Keyed Particles are the Answer

For those of us who were trying to figure out how to duplicate this build effect:

I AM from TronicStudio on Vimeo.

This looks like the answer (along with some crafty work-arounds, of course):

Blender Keyed Particles - Render from Everton Schneider on Vimeo.

I know little about keyed particles but there is ample documentation online. Just another arrow in our quivers, or whatever.

Toon Shading

Though we haven't gone over this in class, Blender does have a TOON SHADER which will allow you to get closer to a cell shaded look in your renders. There are many resources on the web, but I wanted to show you a sample image and example .blend file.

The file can be downloaded here: http://uoregon.edu/~park/472/Models/toon.blend

Note: toon shader options are availabe under the Shaders tab in the Shader Panel. Ambient occlusion IS on in this file. Edges are on (black contour lines), an option that can be found under the Edges button i the Scene Panel (where you change render settings).

3D Game Engine Options

Blender has an inline 3D game engine. To get started, check out this link:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Tutorials/Game_Engine/BSoD/Basics_of_the_GE

Unity 3D Game Engine (Free version, pro version, exporters to iPhone and Wii for $$$):
http://unity3d.com/unity/

Iris Texture Resource

This is a link to the original Blender Nation article, make note of the portion where the owner of these photographs requests an email before use. Please do so, I've used Jon's iris photos before and he only cares to know about the project and to get a link to it's completion. Follow the link on the BN page to the textures, enjoy!

http://www.blendernation.com/free-iris-textures/

Linked Libraries (better than appending for group projects)

Here is the process of linking libraries/groups/armatures to one another in Blender. In many ways this is superior to APPENDING because it preserves weight painting and armatures. On the flipside, this process is more tedious and requires some setup:

I prefer the following method:
1) In master file, set the PATHS in User Preferences to 'relative'
2) group everything you want in the master file by selecting them in object mode and hitting CTRL+G (select Add to New Group). You can rename the group in the Objects Panel (F7).
3) In the New Blender file that you want to link stuff into, go to File>Append/Link. Toggle the LINK button (as opposed to the APPEND button) and then click into the master .blend file. Go into the 'Groups' directory and choose your group.
4) Though it appears that nothing has happened, something has been added to your scene. In object mode hit the space bar and choose ADD>GROUP>your group name
5) Now you see a linked uneditable replica of the master group.
6) To allow for editability select the group and hit CTRL+ALT+P to make a proxy (similar to an Instance in Flash).

A slightly different method can be read about here:
Read More HERE: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Manual/Data_System/Linked_Libraries

Audio Analysis - WAV file to IPO Curve

Audio Analysis Script:
This script will read a .wav file and map the amplitude to several types of IPO curves. It’s a great tool for synchronizing certain effects (like thunder and lighting, explosions etc) in your animation with the audio.

Script Download Page: http://www.davidjarvis.ca/blender/tools/audio-analysis.shtml

Lightning Tutorial Using Audio Analysis (works well with music with defined beats too [Ace of Bass, etc]): http://davidjarvis.ca/blender/tutorial-17.shtml

Good Example of Audio Driven Animation - "Meischeid" by Matray15 (Music by Gonzales):

Quality Tutorials on Animation and Rigging Setups in Blender

Below is the link to the "ManCandy FAQ" set of videos. Mancandy is a fully (thoroughly) rigged character that has been made available as a learning tool. Though the rig itself may be more advanced that what a beginner animator would normally need, there is MUCH TO LEARN from the setup.

To make things even better, the creator of the rig created an extensive training DVD called the 'ManCandy FAQ'. This is available for purchase, but also available for free via YouTube HD (hurray for the open-source spirit). The video playlist of the 38 exceptional video tutorials is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEiJJ1nMI4k&feature=PlayList&p=5643529BBE9522A1&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=1

The full model (and rig) is available for download here:  http://freefac.org/mancandy/mancandy_2.48.blend

If you are at all interested in character animation I HIGHLY suggest that you download the rig, explore its setup and watch the accompanying tutorial videos. Good luck and have fun!