droplets to the camera lens, reduce your render time and create a glowing sky with this clip. from Blender Guru. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, including step-by-step instructions, take a...

How To: Crack 3D objects in Blender

Learn how to create a crack in a 3D object in two minute or less with this video guide. The technique involves no scripts, just a powerful tool that has been right under your nose for years! Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, including step-by-step instructions,...

How To: Customize the Blender user interface

There seems to be a growing number of people who decide to try out blender but when you download Blender and start it the first time, it doesn't look very inviting, does it? Well, here's a little tutorial for those who are annoyed by Blender's default setup. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software ...

How To: Model a 3D character from start to finish in Blender

Learn how to create and rig a 3D model of a 3D character in Blender. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look!

How To: Create a rig when animating a 3D model in Blender

Learn how to create a character rig when animating 3D models in Blender. Specifically, this clip addresses the following topics: Bone creation, splitting and re-parenting. Weighting with bone heat, mirrored weight painting and posed weight painting. IK setup, bone roll, and pole targets. Advanced foot rig with control to pivot off of the heel, toe, ankle or ball and control to lift the toes. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or...

How To: Create a low-poly model of a tree in Blender

This five-part guide presents detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to create a low-polygon model of a tree when working in Blender. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, and to get started making your own 3D trees, take a look!

How To: Set up and manipulate action constraints in Blender

This Blender tutorial discusses how to set up action contraints, where you can use a bone to control things like finger curl/expand, or something more advanced, like facial expressions. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information, including ste...

How To: Keep your pets' skin, teeth and fur clean and healthy

In this clip, learn how to keep your dog or cat clean as a whistle! Did you know that there are many methods of cleaning your pets these days? For example, if you have a pet who is afraid of the water try Quick Bath wipes instead of a full bath. This clip is full of advice on how to keep you pet bathed and healthy so that they live a long, happy life.

How To: Recover a lost file in Blender 2.5's autosave feature

With this quick Blender 2.5 video tip, you'll see how to stave off frustration in the case of a crash or lost work by using Blender's autosave feature to recover your work. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information, including step-by-step ins...

How To: Use Blender 2.5's external drag and drop feature

In this quick Blender 2.5 video tip, you'll see how to use the new external drag and drop functionality recently added to Blender. This feature enables you to drag and drop images and videos from your operating systems file browser into Blender. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from...

How To: Place decals onto 3D models via empties in Blender 2.5

This Blender 2.5 quick video tip demonstrates how to easily place decals onto your model with empties. This technique provides you complete control over the location, rotation and scale of your decal without the need for UV maps. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG...

How To: Create a 3D blowing leaf animation in Blender 2.5

This clip demonstrates how to create a simple scene of blowing leaves. This technique makes good use of alpha mapped leaves, particle systems and a particle instance modifier to achieve the result. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information, i...

How To: Model the topology of a human foot in Blender 2.5

Arguably the single most important aspect to modeling is topology. This Blender 2.5 overview tutorial takes a look at the topology of the human foot, examining each of the main edgeloops, poles, etc. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information,...

How To: Smooth out 3D models with Blender's Edgesplit modifier

In this quick Blender 2.5 video tip, you'll see how to make a lowpoly model appear smoother than it actually is by using an Edgesplit modifier. This technique also resolves the issue with artifacts you commonly face when displaying a lowpoly model as smooth. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software ...

How To: Use Blender's Fly Mode feature to position the camera

In this quick Blender 2.5 video, you'll see how to use the fly mode to position the camera. This method allows you to fly the camera around from a first-person perspective. It can aid in setting your camera angle and provide a bit of fun. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the fo...

How To: Create a 3D chain model in Blender 2.5

This Blender 2.5 video tutorial offers a lesson in how to create an easy chain with nothing more than a single link, a array modifier and a curve modifier. Then see the process of using the freshly created chain in a simple scene. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at C...

How To: Create blueprints in Blender 2.5

In this Blender 2.5 video tutorial, you'll see a method for generating neat-looking blueprint graphics. This tutorial includes using the Gears add-on, creating outline-only objects, setting up the World to look like a blueprint, and more. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the fo...

How To: Create a simple studio backdrop in Blender 2.5

This quick Blender 2.5 video tip shows how to make a simple drop-cloth effect like those you see photographers often use. The tip also demonstrates how to make the drop cloth follow the camera's rotation. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more informa...

How To: Lock the viewing angle in Blender by viewport snapping

This quick Blender video tip demonstrates how to use viewport snapping to lock the viewing angle to any 45 degree increment. This feature is similar to the viewport navigation that is found in ZBrush. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information...

How To: Layer background images in Blender 2.5

This quick Blender 2.5 video tip tutorial demonstrates how to use multiple background images. This feature is very useful and allows for layering images in the viewport and assigning separate images to specific viewing angles. Without the need for multiple viewports. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video ...

How To: Model a human hand in Blender 3D

This Blender 2.5 video tutorial offers a demonstration and overview of clean hand topology. The tutorial includes tips on how to structure your mesh, including clean topology, mesh flow and edgeloop density. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more info...

How To: UV unwrap a full human body in Blender

In this Blender 2.5 video tutorial, you'll see how to UV unwrap a full, stylized female character. The tutorial covers creating seams, unwrapping, pinning and techniques to reduce stretching. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information, includi...

How To: Create insets with Blender's smooth & extrude tools

In this quick Blender 2.5 tip, you'll see how to easily create insets in your mesh. This technique uses the Extrude Individual Faces and Smooth tools. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look!

How To: Get started creating simple 3D models in Blender 2.5

Before you can work in Blender, you'll have to learn how to work with it. Fortunately, this guide will show you everything you'll need to know to get started creating your own models within Blender. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information, ...

How To: Exporting a Lowpoly Model to Unity 3D

This clip offers instruction on how to export a model from Blender to Unity 3D and import it into a game. The tutorial also demonstrates how to bake a normal map and a color map from a highpoly model to the lowpoly counterpart, real-time display of the color/normal maps in the Blender viewport with GLSL shading, and real-time updating of assets in Unity. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely ...