My Online Courses, Books and Magazines

Hey guys,

I have some online stuff you might be interested in. Let me talk about it for a while.

My Kivy Book

Let’s start with the big one, my GUI Programming with Python and Kivy book. It’s pretty long (over 800 pages) and comprehensive, and, what’s important, easy to follow. The book contains lots of illustrations.

This book covers all the basics that you need to know to start programming GUI applications with Python and Kivy. Throughout the book we are building a GUI application from scratch, a fully functional game using all kinds of tools that Kivy has to offer. It’s our Slugrace project, but covered in a much more in-depth manner.

Each part of the book starts with a theoretical introduction of a topic or idea that we then implement in the project. I assume you have no prior knowledge of the Kivy library, but you should have at least some basic knowledge of the Python programming language, including the object-oriented programming paradigm as this is what we will be using a lot in this book.

The book covers all the basic elements of Kivy that you have to know, like widgets, layouts, Kivy ids and properties, graphics, screens, animation, sound. Finally we’ll deploy the app to Windows. It is pretty comprehensive and after you finish it, I’m sure you’ll be able to create your own awesome GUI apps of any kind, not just games.

I hope you will have at least as much fun reading the book as I had writing it.

As far as this Kivy series is concerned, the following parts will contain the most important elements covered in the book. However, some elements will be presented in a simplified way here on my blog or omitted completely.

How to Get the Book?

If you are interested, you can purchase the book in four versions. Here are the links:

1) ebook – pdf version on my website – in full color (RECOMMENDED)

Here you can see the description of the book, sample graphics from the book and the full table of contents.

2) ebook – Kindle version on Amazon – in full color

3) paperback version on Amazon – in black and white

4) paperback version on Amazon – in full color

Your Panda3D Magazine – issue 1 (1/2022)

Next, there’s the first issue of Your Panda3D Magazine. This is a new Panda3D magazine that covers Panda3D-related stuff with elements of Python, Blender, Kivy and more.a3D magazine I just created.

Here’s more…

Contents

So, what will you find in this issue? Here are the topics covered in the first issue along with some samples from the magazine.

First, we’ll be modeling a UFO in Blender. I’m planning to make a step-by-step Blender tutorial like that in each issue. This column will be called Model of the Month.

Next, we’ll see how to bake textures from materials in Blender so that we can later use them in other software, and in particular in Panda3D.

Speaking of which… In the next article we’ll learn how to export the model from Blender in GLTF format and then load it in Panda3D.

We’ll make use of the UFO model also in some of the following articles. One of them is the article on position, rotation and scale intervals, in which we’ll create an animation.

Then, in the article on encoding the window output into a video we’ll see how to capture the screen in Panda3D and create a video in MP4 format. 

In the GUI column we’ll see how to integrate the Kivy framework in your Panda3D application using the panda3d-kivy add-on by Cheaterman. We’ll use our UFO scene in this article again to demonstrate how you can steer the flying saucer from the GUI created in Kivy.

Finally, in the Science Corner column, we’ll be talking about gravitational acceleration and we’ll make a simplified simulation of a freely falling object that needs a different amount of time on different planets and other space objects to touch the ground.

How to Get the Magazine?

You can purchase issue 1 of Your Panda3D Magazine HERE on my website. There you can use the following coupon to get a discount:

B66DFC62

You will also find all the files that you need, including the assets used in the magazine, on Github. Here’s the link:

https://github.com/prospero-apps/Your-Panda3d-Magazine

There’s also a companion video to this issue that you will find at https://youtu.be/R-lXatHB96c

My Online Courses

Finally, my online courses. I have some classes on Skillshare and some courses on Udemy.

My Skillshare Classes

Let’s start with the former. You can use the links below to take one of my classes on Skillshare:

1) A UFO Model in Blender – https://skl.sh/3IN3grX

This class will guide you through the process of creating a simple 3D model (a flying saucer) in Blender. It’s meant for beginners.

2) Python in Science – Introduction to numpy – https://skl.sh/2WNaBl3

In this class I’m explaining the basics of one of the most fundamental scientific libraries in Python, numpy. It’s for beginners, although some knowledge of Python is welcome.

3) Blender Jumpstart Course – https://skl.sh/2tJWJ0H

In this class you will learn the basics of 3D modeling in Blender. The class is for beginners.

My Udemy Courses

I also have some longer courses on Udemy. Here are the links:

1) Panda3D and Blender Hacks – Part 1

https://www.udemy.com/course/panda3d-and-blender-hacks-part-1/?referralCode=199583AAE9D4DA683522

This course is based on issue 1 (1/2022) of Your Panda3D Magazine. Here all the articles are in video form. Additionally you will get the PDF version of the first issue of the magazine.

2) Python Jumpstart Course

https://www.udemy.com/course/python-jumpstart-course/?referralCode=D7D3C65CD273710AAF36

If you’re new to Python, this course will explain to you all the basics in an easy-to-follow way with lots of exercises. It includes object oriented programming too.

3) Blender Jumpstart Course

https://www.udemy.com/course/blender-jumpstart-course/?referralCode=8016DFDC6332AC910B8C

This is the same Blender basics course as the one I have on Skillshare.

My YouTube Channels

Besides, I regularly (more or less) publish new stuff on my YouTube channels. I have two YouTube channels, one with Python-related stuff at www.youtube.com/c/ProsperoCoder and the other with Blender-related stuff at www.youtube.com/c/ProsperoBlender.