All articles by Heikki Hietala

Troubleshooting Arduino problems related to power

Hi again, after the summer! It’s been a busy start for the new academic year, but now I thought I’d … More Troubleshooting Arduino problems related to power

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Your first Blender game, part 2

In the last episode of Your first Blender Game, you learned how to create the playing field, add physics to it … More Your first Blender game, part 2

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Visiting Ypres, and high tech in museums

And now for something completely different. Last week, I attended an International Week at the HoGent university in Ghent, Belgium. … More Visiting Ypres, and high tech in museums

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Your first Blender game in 15 minutes

Just last week, I took three students with me to attend the 10th International IT Seminar for Students in Madrid, Spain. Our initial plan had called for two teachers, four students, and a demo of Arduino robotics, but due to financial constraints, we had to redesign at the last moment. This led me to take a team well versed in Blender and Unity instead. Usually, the faculty members give a lecture first in the morning and then the students lead the other students in workshops. But since we were only four, I pitched in and did a workshop on creating your first Blender game, a labyrinth for a ball with physics governing the movement, in 15 minutes. And this is how you do it.

Let’s say you want to have a labyrinth field, which you can tilt with the arrow keys, and with holes the ball can fall through, which signifies a fail. All you need is a plane, a sphere, and a second plane below the labyrinth so you can easily detect the ball falling off the labyrinth. And you need the Blender Game Engine, to make it all work, but fortunately, it is included in Blender for the same price, e.g. for free. You design the pieces in the default view, but when you’re done, you go into the Game Logic view, and this allows you to attach the sensors, controllers, and actuators to the pieces so you can make it move. Continue reading Your first Blender game in 15 minutes

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3D printed food is here

So, as I was attending a seminar at Universidad Europea de Madrid (see previous blog entry) along with three students. we … More 3D printed food is here

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The most cost-effective internationalization method

Let’s have a look at something completely different. By law, Finnish universities have a requirement to offer international experience to … More The most cost-effective internationalization method

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The 8mm film scanner (Telecine) project, part 5 – Programming

Last time, in Part 4, I described how the Arduino is wired with the two servos, two switches, and the hacked … More The 8mm film scanner (Telecine) project, part 5 – Programming

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The 8mm film scanner (Telecine) project, part 4 – Arduino

Arduino is a little gem of a device. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say of it: *** Arduino is an … More The 8mm film scanner (Telecine) project, part 4 – Arduino

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The 8mm film scanner (Telecine) project, part 3 – Printed parts

Now it’s time to see the parts that I had to print to make this thing work. The list is … More The 8mm film scanner (Telecine) project, part 3 – Printed parts

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Short demo of the 8mm film scanner output

I have finished the 8mm telecine robot, the construction of which I have described in Part 1 and Part 2. There … More Short demo of the 8mm film scanner output

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