CHAPTER 1: Setting Up Your Android App Development System 23Since I have new media content production workstations running Windows XP (32-bit), Windows
Vista (32-bit), Windows 7 (64-bit), and recently Windows 8.1 (64-bit), I have downloaded both of
these versions of Blender, as you can see if you look back at the screen shot in Figure 1-5.
- Click on the version (the OS bit-level) that matches your OS configuration
(32-bit or 64-bit) and then download the appropriate version of Blender 3D
for your type of OS and your OS and hardware bit level. - Once your download is completed, launch the installer EXE, which should
be named blender-2.69-windows32.exe or blender-2.69-windows64.exe,
unless the later revision has become available (version 2.7 is expected out
in 2014).
Open source allows designers to put together fully loaded media production workstations for all
of their employees, as long as they can afford the cost of the hexa-core or octa-core workstation
hardware itself, which can range from $650 to $850 each, depending on features and quantity
purchased.
What this means is that putting together an Android development company is now affordable,
at least from the Android content production workstation perspective, thanks to now mature and
professional open source software packages such as the ones we’re downloading and installing in
this chapter.
- Once your installation is complete, right-click on the icon, or executable file
and select the Pin to Taskbar option to create the quick launch icon shortcut
for the Blender 3D software.
UI Design and Wireframing Software: Pencil Project
Next, you will download and install a user interface (UI) wireframing and prototyping tool called
Pencil, which is currently at revision 2.0.5. You can use this software to prototype UI designs for your
Android apps.
Do a Google search for Pencil, or go directly to the following URL, as is shown in Figure 1-15: