previous module: 'Quickie Model' | • Table of Contents • Glossary | Enter the World |
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Familiarize yourself with 3D Modeling, Texturing, Lighting, Rendering and Sculpting with Blender; Book Description. Blender is a powerful 3D creation package that supports every aspect of the 3D pipeline. With this book, you'll learn about modeling, rigging, animation, rendering, and much more with the help of some interesting projects. Learning to model is crucial for anyone trying to master Blender. As the foundation of everything in 3D graphics, modeling is a necessary hurdle that every student will need to leap. Luckily there's plenty of help online to teach yourself how to model. One of Blender's best features is the large community behind it.
- Time to make this donut look goooood. We talk about render engines, change light settings and do a first render.Watch the lighting series: https://www.youtub.
- Blender 2.91 Reference Manual¶. Welcome to the manual for Blender, the free and open source 3D creation suite. This site can be used offline: Download the full manual (zipped HTML files).
If you haven't completed the 'Quickie Model' module, do so now. You will need the resulting model for this module.
Now that you've created your first model, you'll probably want to try rendering it. Your first render, with a single light source and only nine faces, should finish quickly. However, as your 3D scenes become more complex, you'll find that rendering can take a long time.
In this module, you'll render your quickie model and save the result in various file formats. You'll also learn how to aim cameras and create lamps. Blender com intro.
Rendering the Quickie Model[edit]
- Launch Blender and load factory settings.
- To load the house model from the previous module, select File → Open Recent, and select the file you saved. Alternatively, press F1 or select File → Open, find the file, and open it. As soon as the operation is complete, the window will load the quickie model that you created in the previous exercise.
- Press F12 or select Render → Render Image. This opens the Image Editor so you can watch the render progress.
- With the new Apple keyboard, use Fn + F12 to avoid the Mac Dashboard.
- With Macintosh OS X 10.5, use Alt + Fn + F12 .
- With Gnome, use Alt + F12 to avoid the Gnome Search Dialog.
You can stop a render in progress by pressing Esc any time the render window has the focus. Bear in mind this will stop the rendering of the current frame and abandon any partial results. Pressing F12 Xscope 4 3 3. will start rendering the image from the beginning again. |
Seeing Your Render[edit]
By default, pressing F12 will switch to the UV/Image Editor window, and show your render there. You can switch back to the 3D view with F11 . Pressing F11 in the 3D view will switch you to the UV/Image Editor window without redoing the render, i.e. you will see the same image as last time.
Aiming the Camera[edit]
If you don't get a picture of the house, or if the picture is not framed well, try moving or re-aiming the camera:
- Press Esc to get back to Edit Mode, if needed.
- Press Num0 to take the camera's viewpoint.
- Press Shift + F to put the 3D View window into camera fly mode.
In camera fly mode, you can:
- Pan and tilt by moving the mouse pointer up, down, left, or right.
- Accelerate by SCROLL forwards.
- Decelerate by SCROLL backwards.
- Press any key or button to exit fly mode.
(It works differently in version 2.70 and later, more like a FPS game with possibility to slide and so on, buttons are regular FPS controls)
When you're done positioning the camera, try rendering again.
Lighting[edit]
If your cube is completely black, you may not have a lamp in the scene. Either the default lamp got deleted, or you're using a version of Blender that doesn't provide a default lamp.
To add a lamp:
- Make sure Blender is in Object Mode.
- Place the 3D cursor where you want the lamp to go; or add the lamp then immediately grab it, and move it somewhere else.
- Press Shift + A .
- In the popup menu, select Lamp → Point.
Saving the Render[edit]
This is old I formation and is no longer valid. Saving the scene (with F2 , for instance) does not save any renders. Saving renders is a separate step.
To save your current render :
- Make sure you are in the Image Editor. If not press F12 to render
- Press F3 . This temporarily changes the active window into a File Browser window. (in the older versions you use F3 but in the newer versions the button can be FN + S or SHIFT + S
- Navigate to the directory (folder) where you want to write the file.
- Type a filename in the text box (to the left of the 'Cancel' button).
- To the left of the window, choose your preferred file type.
- Click LMB on the 'Save as Image' button. As soon as the save operation is complete, the window will return to the Image Editor.
Renderer Selection[edit]
Blender offers a choice of different rendering engines for producing images. The menu for selecting from these appears in the Info window (the thin one that contains the menu bar at the top of the default layout). In most of these tutorials, you will leave this choice set at Blender Render. But it is worth knowing what other choices are available:
- Blender Render—the oldest renderer, commonly known as the Blender Internal renderer. Built into Blender right from its early days. Can still produce good results with the right tricks, but considered by the Blender developers to be antiquated and not worthy of continuing development.
- Blender Game—this is the renderer used by the Blender Game Engine. Designed to be fast enough for interactive use in a game, which means there are limitations in the quality of renders it produces. You also use this renderer to create rigid-body physics simulations.
- Cycles Render—for this and other choices, see Advanced Rendering.
Render Control[edit]
The top panel under the Render tab in the Properties window shows 3 buttons and a menu. The first button renders a single frame, equivalent to F12 . The other two buttons are more relevant to animations.
The 'Display:' menu controls what happens when you press F12 : the default 'Image Editor' causes the 3D view to be switched to the UV/Image Editor showing the rendered image. 'Full Screen' causes the UV/Image Editor display to take over the entire screen, while 'New Window' makes it appear in a separate OS/GUI window (similar to how older versions of Blender used to work). Finally, 'Keep UI' causes no changes to your window layout at all; you have to explicitly bring up the Image Editor with F11 to see the rendered image.
Render Image Dimensions[edit]
You can control the size of the image that Blender creates when rendering. This is specified in the 'Dimensions' panel under Render properties. Apart from the menu at the top, the settings in this panel are grouped into two columns:
- The column on the left controls settings for a single image.
- The column on the right specifies additional settings for rendering a whole sequence of images as part of an animation. These settings will be discussed later.
At the upper left, under 'Resolution:', we have the dimensions in pixels of the image (the default settings are 1920×1080 as shown in the screenshot), plus an additional scale factor slider below (showing 50% by default). With these settings, the image will actually be rendered at (1920×50%)×(1080×50%) = 960×540. Having the scale factor is a convenience. Rendering smaller, lower-quality images is faster, which speeds up initial work on your model, but you'll want full quality for the final result. Instead of mentally having to work out numbers for render quality, you can simply set the resolution to full quality, and use the scale factor to reduce this to, say, 50% or 25% for interim work, then set it to 100% for the final output.
Image File Formats[edit]
You set the format and location for saving rendered images in the 'Output' panel under the Render properties.
In current versions of Blender, the default format for saving rendered images is PNG. This is a lossless format which has the option for alpha transparency (which means the sky background is replaced by transparent pixels—enabled by clicking the 'RGBA' button). This is a good format if you intend to do further work with the image (e.g. in an image editor like Gimp or Photoshop), but the files can be large.
Blender 3d Rendering
JPEG is a lossy image format, which means it throws away information that the human eye doesn't see. This produces much smaller files than PNG, and is adequate if you just want to upload the render directly for use in a Web page or other such document, but is not the best choice if you intend to do further processing of the image. It also doesn't support alpha transparency.
To change the render file format:
- Switch to the Render tab in the Properties window.
- Look for the 'Output' panel.
- Click LMB on the popout menu with the current file format.
- Select your preferred format.
Additional Resources[edit]
- Tutorial on Using Multiple Cameras ← Pictures are missing from this tutorial
previous module: 'Quickie Model' | • Table of Contents • Glossary | Enter the World |
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Learning to model is crucial for anyone trying to master Blender. As the foundation of everything in 3D graphics, modeling is a necessary hurdle that every student will need to leap.
Luckily there's plenty of help online to teach yourself how to model.
One of Blender's best features is the large community behind it. Over the years they've created an abundance of learning resources and this guide offers the best of the best when it comes to modeling in Blender.
No matter your budget or current skillset this list is sure to help.
Free Tutorials
Beginner Modeling Tutorial (Multipart)
Blender Guru is one of the most popular Blender YouTube instructors.
I often point students to these lessons when they're just getting started with Blender in general.
In this series Blender Guru teaches the fundamentals of modeling. But instead of doing a car or a character, students will learn how to model a medieval blacksmith's anvil.
Why?
Because modeling more complicated objects can be difficult for beginners. It's likely they'll run into trouble and give up. Blender Guru argues that starting with something simpler like an anvil is better for learning the principles of 3D modeling.
Character Modeling
Blender 3d Renders
After you've learned some of the basics it's time to try a character.
Since characters are the bread and butter of most 3D graphics, it's good to tackle this subject early on and keep practicing.
This 10-part series will walk you step-by-by through the modeling process in Blender. It covers everything from modeling a character's face to the hands and feet.
With this series you will get an in-depth look at the first steps necessary to building high-resolution characters for video games or movies. These are the foundational skills needed to succeed in computer graphics so this lesson is essential for all beginners.
Modeling Charmander
In this tutorial by 3D artist Arturs Luksis you'll observe the workflow of character creation in Blender.
More specifically you get to build a beloved Pokemon character from scratch with lots of guidance.
Starting with a low-poly model, the artist continues through the creation of the high-resolution character as well as texturing, rigging, weight painting, and animation.
This tutorial will teach the full workflow of character modeling in Blender. This is truly a powerful showcase of Blender's tools and features.
Star Wars Tie Fighter
Focusing on hard surface modeling, top YouTube talent CG Geek demonstrates the process of creating a high-resolution Tie Fighter from the Star Wars universe.
CG Geek shows you how to take your modeling skills to the next level by using the mirror modifier to achieve perfect symmetry.
Add Blender's subdivision surface modifier to pump up the detail without losing the original geometry. Working in this non-destructive manner will add lots of flexibility to your workflow.
The techniques in this video will translate well to other hard surface objects such as cars and planes where angular precision and tight geometry are key.
Gun Hard Surface Modeling
https://download-funding.mystrikingly.com/blog/create-page-roblox. With this Oranhunter Modeling video you'll get a chance to further develop your hard surface modeling skills by making a weapon.
Specifically you'll be making a gun from Blizzard's blockbuster game Overwatch.
This tutorial offers some tips and tricks for keeping your polygon count low without sacrificing detail.
By focusing on keeping good quads(four-sided polygons) it's easier to develop a clean model from scratch. This will be important later when it comes to texturing and animating the object.
Oranhunter Modeling combines the mirror modifier and the subsurface modifier to gain accuracy, speed, and detail.
Combining these two modifiers is a common technique used by many Blender artists.
Create Any Low-Poly Animal
Low Poly scenes are still the rage and making them in Blender is a breeze once you learn the ropes. Pubg mobile in english.
In this video you'll pick up some simple techniques for making low-poly models even if you've never done it before.
Grant Abbitt is a YouTube tutorial superstar who offers short videos and a relaxed teaching style. In this 10-minutes tutorial Abbitt walks you through the process of low-poly modelling with step-by-step instructions.
If you need some further explanation about the topics covered in this modeling tutorial, such as the mirror modifier, check the links in the description featuring even more of Abbit's guides.
Game Asset Modeling
This advanced Blender tutorial by 3D artist AlienMinefield is targeted at those who are already comfortable with modeling in Blender.
You should know the basics of modeling and texturing before diving in since this can be a complex subject.
But this multi-part series teaches the workflow of game asset creation including object modeling, UV-unwrapping, and UV-packing.
Creating a complex model is difficult but planning can save you trouble down the road. Artists will often model an object in a way that makes it easier to add materials and this is exactly what you'll learn here.
Artists looking to work in games will want to check out this Blender tutorial. The skills used to create industrial crates will easily lend themselves to other objects that you'll find in a production workflow.
Blender Hair Tutorial
Creating hair in any 3D program is no easy task. But Nazar Noschenko will guide you through making realistic hair using particle systems in Blender.
By stacking particle systems and slowly working up the head from the base of the neck, 3D artist Nazar Norschenko achieves a highly sculpted and realistic figure with a stylish hairdo.
It's a somewhat painstaking technique but the results speak for themselves.
If you want to achieve high resolution hair for your characters you'll need to work with Blender's particle system and hair settings. This video offers a fantastic intro to the subject.
After modeling the hair you'll learn how to take it a step further and render the final image by adding color and other effects.
Blender has fully equipped lighting and rendering features that can be used to create almost any effect you desire.
Creating A Nature Scene
This wonderful tutorial by Wayward Art Company offers a step-by-step guide to constructing an elaborate nature scene in Blender.
Starting with a blade of grass, the instructor shows you how to build an inspiring scenic view complete with trees, mountains, and clouds. No detail is left out in this 45-minute Blender demo.
You'll even learn how to use particle systems to add moss to your trees and rocks.
Once you've created the set pieces and added your lights, creating interesting images becomes a simple matter of positioning your camera and adjusting the scene.
Blender's powerful rendering features give you plenty of possibilities to explore. Render often and adjust accordingly.
Simple Trees
This 15-minute tutorial video by Toxicity Game Dev teaches beginners an easy method for making an unlimited number of low-poly trees. In just a few minutes you could have a low-poly forest ready to go.
Aimed at game development, this tutorial will show you how to get the most out of Blender while making game assets.
One helpful trick is to set the origin of the object to its base.
Not only will it scale along the ground plane, but game engines like Unreal and Unity look for the origin when instantiating objects in the scene. This makes it easier to place them when building game levels.
Using these methods will make it easier to work with your models in any modern game engine.
Rocket Plane Modeling
This half-hour video teaches a bunch of useful tools for modeling in Blender.
For example: you'll learn how to make a WWII rocket plane as an easy introduction to hard-surface modeling. This step-by-step process can teach a whole lot so it's best to move slowly and carefully.
This is a good tutorial for artists looking to hone their skills in creating vehicles for games.
3D Isometric Game Tiles
Here's a fun guide teaching you how to create cute and colorful tiles for an isometric scene.
Follow along with the time lapse to see how the artist builds low poly models and applies materials to create the final look.
By playing with materials it's relatively easy to get effects for dirt, grass, and water. Adding stones and individual blades of grass gives the scene a high-quality finish.
Create A Realistic City
Blender's community has created some fantastic add-ons that can be extremely useful.
One of these is the Open Street Map add-on which can generate real life buildings and street lay-outs fast.
By visiting the main website Blender artists can export a map of any city they want. After installing the add-on and enabling it in Blender it's easy to import the data and generate a copy of the map complete with buildings and real-life city layouts.
Open Street Map is powered by an open source community of mappers that contribute data about streets, buildings, and more.
By combining this add-on with Blender's rendering tools you can follow along with this tutorial to create a beautiful cityscape within just one hour.
Awesome Modeling Hacks
Zacharias Reinhardt offers a list of 14 tips to improve your Blender experience. There's also some links in the description to modeling courses for those looking to up their game.
These are some very handy tips that will save you time and frustration. Blender is a such a large program that it can take a long time to discover all the hidden shortcuts and special features.
Everything on this list is useful, but my personal favorites include combining the bevel and subdivision surface modifiers to get crisp, high-poly models. And resetting the key frame positions with a hidden shortcut.
Premium Courses
Premium video series are designed to accelerate your development by learning from high-quality sources.
Professional instructors and long-format tutorials offer a better approach for most people getting into the 3D world.
So whether you're a complete beginner or just looking to take your skills to the next level, the following courses are a perfect place to start learning how to make amazing Blender artwork.
Intro to Modeling in Blender
This beginner's guide will teach you everything you need to get started in Blender.
3D artist Justin Marshall teaches some of the skills that landed him a job at Sony Imageworks in Los Angeles.
This series focuses on foundational knowledge that will be used all the time as you progress in Blender.
After covering the most basic information about polygon geometry the instructor introduces all the tools needed for modeling in Blender.
However this series takes a slightly different approach than other beginner tutorials. Instead of covering all the options for modeling in Blender, Justin Marshall narrows the focus to only the most useful tools.
Creating Assets
In this tutorial series by artist Mark Masters you'll explore how to make an asset in Blender from start to finish.
You'll begin with a basic model and then move onto UV unwrapping and material creation.
Masters will take you through the process of building a realistic soda bottle using Blender 2.77.
Throughout the series you'll find expert advice on Blender's toolset to create polished, professional assets. Perfect for anyone looking into 3D work as a career.
By the end of this course you'll have all the skills necessary to take full advantage of Blender's asset creation pipeline and bring your own ideas to life.
Designing & Modeling a Sci-fi Prop
3D environment artist Denis Osmanbegovic covers a lot in this series along with sharing a few skills that landed him a job as an artist on Halo 5.
With this course you'll learn how to create a 3D sci-fi prop for a game or movie all from scratch.
You'll begin by learning how to adjust Blender's settings to get the most of the modeling tools before moving onto shaping a basic object. Then you'll learn how to apply materials and lighting to create a rendered image.
Osmanbegovic's goal is to teach you how to use Blender efficiently so that you can be more productive as you continue learning.
Creating a Cartoon-style Character
This lengthy series from Pluralsight teaches the ropes of character creation in Blender.
By exploring various modeling techniques, instructor Costas Frost teaches you how to work on your own and encourages everyone to experiment with Blender's toolset.
This video course focuses heavily on cycles rendering and cycles materials. By the end you'll have a solid grasp of the Blender character modeling workflow.
Designing a Low Poly Game Environment
Moving back into low-poly work we have this incredible series tailor made for environment artists.
Anyone looking to work in mobile game development or as a freelancer will want to check out this course by Jeannot Landry.
Game content creation is one of the most common jobs for freelance 3D artists. In this Blender series you'll learn some techniques for creating low polygon environments that are perfect for mobile gaming.
You'll also study the pipeline for hand-painted assets and environment creation using Blender. By the end of this series you should have enough knowledge to build your own game assets and start building up that 3D portfolio.