BlenderMasterClass:ahands-onguidetomodeling,sculpting,materials,andrendering
BenSimonds
PublishedbyNoStarchPress
Thisbookisdedicatedtomyparents,JamesandKatrina.
Acknowledgments
ThisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutpatienthelpfromBillPollock,AlisonLaw,andeveryoneelseatNoStarchPresswhohelpedputittogether.
ThanksalsotothemindsbehindCGTextures(http://cgtextures.com/),whohaveputtogetherafantasticresourceforartistsandwhokindlygavepermissionforthetexturesusedintheprojectsinthisbooktobeincludedontheDVD.
Mostofall,thankstoTonRoosendaalandallthosewhohavecontributedtoBlender.It’smyfavoritepieceofsoftwareandonearoundwhichmylivelihoodislargelybuilt.I’mverygratefulforit.ThankstoThomasDinges,whoisnotonlyanactivedeveloperofBlenderbutalsotookthetimetodothetechnicalreviewofthisbook.ThankstotheBlendercommunity,tothemembersoftheBlenderArtistsCommunity(http://www.blenderartists.org/),andtoeveryonewhocontributestotheBlenderwikiandotherresourceslikeit.It’sgreattobeamemberofsuchacreative,open,andfriendlybunch.
AbouttheAuthor
BenSimondsisa3Dartistandco-directorofGeckoAnimationLtd.,ananimationandpost-productioncompanybasedinLondon,England(http://geckoanimation.com/).HefirststartedmessingaroundwithBlenderbackin2005,whenhehadnoideaitwouldeventuallybecomeamajorpartofhisdayjob.Sincethenhe’sauthoredawidevarietyoftutorialsandarticlesforhisownwebsite(http://bensimonds.com/)andotherBlendercommunitywebsites,includingBlenderCookieandBlenderNation.
AtGeckoAnimation,heproducesvisualeffects,models,animation,andgraphicsforTVandadvertising.HisworkhasappearedonmajorUKTVchannelsliketheBBC,Channel4,andDave.GeckoAnimation’sin-houseshortanimationAssembly:LifeinMacrospacewonthe2011SuzanneAwardforBestDesignedShortFilmattheBlenderConferenceinAmsterdam.
AbouttheTechnicalReviewer
ThomasDingeswasbornin1991.HestartedusingBlenderandbecameinterestedin3Dgraphicsattheageof16,afterseeingtheworld’sfirstopenmovie,ElephantsDream.In2009,hestartedworkingonBlenderasadeveloper,helpingcreatethenewinterfacefortheBlender2.5xproject.HealsohasorganizedtheGermanBlenderconference,BlenderDay,since2009.Hiswebsiteishttp://www.dingto.org/.
Introduction
Welcome!Thisbookisdesignedtoteachyouhowtocreatemodelsandenvironmentsin3D,usingtwopiecesofsoftware:Blender,for3Ddesignandanimation,andGIMP,for2Dimageediting.IneachchapterItakeyouthroughapartoftheprocessofcreatingthreecomplete3Dscenes.You’lllearnhowtoblockoutandcreatemodels,sculptanddetailthem,textureandcreatematerials,uselighting,andrenderfinishedimages.Inthecourseofthebook,IdiscussthewidearrayoftoolsthatBlenderandGIMPofferandhowtousetheminrealprojects.
MygoalistoteachyouhowtoapproachandfinishyourownprojectsinBlender,usingthreeofmyownprojectstoprovidethenarrativeandexamplesofthetasksrequired.Bytheendofthisbook,youshouldbeabletocreateyourownprojectsfromscratchusingtheprinciplesdemonstratedinthethreeexampleprojects.
TopicsCoveredHere’sabriefsummaryofeachchapterinthebook.
Chapter1andChapter2offeranintroductiontoBlenderandGIMP.Youlearnwhattheyare,whereyoucangetthem,andwhatyoucandowiththem.Ialsointroduceyoutotheiruserinterfacesandthebasicsofworkingwiththem.Chapter1focusesonBlender.Welookataddingandmanipulatingobjects,savingandloading,andbestpracticeswhenworkingonaproject.InChapter2weexaminecreatingimagesinGIMPusingitsvariousbrushesandfilters,aswellashowtoworkwithlayersandselections.
Chapter3coversgatheringreferencematerial,creatingconceptartandusingthesematerialsinBlendertomakeiteasiertobringyourideastolifein3D.Idiscussusingorthographicreferences,creatingreferencesheets,andimportingreferenceimagesintoBlender’s3DViewporttousewhilemodeling.
InChapter4andChapter5wemoveontoblockinginthemostimportantaspectsofascenewithsimplegeometryandthenfleshingoutthesebasicformswithmoredetailedmodels.Welookin-depthatBlender’s3Dmodelingtoolsandhowtocreatemodelswithsimple,efficientgeometry.
Chapter6coversBlender’ssculptingtoolsandhowtocombinethemwithBlender’sMultiresolutionmodifiertoproduceamodelthatcanbesculptedlikeclay—perfectforcreatingdetailed,organicmodels.
Chapter7looksathowtomodifythehigh-resolution,sculptedgeometryfromChapter6tocreatesimplergeometry.WelookatafewofthedifferentmethodsBlenderoffersforretopologyandhowtheycanbeappliedtoturnoursculptedmeshesintofinalmodels.
Chapter8looksatBlender’sUVunwrappingtoolsthatallowyoutomap2Dimagesontothesurfaceofyourmodels.Thisletsyoupaintonthemandgivethemcolorsandtextures.
Chapter9coverscreatingstrandparticlesystemswithBlender’sparticletools.Thesecanbeusedtogeneratehairandfur,andBlender’sparticlemodebrushesallowyoutocombandcutthathairorfurintomanyshapesandstyles.WelookatthevarioussettingsforparticlesystemsandhowtouseBlender’schildparticlestogeneratevastnumbersofparticlesfromrelativelyfewparentsinordertocreatecomplex,thickhairandfurwithminimuminput.
Chapter10looksattexturebaking,theprocessofautomaticallygeneratingtexturesbasedonthegeometryofamesh,whileChapter11coverstexturepainting,whichcombinesthebakedtexturesfromChapter10withhand-painteddetailsandphotographsusingBlender’stexturepaintingtoolsandGIMP.
Chapter12andChapter13coverBlender’smaterialsandlightingoptions.WelookattheBlenderInternalrendererandtheCyclesrenderengine,andhoweachimpactsthewaywesetupourlightsandmaterials.InChapter12welearnhowtousethetexturescreatedinChapter10andChapter11tocreatematerialsthatgiverealisticresultswhenrendered.Chapter13coverscreatinglightsandhowtosetthemupforboththeBlenderInternalandCyclesenginestogetattractivelightingandshadowsthatrenderquickly.
InChapter14webringtogetherallofthecomponentscreatedinpreviouschapters,includingmodels,lights,materials,andtextures,torenderourfinal
images.WediscussthemostimportantrendersettingsfortheBlenderInternalandCyclesengines,alongwithhowtogetthebestresultsquickly.WealsoexamineBlender’snode-basedcompositorandhowtouseittofurtherpost-processyourfinalrenders.Finally,weuseGIMPforsomeextratouch-upsandforpaintingbackgroundsforourimages.
InChapter15wetakeafinallookattheprojectscovered,andthinkaboutwhatcouldbedonetotakethingsfurther.Icoveraddingafewembellishmentstotheprojectsandlookatthemfromsomedifferentperspectives,beforeexaminingwaystotakeourstillimagesandmakethemmovewithBlender’sriggingandanimationtools.
WhatIsn’tCoveredBlenderisanextremelypowerful3Ddesignandanimationpackage.Ithastoolsformodeling,texturing,creatingmaterials,andparticlesystems,aswellastoolsforriggingandanimation,compositing,andscripting;afull-featuredgameengine;anon-linearvideoeditor;andsomeadvancedfluid,cloth,andrigidbody-simulationtools.ThisbookattemptstodealonlywiththeaspectsofBlenderthatareneededtocreate,texture,andrendermodelsasstillimages.Itdoesn’tcoverBlender’sriggingandanimationtools,simulationtools,orthegameengine.Thereareawealthofotherresourcesoutthereonsuchtopics.Ifyou’reinterestedinfindingthem,tryhttp://www.blender.org/education-help/.
RequirementsTomakethemostofthisbook,youwillneedareasonablycurrentcomputer,runningarecentversionofMicrosoftWindows,MacOSX,orLinux.Inparticular,whenitcomestothesculptingportionsofthebook,someextraRAM(8GBisgood)andareasonablyfastgraphicscardwillproveuseful.Apressuresensitivepentablet(forexampleaWacomBambooorIntuos)willbereallyhelpfulwhenyoureachthetexturingandsculptingsectionsofthebook,butitisn’tanabsolutenecessity.
TheProjects
Inordertoprovideacommonthreadasweprogressthroughthisbook,I’vechosentocenterthediscussiononthreeprojects.Eachwaschosentoprovidedifferentchallengesandthusprovideyouwithbroad,practicalknowledgeofthetoolsandoptionsinBlenderandGIMP.
TheBatCreatureTheBatCreatureprojectfocusesonorganicmodelingtocreateahumanoid,ifmonstrous,creature(Figure1).Forthisprojectwefirstcreateasimplebasemeshandthensculptthemorecomplex,organicformsofthebodywithBlender’ssculpttools.WecomplementthisbycreatingfurwithBlender’sparticlesystems.Wemoveontounwrappingandtexturingourcreatureandthencreaterealisticmaterialsfortheskinandfur,whichfeaturesubsurfacescatteringandrealistichair.WerenderthisprojectwiththeBlenderInternalengineinordertouseitshighlycustomizablematerialsandfast,efficientrenderingofhairandfur.FinallywecreatesomedramaticlightinginChapter13,whereyoulearnhowtogetthebestresultsfromBlender’slightsandhowtoachieverealisticshadowswhenworkingwithfur.
TheSpiderBotIncontrasttotheorganicformsoftheBatCreatureproject,theSpiderBotprojectwillshowyouhowtocreateamechanical-looking,hard-surfacemodelofaroboticspider(Figure2).ThistaskrequiresadifferentapproachateachstageoftheprojectwhencomparedwiththeBatCreature.Webeginbyblockinginbasicformswithsimplegeometry,butweuseduplicationtocreatetherepeatedpartsofthemodel,suchasthelegs.WhensculptingweuseBlender’shard-surfacebrushestoarriveatasmoother,lessorganicfinalresult.ThenweuseBlender’sretopologytoolstorefinethemodelintosomethingsmoothandsleek.Finally,werenderthisprojectwiththeCyclesrenderenginebecauseitoffersrealisticrenderingofshinymaterialsandcomplexlighting.
Figure1.TheBatCreature
TheJungleTemple
Figure2.TheSpiderBot
TheJungleTempleprojectcentersonanenvironmentinsteadofacharacter:aruinedtempledeepinthejungle(Figure3).Welookatblockinginasceneandkeepingitscompositiontailoredtothecamera.Weuseduplication,particlesystems,andBlenderadd-onstocreatevariedvegetation.Whentexturing,wefocusoncreatingmultipleseamlesstexturesusingGIMP,whichcanbetiledandrepeatedacrossmultipleobjectstoallowawidevarietyofmaterialstobe
createdusingonlyafewuniquetextures.WerenderthisscenewiththeCyclesengine(whichallowsforthequickcreationofrealisticlighting)inChapter14,andthenuseBlender’scompositortoaddsomepost-processing.Finally,weuseGIMPtopaintabackgroundforthescene.
Figure3.TheJungleTemple
HowtoFollowtheProjects
Whiletheprojectsformthemainnarrativeofthisbook,Idon’tcovereverystepofcreatingthem.Instead,Ifocusonthemostimportantordifficultaspectsofcreatingeachprojectateachstageofitsdevelopmentandleavetherestasanexerciseforyoushouldyouwishtoproduceasimilarresult.Ihopethatthisapproachwillshowyouhowtogoaboutcreatingallkindsof3DimageswithBlenderandthethoughtprocessesandchallengesinvolved.Tohelpwiththisgoal,mostofthechaptersinthisbookalsofeaturesupplementaryinformationandtipsthatoffermoregeneralguidancethatyoushouldfindusefulinawiderangeofprojects.
ResourcesAccompanyingThisBookTheDVDaccompanyingthisbookcontainsallthefilesfortheprojectsinthisbook,includingseparate.blendfilesforeachproject(correspondingtoeachchapterinthebook)andeachprojectinitsfinalstateattheendofeachchapter(whererelevant).Theseresourcesshouldallowyoutolookin-depthattheworkingsofeachprojectandtoexaminehoweachonetakesshape.Creating3Dartisacomplexprocess,andtheendproductisoftenaresultofsomeamountofexperimentation.Theseprojectfilesarenotaliteralsnapshotoftheprojectsastheyprogressed;instead,theyareanidealized,tidied-upversionofwhateachprojectwouldlooklikeatagivenstage.
Alsoincludedarethetexturesusedforeachproject,.blendfileswithsomeusefulbrushesforsculptingandMatCapmaterials(seeChapter6formoreonsculptingandMatCapmaterials),andtheGIMPbrushcreatedinChapter11thatyoucanuseinyourownprojects.
Youcanusethesefilesanywaythatyoulike.AllarelicensedundertheCreativeCommonsnoncommercialattribution(CC-BY-NC)license,withtheexceptionofthetextures,whichareincludedwiththekindpermissionofCGTextures(http://www.cgtextures.com/),afantasticonlineresourceforfindingtextures.ThesemaynotbedistributedunmodifiedwithoutpermissionfromCGTextures.
Let’sBeginThisintroductionhashopefullyletyouknowwhatthisbookisaboutandwhere
inthebookyoucanlookfortheinformationyouneed.I’veoutlinedtheprojectswewillbeworkingthroughandwhatyoucanhopefullyexpecttolearnfromthem.NowwecanstartgettingacquaintedwithBlenderandGIMP,beforedivingintotheprojects.Ifyou’realreadycomfortablewiththebasicsofBlenderandGIMP,youcanskiptoChapter3.Otherwise,thenexttwochaptersshouldprovideabasicintroductiontotheworkingsofthesoftwarewewillbeusinginthisbook.
Chapter1.IntroductiontoBlender
Inthischapter,wewilllookatthebasicsofusingBlenderinordertobuildafoundationforourworkinlaterchapters.We’llexploreitsuserinterface,howtonavigatethe3DViewport,andhowtoaddandinteractwithobjects.Throughoutthischapter,I’llpointtolaterpartsofthebook,wherevarioustopicswillbecoveredingreaterdetail.IfyouarealreadycomfortablewithBlender,feelfreetoskiptoChapter2,onGIMP,orChapter3,onpreparingyourprojects.
AboutBlenderBlenderisafreeopensource3Ddesignandanimationpackage,availableforWindows,Linux,andMacOSX.Originallycreatedasanin-houseanimationpackageforDutchanimationstudioNeoGeo,itwaslaterreleasedundertheGNUGeneralPublicLicensewhenitsdeveloper,NotANumber,wentbankruptandtheBlendercommunityraised€100,000topaycreditorstoreleasetheBlendersourcecode.
Sincethen,BlenderhasundergonecontinueddevelopmentbytheBlendercommunity,overseenbytheBlenderFoundation(headedbyTonRoosendaal,oneoftheoriginaldevelopersofBlender).Thecurrentversion(Blender2.6x,asthisbookgoestopress)boastsawidearrayoffeaturescompetitivewithmanycommercial3Dapplicationsandhasacommittedandenthusiasticcommunitycreatingartandanimationwithit.
Blenderisusedtodaybymanyanimationstudios,gamedevelopers,artists,andhobbyists.Ithasbeenusedtomakefeaturefilms,shortfilms,andgames.OfparticularnotearetheBlenderFoundation’sopenmovieprojects—community-fundedshortfilmprojectsthatareusedtodrivethedevelopmentofBlenderforwardbyusingitinaproductionenvironment.Todate,fourshortfilmsandonegamehavebeencompleted,eachyieldingsignificantimprovementsandnewfeaturesinBlender’srepertoire.Thefirstshortfilm,ElephantsDream,premieredin2006.It’sasurrealtaleinwhichtwocharacterstravelthrougha
bizarremechanicalworld.Itintroducedparticle-basedhairandfurrendering,aswellasnewanimationtoolsandimprovementstoBlender’srenderengine.In2008,BigBuckBunnyintroducedimprovementstofurrendering,particles,andtherenderpipeline,aswellasmoreadvancedriggingandanimationconstraints.In2010,Sintel,ataleaboutagirlandherdragon,broughtadvancedsculptingtools,newsimulationtools,andshadingandrenderingimprovements.
Thelatestopenmovie,TearsofSteel,focusedonaddingadvancedvisualeffectstoolstoBlender.ItbroughtmajorimprovementstothenewCyclesrenderengineandhasintroducedcameratrackingtools,newfeaturesforBlender’scompositor,improvedsimulationtools,andbettercolormanagement.
Current,stableBlenderbuildsforWindows,Linux,andMacOSXareavailablefromhttp://www.blender.org/.Inaddition,youcanfinddevelopmentbuildsfeaturingthelatestupdatesfromhttp://www.graphicall.org/.Thesedevelopmentbuildsaredesignedformoreadvancedusersorthosewhowishtotrynewfeatures;theycanbeunstable,sostickwiththeofficialbuildsforimportantwork.
TheBlenderUserInterfaceBlender’suserinterface(UI)hasearnedareputationforbeingdifficulttograsp.Inearlierversions,thisreputationwassomewhatjustified,butsinceBlender2.5,theinterfacehasseenmajorupdatesandisnowmuchmorepredictableandeasiertolearn.Plus,withtheadditionofthesearchfunction,ifyouhavetroublefindingaparticularoperator,youcansearchforitbypressingthespacebartobringupasearchdialoginwhichyoucansearchforoperatorsbyname.
OnceyouhavegraspedtheUI,you’llfindthatBlenderisveryfastandextremelycustomizable.Mostfunctionshavekeyboardcommandsforquickeraccess,andtheinterfaceisnon-blocking,whichmeansthatwindowsanddialogswon’tbelayeredontopofoneanother,obscuringyourview.
LayoutandUITerminologyWhenyoufirststartBlender,thedefaultlayoutshouldlooksomethinglikeFigure1-1.TheBlenderwindowisbrokenintoareascallededitors.Theseeditorsincludethe3DViewport,thePropertieseditor,theOutliner,theInfo
editor,andtheTimeline,asshowninFigure1-1.
Figure1-1.Blender’sdefaultUIlayout.Thewindowisbrokendownintodifferenteditors(orange),whicharethenfurthersplitintoregions(green).
Editorsarefurtherbrokendownintoregions.Inthecaseofthe3DViewportinFigure1-1,theregionsaretheMainregion(thatis,the3Dview),theHeaderregionatthebottomoftheeditor,andtheToolShelfontheleft.
Regionsthatcontainbuttonsandproperties—likethePropertieseditorortheToolShelfinthe3DViewport—arefurtherbrokendownintopanels.Apanelmaycontainanynumberandcombinationofoperatorbuttons,information,andproperties.Thepanel’snameisshownatthetopofthepanel(seeFigure1-2)andindicateswhatsortofpropertiesandinformationthepanelcontains.
Figure1-2.PanelswithinthePropertieseditor
SwitchingEditorsandCustomizingtheUIBlender’sUIlayoutishighlyconfigurable.Youcanswitchanyeditorinthe
currentlayouttoadifferenteditortypebyselectinganewonefromthedrop-downmenuatthefarleftoftheHeaderregion(seeFigure1-3).
Youcanalsoresizeexistingeditorsandaddorremoveeditorsbysplittingormergingexistingones.Toresizeaneditor(oraregion),clickanddragonitsborder.Tosplitormergeeditors,right-clicktheeditor’sborderandchooseeitherSplitAreaorMergeArea.(Inlaterchapters,we’llusethistechniquetoadjustBlender’slayouttobettersuitvariousstagesofeachproject.)
Figure1-3.Blender’sdifferenteditortypes
MultipleLayoutsBecausedifferentUIlayoutsaresuitablefordifferenttasks,BlenderallowsyoutostoremultipleUIlayoutssothatyoucanswitchbetweenthemasyouwork.Toswitchlayouts,clickthescreenlayoutdrop-downmenuintheInfoeditorheader(seeFigure1-4).
Bydefault,BlenderincludeslayoutsnamedAnimation,Compositing,Default,GameLogic,Scripting,UVEditing,3DViewFull,MotionTracking,andVideoEditing,eachofwhichisprettywellsuitedtothetaskthatit’snamedfor.(DefaultisthedefaultlayoutwhenyoustartBlenderandisgoodformodeling.)Toaddyourownlayout,clickthe+iconattherightofthedrop-downmenutocopythecurrentlayoutandmodifyit,ordeletethecurrentlayoutbyclickingtheXicon.Layoutsaresavedalongwithyour.blendfilewhenyousaveyourwork,soyoucanreturntothemwhenyoureopenthefile.
Figure1-4.Switchinglayoutswiththescreenlayoutdrop-downmenu
Youcanmakealayoutavailablebydefaultbysavingitaspartofthedefault.blendfile,thefilethatisloadeduponstartingBlender.Todoso,loadthedefault.blendfile(CTRL-N)andthencreatethelayoutyouwantusingthemethodsoutlinedabove.UseCTRL-Utosavethecurrentfileasthenewdefaultstart-upfile.(Torestoretheoriginaldefault.blendfile,selectLoadFactorySettingsfromtheFilemenuandthensavethedefault.blendfileagain.)
Figure1-5.Blender’s3DViewportindetail
EditorTypesEachofBlender’seditorsoffersadifferentfunctionality.Notalleditorswillbeusefultousinthecourseofthisbook,soIwilldiscussjustthosethatarerelevanttotheprojectswe’lltackle.
The3DViewportThisisBlender’smostimportanteditortype.The3DViewport(seeFigure1-5)iswhereyoucanviewyoursceneanditsobjectsandthenmove,manipulate,andorganizethem.
The3DViewporthasfourregions:themain3Dview;theHeader,whichisfoundeitheratthetoporbottomoftheeditor(usuallythebottom);theToolShelf;andthePropertiesregion,thelasttwoofwhichcanbehiddenwiththehotkeysTandNwhilethemouseisoverthe3DViewporteditor.
Navigatingthe3DViewport
It’sveryimportanttolearntonavigatethe3DViewport,andthereareseveralwaystodoso.Thesimplestiswiththemouse.Scrollingthemousewheelzoomsinandout,holdingthemiddlemousebuttonrotatestheview,andSHIFT-middlemousebuttonpanstheview.Tocentertheviewonthecurrentlyselectedobject,pressNUMPAD.(period),andtoresettheviewtocenteronthescene’sorigin,pressSHIFT-C.
NOTEBlendertreatsthenumberpadkeysandthecorrespondingkeysonthekeyboarddifferently.Forexample,thenumberpad(numpad)numbersareusedfornavigatingthe3Dview,whilethecharacterkeynumbersareusedtotogglevisibilityofdifferentscenelayers.
Youcanalsosnaptheviewpointtospecificanglesusingthenumberpad.NUMPAD7snapstotop-downview,NUMPAD1snapstofrontview,andNUMPAD3snapstosideview.NUMPAD5switchesbetweenaperspectiveview,whereobjectsinthedistanceappearsmaller(asinreallife),andanorthographicview,whereobjectsappearthesamesizeatalldistances.Whencombinedwiththetop,side,andfrontviews,orthographicviewismostusefulforaligningobjectsprecisely.
The3DViewporthasmultipledisplaymodesthatcanbeselectedfromthe3DViewportheader(seeFigure1-5).Theseviewingmodesincludethedefaultsolidview;wireframe;boundingbox,whichrepresentsobjectsassimpleboxesinsteadofdisplayingtheirgeometry;andtexturedview,whichcandisplayshadingandtexturing.Inlaterchapters,we’lllookatcustomizingthe3DViewportfordifferentpurposes,includingusingdifferenttexturedshadingmodesandworkingwithlayersandhidingobjects.
Coordinatesin3DandtheGridFloorIfyouhaven’tdealtwith3Dgraphicsbefore,youmaynothavethoughtabouthowtodefineapointinspace.Ofcourse,3Dmodelsareessentiallycreatedbyconnectingpointsinspace.Thankfully,FrenchphilosopherandmathematicianRenéDescartesgaveusasolutiontothisproblemseveralcenturiesbeforewegotaroundtoinventingcomputersand3Dgraphics.
Todefineapointin3Dspace,weneedinformationaboutthepoint’spositionineachspatialdimensioninrelationtoareferencepoint.InBlender,thisinformationcomesintheformofthepoint’sx-,y-,andz-coordinates,whichindicatethepoint’spositionalongthreeaxesthatrunperpendiculartooneanother.ThesearecalledBlender’sglobalcoordinates.Thereferencepointweuseiscalledthescene’sorigin—thepointwhosecoordinatesforeachoftheaxesiszero.
Byconvention,wegenerallythinkofthex-axisasbeingthe“left–right”axis,they-axisasthe“forward–back”axis,andz-axisasthe“up–down”axis.(Thedifferentviewpointsgivenbythekeyboardshortcutsmentionedaboveconformtothisconvention—thetop-downviewlooksdownwardalongthez-axis,andsoon.)Youcanseethex-andy-axesinBlender’s3DViewportasredandgreenlines,respectively.Extendingfromtheselinesinlightgrayisthegridfloor,whichwegenerallyuseasthegroundheightofthescenewhenplacingobjects.Thedivisionsofthegridareall1Blenderunitapartbydefault,givingyouaguidetouseforplacingobjectsandjudgingtheirsize.Thex-andy-axesandthegridfloorarealsousefulwhenorientingyourselfinBlender’s3DViewport.
ThePropertiesEditorThePropertieseditoriswhereyoucandefinethesettingsandpropertiesforasceneoraselectedobject.ThePropertieseditorisdividedintoHeaderandMainregions,withtheMainregionbeingsplitintotabs(asshowninFigure1-2).Eachtabcontainsadifferentsetofpropertiesthatrelatestoeitherthecurrentsceneortheactiveobject.Inorderofappearance,thetabsareasfollows:Render.TheRendertabcontainssettingsforrenderingyourscene,includingrenderdimensions,shadingoptions,andoutputformats.(We’lldiscussthisinmoredetailinChapter14.)Scene.TheScenetabletsyousetthepropertiesofyourscene,suchastheactivecamera,certainsoundsettings,andthescene’sunits(arbitraryBlenderunits,imperial,ormetric).
World.TheWorldtabletsyoudefinethescene’sbackground,aswellastheworldlightingoptions,suchasenvironmentlightingandambientocclusion.(We’lldiscussthisinmoredetailinChapter13.)Object.TheObjecttab(seeFigure1-2)letsyousetanobject’stransformationsmanuallybyusingnumericalvaluesratherthanmovingtheobjectaboutinthe3DViewport.Youcanmanage
anobject’sgroupmembershipaswellashowitisdisplayed.(We’llusegroupsinChapter9toduplicatemultipleobjectsusingparticlesystems.)ObjectConstraints.TheObjectConstraintstabcontainsanobject’sconstraintsstack.Thisisusefulforanimationbutnotatopicthatwe’llcover.(SeetheBlenderwikiathttp://wiki.blender.org/formoreonconstraints.)ObjectModifiers.Thistabcontainsanobject’smodifiersstackandletsyouaddnewmodifiers.Modifiersareprocedural,nondestructivemethodsformanipulatingandgeneratingamesh’sgeometry.Asyouaddnewmodifierstoanobject,theyareappliedintheordertheyappearinthestack(fromtoptobottom).(We’lldiscussmodifiersinmoredetailinChapter4andChapter5.)ObjectData.TheObjectDatatabletsyousetwhichdatablocktheactiveobjectusesandexposesthedifferentsetsofdataassignedtothisdatablock(seeDatablocks).Thecontentsofthistabvaryaccordingtotheobject’stype.Forexample,inthecaseofameshobject,thistabwilldisplaythemesh’svertexgroups,shapekeys,andUVcoordinatesets,whereasforalampobject,itwillcontainthelamp’scolor,energy,andshadowsettings.Theiconforthistabalsochangestomatchtheactiveobject’stype:Formeshobjects,theiconisacube;forlamps,alight;andsoon.TheObjectDatatabwillcomeupthroughoutthisbook.
Material.TheMaterialstabdisplaysanobject’smaterialslotsandthematerialsassignedtothem.Here,youcaneditthebasicpropertiesofthematerialsyoucreate,turnonoroffdifferentshadingoptions,andadjustthepropertiesofanobject’smaterial.
Textures.TheTexturestabcomplementstheMaterialspanel.Itletsyouassigntexturestoamaterial,definehowtexturesaffectthepropertiesofamaterial,anddeterminehowtheyaremappedtoanobject’ssurface.(We’llcoverthistabinmoredetailinChapter12.)YoucanalsousetheTexturestabtoassigntexturestoyourworldbackgroundortoparticlesystems.
Particles.TheParticlestaballowsyoutoassignparticlesystemstoanobjectanddefinetheirproperties.Blenderhastwokindsofparticlesystems:dynamicemitterparticlesandhairparticles.InChapter9,we’lldiscussusinghairparticlestocreatehair,fur,andfoliage,andwe’llreviewthesettingsforhairparticlesinmoredetail.
Physics.ThePhysicstabcontainstoolsforsimulations,allowingyoutosimulatesmoke,fluids,cloth,andrigidandsoftbodyphysics.(Learnmoreaboutthese
optionsontheBlenderwiki.)
TheInfoEditorTheInfoeditor(seeFigure1-6)lookslikearegularmenubar,butit’sactuallyaneditor,likethe3DViewportandthePropertieseditor.It’susuallykeptscaleddowntoshowjusttheheader,whichisitsmostimportantpart.Theheadercontainsvariousmenus,includingtheFilemenu,theHelpmenu,andmenusforaddingobjectsandrendering.
Thedrop-downmenuselectorstotherightofthesemenusletyouchangethewindowlayout(discussedabove)andthecurrentscene(discussedinScenes).Nexttotheseselectors,adrop-downmenuallowsyoutoselectwhichrenderenginetouse.(SeeChapter12,Chapter13,andChapter14fordiscussionsofBlender’stwonativerenderengines.)Aftertherenderenginedrop-downmenu,you’llfindseveralpiecesofinformation,includingtheversionofBlenderyouareusingandsomeinformationaboutthescene.Fromlefttoright,thesceneinformationincludesthevertexcount(Verts);facecount(Faces);numberofobjectsinthescene(Objects);numberoflamps(Lamps);thescene’smemoryconsumption;andthenameofthecurrentlyselectedobject.
IfyoudragdowntheborderoftheInfoeditor,youwillseethatBlenderusestherestoftheeditortoprovidealogofyouractionsasPythoncommands.Thisinformationprovidesaglimpseintothebehind-the-scenesworkingsofBlender’sPythonAPI(applicationprogramminginterface)asyouwork,anditcanbemosthelpfulwhencreatingPythonscripts.However,sincewewon’tneedBlender’sscriptingfeaturesforanyoftheprojectsinthisbook,itcanremainhiddenmostofthetime.
Figure1-6.TheInfoeditorheader
TheNodeEditorTheNodeeditorisamultipurposeeditorforanythingthatis(orcanbe)constructedwithnodes.Thisincludesthecompositor,whichusesnodesbydefault,aswellasnodematerialsandtextures,whichmayormaynotbenodebased.YoucanswitchbetweenviewingBlender’svariousnodesetupsbyclickingiconsintheNodeeditor’sheader(seeFigure1-7).Theheader’smainregiondisplaysthecurrentnodesetuponagrid,allowingyoutoadd,delete,ormovenodesandtoviewandedittheirconnections.
We’lllookattheNodeeditorinmoredetailinChapter12whenwecreatenode-basedmaterialsfortheCyclesrenderengineandinChapter14whenwecreatenodetreesforcompositing.
TheUVImageEditorTheUVImageeditoristhe2Dequivalentofthe3DViewport.Here,youcanviewimages(Image▸OpenImagefromtheheaderorselectanalreadyloadedimagefromtheimageselectordrop-downmenu)andedittheUVcoordinatesofunwrappedmeshes.Whilerendering,BlenderdisplaysthecurrentrenderinaUVImageeditor.Usethedrop-downmenutoviewthemostrecentrenderortoviewthevieweroutputsofcompositingnodetrees.We’lldiscusstheUVImageeditorinmoredetailinChapter3,Chapter8,Chapter10,Chapter11,andChapter14.
Figure1-7.TheNodeeditorheader
OtherEditorsBlenderhasseveralothertypesofeditors.We’llcoversomeinthisbook,butwe’llleaveoutonesliketheGrapheditor,whichistailoredtoanimation,andtheLogiceditor,whichistailoredtoBlender’sgameengine.Formoreontheseeditors,seetheBlenderwiki(http://wiki.blender.org/).
UsingBlenderNowthatwehavesomeknowledgeofBlender’sUI,wecanlearnhowtoactuallyuseBlender.We’lllookatthedefault.blendfileandthenexploreworkingwithobjectsinthe3DViewportandthePropertieseditor.We’llalsoexaminehowBlenderfilesareconstructed,whichwillhelpuswhenworkingonourprojects.
ScenesThereisahierarchicalstructureto.blendfiles(seeDatablocks),atthetopofwhichisascene.A.blendfilecancontainonesceneormany.Eachsceneisitsownseparate3Dspacewhereyoucancreateobjectsandbuildyourproject,andeachscenehasitsownsettingsthatdefinehowitisrendered.
ThecurrentsceneisshownintheinfoheaderatthetopoftheBlenderwindow,nexttothecurrentlayout(seeFigure1-8).Tocreateanewsceneina.blendfile,clickthe+icontotherightofthecurrentscene’sname.Blenderwillaskyouwhetheryouwanttocreateanemptysceneorcopydatafromthecurrentone.Althoughitcanbeusefultocreateextrasceneswhenworkingwithmorecomplexprojects,we’lluseonesceneper.blendfileforeachprojectinthisbook.
Figure1-8.Thecurrentsceneisdisplayedintheinfoheader.
TheDefault.blendFileWhenyoufirstopenBlender,youarepresentedwithasingle,simplescene(asshowninFigure1-1).Bydefault,thisscenecontainsthreeobjects:acube,alamp,andacamera.Theseobjectsareallthatisrequiredtogetasimplerenderofsomethingmorethanablankbackground.ThecameratellsBlenderwhatviewpointitshouldrender,thecubeprovidessomethingforthecameratoview,andthelampilluminatesthecubeandmakesitappearasmorethanasimple
blacksilhouette.
However,agraycubeonagraybackgrounddoesn’tmakeforthemostinterestingofrenders.Tocreatesomethingmoreinteresting,weneedtocreateourownobjectstoreplacetheseratherdullones.
AddingObjectsToaddanobjecttoyourscene,placeyourcursoroverthe3DViewportandpressSHIFT-AtobringuptheAddmenu.Here,youcanaddanyobjecttypethatBlendersupports,includingmeshes,curves,empties,lamps,cameras,andsoon.(We’lldiscusstheseobjecttypesasweprogressthroughthebook.)
The3DCursorNewobjectswillbeaddedatthelocationofthe3Dcursor,whichisBlender’seasilyconfigurablewayofquicklydefiningapointinspace.The3Dcursor(showninFigure1-9)iswherenewobjectswillbeaddedbydefault.Youcanalsosettransformoperators,suchasrotationandscaling,tousethe3Dcursorasthepivotororiginpointfortheoperator.
Figure1-9.The3Dcursor
Byclickingwithinthe3DViewport,youcanmovethe3Dcursortowhereveryouclick(thecursor’sdistancefromyourviewpointwillremainthesame).Youcanalsomovethe3Dcursorbychangingitslocationvaluesinthe3DCursorpanelofthePropertiesregionofthe3DViewport.(Ifyoulosethe3Dcursororsimplywanttoresetittothescene’sorigin,pressSHIFT-Ctoresetthe3DViewport’sviewandplacethe3Dcursoratthescene’sorigin.)
SelectingObjects
Toselectanobject,right-clickit.Toselectmultipleobjects,SHIFT-right-clickthem.Selectedobjectsareoutlinedinorangebydefault.Themostrecentlyselectedobjectiscalledtheactiveobjectandisoutlinedinbrighterorangethantherestofyourselection.ThepropertiesoftheactiveobjectaretheonesthatwillappearinthePropertieseditor.Mostoperatorsuseoractontheactiveobject,thoughsomeactonyourwholeselection.
ManipulatingObjectsThereareseveralwaystomanipulateobjectsinthe3DViewport.Perhapsthesimplestwayistousethekeyboardshortcuts:Gtomove,Rtorotate,andStoscale.Youcanalsousethemanipulatorwidget(seeFigure1-10)tomanipulateobjectsbyclickinganddraggingoneofitsthreehandlestomanipulateoneaxisorbyclickinganddraggingthewhitecircleinthemiddletomanipulatetheobjectonanyaxis.
Bydefault,themanipulatorappearsasthreecoloredarrows.Clickanddragonthearrowstomoveyourselectedobjectsinthedirectionstheypoint(alongtheglobalx-,y-,andz-axesbydefault).Usetheiconsinthe3DViewportheadertohavethemanipulatorwidgetletyourotateorscaleobjectsinsteadofmovethem(seeFigure1-10).
Bydefault,wheninObjectmode,Blenderusestheobject’slocalcoordinateorigin(seeFigure1-11)asthepositionofthemanipulatorwidget.Tochangethepivotcenterofanoperator,usethePivotCenteroptioninthe3DViewportheader.Youcanswitchbetweenusingthemedianpointoftheselectedobjectsorigins(thedefault),theoriginoftheactiveobject,theindividualoriginsofeachobjectinyourselection,the3Dcursor,andthecenterofahypotheticalboundingboxdrawnaroundallselectedobjects.Thisnotonlymovesthemanipulatorwidgetbutalsousestheselectedpivotcenterforanytransformationsoroperatorsyoudousingkeyboardshortcutsorthemouse.
Figure1-10.Thethreefunctionsofthemanipulatorwidget:translate,rotate,andscale
InChapter4andChapter5,we’llexaminemanipulatingobjects,meshes,andcurvesinmoredetail.
OtherCoordinateSystems
Figure1-11.Choosingdifferentpivotpointsforthe3Dmanipulatorwidget
Figure1-12.Globalandlocalcoordinates
ThecoordinatesystemdescribedinCoordinatesin3DandtheGridFloorisdefinedrelativetothescene’sorigin,anditscoordinatesarereferredtoasglobalcoordinates.Theseareuniversaltothescene.However,objectsalsohavetheirownindividualcoordinatesystemsandtheirownorigins(thelatterbeingindicatedbyasmallorangecirclewhenyouhavetheobjectselected).Thesecoordinatesarecalledtheobject’slocalcoordinates,andtheymaymatchupwiththescene’sglobalcoordinatesortheymaynot(seeFigure1-12).Forexample,whenyoumoveanobjectinObjectmode,youmoveitslocalcoordinateoriginalongwithit,andwhenyouscaleorrotateit,youscaleorrotateitslocalcoordinateaxes.Thismaysoundconfusing,butithasanimportantpurpose.Thepositionsoftheverticesofamesh(thatyoucaneditinEditmode)aredefinedrelativetotheobject’slocalcoordinates.Thismeansthathoweveryoumove,scale,orrotateanobjectinObjectmode,themesh’sverticesremainunchangedintermsoftheirlocalcoordinates.We’llusethistoouradvantagelaterwhencreatingmultipleduplicatesofobjects,whichwillsharethesamemeshdataandlocalcoordinatesbutalsobeabletobescaledandrotatedindependentlyofoneanotherinBlender’sglobalcoordinates.
InFigure1-12,twoidenticalmonkeyheadmesheshavebeencreated.ThefirsthasbeenmovedinObjectmodesothatitsoriginisnolongerattheglobalorigin,butitsaxesstillpointinthesamedirectionsastheglobalcoordinateaxes.Thesecondhasbeenmovedandalsorotatedsothatneitheritsoriginnorthedirectionsofitslocalcoordinateaxesmatchupwiththeglobalcoordinates.Withrespecttotheobjects’meshes,however,thelocalcoordinatesstillpointinthesamedirections—they-axisoutofthetopofthemonkey’sheadandthex-axisoutfromitsleftear.
Youcanviewanobject’slocalcoordinatesbygoingtotheObjecttabofthePropertieseditorandenablingtheAxissettingintheDisplaypanel.
OperatorsTranslation,rotation,andscalingareamongthesimplestwaystointeractwithanobject.Othersimplewaysincludedeletinganobject(X),hidingit(H),orduplicatingit(SHIFT-D).Theseandsimilaractionsarealloperators.We’llcoveramuchgreaterrangeofoperatorsinChapter4whenwebeginmodeling,andwe’llcontinuetoexpandthisrepertoireofoperatorsthroughoutthebook.
DatablocksEverythinginBlenderisbuiltoutofdatablocks,whicharesimplychunksofdata.AllofBlender’sobjects,meshes,materials,textures,andimagesaredifferenttypesofdatablocks.Eventhesceneitselfisadatablockthatpointstothedatablocksthatmakeupitscontents.
Datablocksarearrangedhierarchically.Forexample,ascenedatablockwillcontainobjectdatablocks,whichreferencemeshdatablocks.Meshdatablocks,inturn,referencematerialtextureblocks,andsoon.ThisstructureisshowninFigure1-13.
ThetopofthePropertieseditor’sObjectDatatabdisplaysthedatablockusedbytheactiveobject.Clicktheicontotheleftofthedatablock’snametochangethedatablockused(seeFigure1-14).
Figure1-13.Blender’sdatablockstructure
Figure1-14.Examiningobjectdata.Here,acubeobjectusesameshdatablocknamed“Cube.”Otherdatablockscanbeselectedtochangethemeshthattheobjectuses.Thenumberofusersadatablockhas
isshowntotherightofitsname.
DefiningobjectsasdatablocksallowsyoutoeasilycopyandduplicateobjectswithinBlender.Forexample,youcancreatearegularduplicatebypressingSHIFT-D,whichcreatesanewobjectwithacopyoftheoriginal’sdatablock.(Youcaneditthisduplicatewithoutaffectingtheoriginal.)YoucanalsocreatealinkedduplicatewithALT-D.Thelinkedduplicateusesthesamedatablockastheoriginal,whichmeansthatwhenyoueditoneduplicate,theotherisupdatedidentically.(We’llusethistechniqueinlaterchapterstosavetimewhenworkingonmultiplecopiesofthesameobject.)Thesamegoesforotherkindsofdatablocks.Forexample,inthecaseofmaterialsandtextures,youcanassignthesamematerialtomultipleobjectsorthesametexturetomultiplematerials,tosavetimeandtoavoidhavingtocreateuniquematerialsandtexturesforeveryobject.Ofcourse,thisfeaturealsomeansthatwehavetokeeptrackofwhichobjectisusingwhichdatablocksandhowmanyusersadatablockhas.Toseehowmanyusersadatablockhas,looknexttoitsnameinthedrop-downmenuwhereitisselected.Datablockswithmultipleuserswillshowhowmanyuserstheyhavetotherightoftheirname(seeFigure1-14).(Clickthisnumbertomakeanew,uniquecopyofthatdatablock.)DatablockswithnousersaredeletedwhenyouquitBlender.Tokeepadatablockthathasnousers,suchasamaterialyoumightwanttoreuseoranearlierversionofameshdatablock,protectitbyclickingtheFiconnexttothedatablock’sname(seeFigure1-14).Thiscreatesa“fake”usersothatthedatablockwillbesavedalongwithyourfile.
NamingDatablocksTorenameadatablock,clickitsname.Whennamingdatablocks,it’sgoodpracticetogivethemdescriptivenamestomakeiteasiertopickaparticulardatablockfromalist.Renamingyourdatablockswithdescriptivewords,suchasWood,RedPaint,Skin,andsoon,willmakeyoursceneeasiertonavigateandunderstandlateron.
ModesBlenderhasdifferentmodesforeditingthedifferentaspectsofanobject’sdata.ThedefaultisObjectmode,whichletsyouaddanddeleteobjectsandalsomove,scale,androtatethem.Othermodesletyoueditmeshdataandparticle
systems,sculptonmeshes,painttextures,andadjustvertexgroupweights.
Blender’stwomostimportantmodesareObjectandEditmode.Toswitchbetweenthem,usethehotkeyTAB.Toaccessothermodes,clicktheModesdrop-downmenuintheheaderofthe3DViewport(seeFigure1-5)andselectthemodeyouwant.
InChapter4andChapter5,we’lluseEditmodeextensivelyformodeling,andinChapter6,we’lluseSculptmode.TheninChapter8,we’lluseParticlemodeandWeightPaintmodetocreateandcombparticlehairandpaintvertexgroupsforcontrollingfur.Then,inChapter11,we’lluseTexturePaintmodetopainttexturesonourmodels.
SavingandLoadingSavingandloadinginBlenderworksmuchthesamewaythatitdoesinanyapplication.UseFile▸Save(CTRL-S)tosaveandFile▸Open(CTRL-O)toopenafile.
Blendersavesfilesinaunique.blendformat.Bydefault,externalfiles,suchasimagesloadedintoBlender,arenotsavedalongwiththe.blendfilebutarereferencedrelativetothefile.Thus,toopena.blendfileonanothercomputer,youneedtocopyoverthe.blendfileplusalltheotherfilesitreferencesandre-createthesamedirectorystructurebeforeopeningthe.blendfile.Alternatively,youcan“pack”your.blendfile,whichsavesexternaldatasuchasimageswithinthe.blendfile,sothatyoucanthenopenupthe.blendfileonanymachineandhaveallthedataitneeds.
AppendingandLinkingBlenderlacksthestandardcopy-and-pastefunctionalityforobjectsorotherkindsofdatablocksthatyoumightexpectfromusingmoreconventionalapplications.Tocopyanobject,youcaneitherduplicateitorsimplyreferencethesamedatablockusinganexistingobject.Butwhatifyouwanttobringsomethinginfromanexternal.blendfile?
That’swheretheAppendandLinkfeaturescomein.Appendingandlinkingletyoubringdatablocksfromone.blendfileintoanother.Append(File▸Append)bringsthedatablockwhollyintothecurrent.blendfileasanindependentcopyof
theoriginal.Linking(File▸Link)referencestheoriginaldatablockintheotherfile.Linkeddatablockscannotbeeditedinthe.blendfiletheyarelinkedinto;rather,theymustbeeditedintheoriginalfile.
Appendingisusefulforquicklybringinganexistingresourceintoyour.blendfilesothatyoucanuseandeditit.Linkingisusefulforcombiningmultipleelementsinlargerprojectswhen,forexample,differentpeopleareeditingvariouspartsindependently.Bylinkingalltheelementsofaprojectintoonescene,peoplecanworkonpartsindependentlyinseparate.blendfiles,whilekeepingthefinalassemblyofmultiplelinkedobjectsup-to-date.(Ifyoulinkadatablockandwishtoedititlocally,makeitintoalocaldatablockusingtheMakeLocaloperator(L).)
InReviewThischapterhasofferedabasicintroductiontoBlender.You’velearnedthebasicsofhowtoworkwithBlender’suserinterfaceandessentialtools.WelookedatitsUIterminologyanditsdifferenteditortypes,exploredthebasicsofaddingandmanipulatingobjects,anddiscussedhowobjectsanddatablocksworkinBlender.Wealsolookedathowtosaveandloadfilesandimportelementsfromone.blendfileintoanother.
Inthenextchapter,wewillmoveontolearningalittleaboutGIMP,afreeopensourceimage-editingprogramthatmakesanidealcompaniontoBlenderwhenyou’reworkingonprojects.
Chapter2.IntroductiontoGIMP
Inthischapter,we’lltakealookatthebasicsofusingGIMP:whatGIMPis,wheretogetit,andhowtonavigateitsuserinterface.Then,I’llcoverthebasicsofactuallyusingGIMPtocreateandeditimages,aswellashowtouseGIMP’sarrayofbrushesandfilters,sothatwe’llbereadytomoveontomoreadvancedGIMPfeaturesinlaterchapters.
AboutGIMPGIMPisapowerful,free,opensourceimage-editingpackage,withawealthoftoolsformanipulatingandpaintinggraphics.GIMPfirstappearedin1996astheprojectofSpencerKimballandPeterMatthis,studentsattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Originally,theacronymGIMPstoodforGeneralImageManipulationProgram.Later,thiswasredefinedtostandforGNUImageManipulationProgramwhen,in1997,GIMPbecamepartoftheGNUProject.Sincethen,GIMPhasundergonesignificant(ifsporadic)development,anditscurrentfeaturesetiscomparabletothatofcommercialimage-editingpackages,likeAdobePhotoshop.GIMPhastoolsforpainting;manipulatingcolors;andworkingwithselections,layers,paths,andchannels.Italsooffersawidevarietyoffiltersandplug-insandsupportsnumerousimageformats.
GIMPisavailableforLinux,Mac,andWindows.OfficialbuildsforLinuxandMacOSXcanbefoundathttp://www.gimp.org/.You’llfindWindowsbuildsathttp://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/andunofficialMacOSXbuilds(withsomeusefulextraplug-insandfilters)athttp://gimp.lisanet.de/.
WhyGIMP?YoumightbewonderingwhyI’vechosentocoverGIMPinabookthatisprimarilyaboutcreating3DartwithBlender.ThereasonisthatwhileBlenderisapowerful3Dgraphicsapplication,we’llneedtodosome2Dimageediting
throughoutthebook.Forexample,we’llneedtopreparereferenceimages,createtexturesformodelsandalphasforsculptingbrushes,andaddsomefinaltweakstoourfinalrenders.ThoughBlenderdoeshave2DpaintingtoolswithintheUVImageeditor,wereallyneedsomethingmorecapableandgearedtowardeditingimages.
GIMPisjustsuchatool,anditmakesforanexcellentcompanionapplicationtoBlenderwhencreating3Ddigitalart.InChapter3,wewillprepare(orevenpaint)ourreferenceimagesinGIMP,usingguidestoalignorthographicreferencesandlayerstocreatecollagesoutofmultipleimagesforquickreference.InChapter11,wewilldosomeofourtexturepaintinginGIMP,usinglayerstocombinebakedimageswithotherelements,suchasphotos,andwe’lluseGIMP’spaintingtoolstorefineandaddtotextureswepaintinBlender.Finally,inChapter14,wewilldosometouchingupofourfinalrendersinGIMP.
TheGIMPUserInterfaceLikethatofBlender,GIMP’suserinterfaceisknownforbeingalittleunorthodox.Primarily,thisisduetoitsdefaultmulti-windowlayout,wherethecanvas,Toolbox,andotherdialogsaresplitintoseparatewindows.Thisiseasyenoughtogetusedto,butforatidierlayout,switchtothenon-blocking,single-windowlayoutbyenablingSingle-WindowmodeintheWindowsmenu(seeFigure2-1).Mostofthescreenshotsinthisbookusethislayout,withextradialogsaddedasneeded.
Figure2-1.Single-WindowmodeinGIMParrangesallofGIMP’stoolsanddialogsinasinglewindow.Thedefaultsingle-windowlayoutinGIMPshouldlooksomethinglikethis.
TheToolboxGIMP’smaintoolsarehousedintheToolbox(seeFigure2-1).Clicktheiconforeachtooltypetoswitchtothattoolsothatyoucanuseitonthecurrentlayeronthecanvas.GIMPoffersthefollowingtools(listedlefttoright,toptobottomintheToolbox).
Selection.Thesetoolsletyoumakeselectionsinordertorestricttheareasofthecurrentlayerthatyoucanpaint,applyfiltersto,orcopyandpastefrom(seeSelections).TheRectangleandEllipseSelecttoolsletyoumakeselectionsusingparticularshapes.LassoSelectletsyoudrawfreehandselections.MagicSelectautomaticallyselectsareasthataresimilartotheareasyouclickonthecanvas,andSelectbyColorselectssimilarcolors.ScissorsSelectletsyoudrawaroughoutlinearoundaselectionbyclickingtoplaceaseriesofpoints;thenGIMPtriestogeneratethebestselectionbydetectingedgesintheimage.ForegroundSelectletsyoudefinearoughforegroundareabypaintingonit,andthenittriesto
generateaselectionusingthepaintedareaasaguide.
Paths.ThisletsyoudrawpathsusingBéziercurves.ThepathsyoucreatecanbemanagedfromthePathsdialog,andtheycanbeusedtogenerateselectionsorbe“stroked”tocreateprecisebrushstrokesanddifferenteffects.
ColorPicker.Thisletsyouchoosecolorsfromthecanvasbyclickingthem.
Zoom.Usethistozoominandoutofthecanvas.
Move.Thisletsyoumovelayers.Bydefault,itmovesthetopmostvisiblelayerunderyourcursor,butyoucanusetheToolOptionsdialogtosetittomovetheactivelayerinstead(regardlessofwhereyouclick).
Align.Thisoffersseveralfeaturesforaligninglayersandselections.
Crop.Usethistocropanimage.YoucanalsocroptheimagetoaselectionfromtheImagemenu.
Transformation.Thesetools(includingRotate,Scale,Shear,Perspective,andFlip)willtransformthecurrentlayerorselection.
Text.Createtextonthecanvasasanewlayer.Textlayersremaineditableasstringsoftext(meaningyoucaneditanexistingtextlayerwiththeTexttool)untilyoupaintonorapplyfilterstothem,atwhichpointtheyareconvertedtopixels.
BucketandBlend.Fillthecanvaswithsolidcolorsorgradients.
Pencil,Paintbrush,Eraser,Airbrush,andInk.Thesestandardpaintingtoolsbehaveliketheirreal-worldequivalents.ThePencilmakessharp,pixelatedmarksonthecanvas,whilethePaintbrushmakessmootherstrokes.TheErasererases,theAirbrushgraduallyaddscolorasyouholddownthemouse,andtheInktoolmakesflowing,calligraphiclines.
Clone,Heal,andPerspectiveClone.Theseletyou“clone”imagedatafromonepartofthecanvas(theclonesource)toanother(whereveryoupaint)andarethereforeusefulforcreatingtexturesandfillinginareas.TheHealtoolisparticularlyuseful,asitautomaticallyblendstogethertheboundariesofthenewlyclonedpixelswiththeoriginalsurroundings.CTRL-clickingonthecanvassetstheclonesource,afterwhichyoucanstrokenormallytoclonepixelsfromthesourcetoanotherareaonthecanvas.
BlurandSmudge.Theseletyoublurorsmudgepixels.
Dodge/Burn.Thisletsyouselectivelybrighten(dodge)ordarken(burn)areasofyourimage,whichcanbeusefulformodifyingshadowsandhighlightsonanimage.Usetheseeffectssparinglybecauseit’seasytobeheavy-handedwiththistool.
CageDeform.Thisletsyoudrawacagearoundpartofanimageandthenfreelytransformitbyadjustingtheshapeofthecage.
ThetwocolorswatchesatthebottomoftheToolbox(seeFigure2-1)denotethecurrentforegroundandbackgroundcolors.Bydefault,mostbrushespaintwiththeforegroundcolor,withthebackgroundcoloractingasanalternatecolorthatyoucanquicklyswitchtobypressingX.(Sometools,suchastheGradienttool,usebothforegroundandbackgroundcolorsatthesametime.)Thetwosmalliconsattheupperrightandbottomleftofthecolorswatchesallowyoutoswitchbetweenthemandresetthemtoblackandwhite,respectively.
TheCanvasThecanvasiswhereGIMPdisplayscurrentlyopenimages.Youcanpaint,makeselections,anduseallofGIMP’sothertoolsbyclickingthecanvas.Rulersdowntheleftandtopedgesofthecanvasshowthepositionofthecursorwithsmallarrowsasyoumovearound.Clickinganddraggingoutfromtheserulerscreatesverticalandhorizontalguidesthatyourcursorandselectionswillsnaptobydefault.Thissnappingactioncancomeinhandywhenliningupimagesforuseasreference(asyou’lllearninChapter3).Alongthebottomofthecanvasareoptionsforcontrollingtherulers’unitsofmeasurementandthezoomlevelofthecanvas.
DialogsMostoftheinformationaboutyourcurrenttoolandcurrentlyopenimagesisavailablefromGIMP’sdialogs.SomedialogsarevisiblebydefaultwhenyoustartGIMP,withothersfoundunderWindows▸DockableDialogs.TwoofGIMP’smostimportantdialogsaretheToolOptionsandLayersdialogs.YoucanseebothinFigure2-1,ToolOptionsontheleftbelowthetoolbox,andtheLayersdialogonthetoprightwiththeChannels,Paths,andUndodialogs.TheToolOptionsdialogcontainstheoptionsforthecurrentlyselectedtoolthat
definehowitworks.Forexample,inthecaseofthePaintBrushtool,theToolOptionsdialogletsyouadjustthebrushopacity,shape,size,andaspectratio,aswellasallowingyoutochoosefromGIMP’sbrushdynamicsoptions.TheLayersdialogdisplaysthelayersthatmakeupthecurrentimageandletsyoutoggletheirvisibility,lockthemtopreventfurtherediting,oredittheirblendmodestochangehowtheycombinewithotherlayers.TheiconsatthebottomoftheLayersdialogletyouadd,delete,andduplicatelayers,aswellascreategroupstoorganizelayers.(We’llcoverworkingwithandorganizinglayersinfurtherdetailwhenwediscusspaintingtexturesinChapter11.)GIMPallowsyoutorearrangeandreorganizedialogsasyouwish.ThedefaultdialogsarealreadygroupedandorganizedintotabsandcolumnsdownthesidesofthemaincanvaswheninSingle-Windowmode.Torearrangetabs,clickanddragtheiconatthetopofthedialogeitherintoanothergroupoftabsortotheborderbetweentwoareasoftheUItoplacethetabinitsownroworcolumn.
UsingGIMPNowwe’llexplorehowtoactuallyuseGIMPtocreate,paint,andeditimages.Inlaterchapters,we’lllookatmuchofthisinmoredetail;fornow,we’lljustlookatthebasics.Aswegoalong,I’llpointtolaterchaptersthatgointoeachfeatureinmoredetail.
CreatinganImageUnlikeBlender,GIMPdoesnotopenanydefaultfileatstart-up.Whenyoufirststarttheprogram,youcaneitheropenanexistingimage(File▸Open)orcreateanewone(File▸New).Whenopeningimages,GIMPnormallyopenseachimageasanewfile,butyoucanuseFile▸OpenasLayersinsteadtoopenimagesasnewlayerswithinthecurrentfile.
Whenyoucreateanewfile(seeFigure2-2),GIMPasksyouwhatdimensionsyouwantittohaveinpixelsandthencreatesanew,single-layerimagewithawhitebackgroundthatyoucanbeginpaintingon.
Figure2-2.CreatinganewimageinGIMP
PaintingandDrawingPaintinganddrawingareaccomplishedinGIMPsimplybyclickinganddraggingstrokesonthecanvas,usingoneoftheavailabledrawingtools.YourstrokewillbedrawnusingthecurrentforegroundcolorandthebrushshapeselectedintheToolOptionsdialogortheBrushesdialog.
BrushesandBrushDynamicsGIMPhasasophisticatedbrushenginethatusesvariousinputstodeterminetheappearanceofyourstrokes.InadditiontoanysettingsyouapplyintheToolOptionsdialog,suchasopacityorsize,youcanalsochoosefromavarietyofbrushshapesintheBrushesdialog(seeFigure2-3).Yourstrokeswillbedrawnusingtheshapeyouselect.
GIMPcanalsouseinformationsuchasthespeedatwhichyoudrawastrokeorthepressureinputfromagraphicstablettoaffectthelookofyourstroke.TheseoptionsarecalledPaintDynamicsinGIMP.YoucanchoosedifferentdynamicsfromtheToolOptionsdialogorcreateandedityourowninthePaintDynamicsEditordialog.(WewillexaminethisfeatureinmoredetailwhencreatingourownbrushesinChapter11.)
Filters
GIMP’sfiltersactasaproceduralwaytomodifyyourimagesbyapplyinganalgorithmtothepixelsofthecurrentlayertocreateanewresult.Thereareseveralfilters,includingonesforblurringandsharpeningimages,removingorcreatingnoise,anddistortinganddeformingimages.Youwillalsofindfiltersthatapplyartisticeffectsandonesthatallowyoutocreatecompletelynewimagesandpatternsfromscratch.
Figure2-3.SomeofGIMP’sbrushshapes
ChoosingafilterfromtheFiltersmenuusuallybringsupadialogwithsomeoptionsthatadjusthowthefilterworks.Forexample,ifyouselecttheGaussianBlurfilter,thedialogshouldcontainoptionsfortheradiusoftheblurandtheblurringmethodused,aswellasasmallpreview(seeFigure2-4).ClickingOKinthisdialogappliesthefiltertothewholeimage.(WewillusesomeofthesefilterswhenpaintingtexturesinChapter11.)
Figure2-4.Usingfilters.TheGaussianBlurfilterisshownhere.
LayersAsalayer-basedimageeditor,GIMPletsyoucreateanimagefrommultiplelayerscompositedontopofoneanother,combiningelementsfromeach.TheLayersdialogshowsyouallthelayersinyourimageandallowsyoutoedittheirorderingandhowtheyarecombined.Bydefault,eachlayerreplacestheonebelowit,withanytransparentpartslettingthelayerunderneathshowthrough.However,youcanalsochoosefromseveralotherwaystoblendlayersusingtheLayerModedrop-downmenuatthetopoftheLayersdialog.
Whenyoupaintonthecanvas(oruseanyothertoolorfilter),yourstrokesarepaintedontotheactivelayer(highlightedintheLayersdialog).We’llcoverlayersinmoredetailinChapter11.
SelectionsOnewaytorestrictthepixelsyoupaintonistouseGIMP’sselectiontools.With
these,youcandrawoutaselectionyouwishtoworkonwithinthecurrentlayer.Brushes,filters,andothertoolswillthenaffectonlytheselectedpixels(seeFigure2-5).Selectionscomeinhandywhenyouwanttoworkonanisolatedpartofanimage.Theyalsoletyoucopy(CTRL-C)andpaste(CTRL-V)partsofyourimageorsplitpartofanimageoffintoanewlayer.We’llcoverthesetoolsinmoredetailinChapter11.
Tocancelaselection,clickoutsideofitwithaselecttool.Youcanalsoinvertit(CTRL-I),swappingtheselectedandunselectedareas.YoucanaddtoorsubtractfromyourcurrentselectionbyholdingtheSHIFTorCTRLkeyswhiledraggingoutaselection.Inlaterchapters,we’lllookatotherwaystoworkwithselectionsusingtoolslikeGIMP’sQuickMaskfeature.
SavingandExportingGIMPcanopenalmostanyimageformat,butonceyouhaveanimageopen,itdistinguishesbetweensavinganimage(CTRL-S),whichitdoesonlyinitsnative.xcfformat,andexportingit(CTRL-E)toamoreconventionalimageformat,suchasaJPEGorTarga.Youcanchoosetheimageformattoexporttobyaddingthecorrectsuffixtothefilename(forexample,.jpgforJPEGand.tgaforTarga)orbyselectingitmanuallyfromthelistatthebottomoftheSavedialog(seeFigure2-6).
Whenworkingonthetexturesandotherimagesfortheprojectsinthisbook,Ibothsaveandexportmytextures.Savingthe.xcffilemeansIhavemytextureinalayeredformatthatIcaneditlater,whileexportingittoanormalimageformatsuchas.pngor.tgagivesmeanimagethatIcanopenanduseinBlender.
InReviewThischapterhasofferedabasic,high-levelintroductiontoGIMP.WelookedalittleatGIMP’shistory,whatitdoes,andwhereyoucangetit.WealsolookedatthelayoutofGIMP’sUIanditsavailabletools,andwecoveredthebasicsofhowtoworkwithimagesinGIMP.Weexploredthebasicsofworkingwithtools,filters,layers,andselectionsanddiscussedsaving,loading,andexporting.
InChapter3,we’llpreparetoworkonthedifferentprojectsinthisbookbefore
weputGIMPandBlendertoworkinearnest.
Figure2-5.Creatingaselection(shownhighlightedinthetopimage)letsyourestrictGIMP’stoolstoaparticularareaofyourimage.
Figure2-6.SavingimagesinGIMP
Chapter3.Preparation
Inthischapter,you’lllearnhowtobestlaythegroundworkthatwillmakecreatingprojectsinBlendereasy.Thisincludesgatheringandcreatingreferences,designingyourcharacters,planningthecompositionofthefinalimage,andsettingupBlendertomaketheresourcesyouhavegatheredavailablewhileyouwork.Attheendofthechapter,wewillbereadytostartmodelingourprojects,withamoresolidideaofwhatitiswewanttocreateandhowtogoaboutgettingthere.
ConceptArtandReferencesAnyprojectrequiresresearchandpreparation.Beforecreatingtheprojectsinthisbook,IspentsometimethinkingaboutwhatIreallywantedtomake,collectingreferenceimages,andcreatingbasicconceptarttokeepmeontrack.
Whenpreparingtotackleaparticularproject,playwithvariousroughideasanddesigns,discardingorchangingonesthatdon’tworkquiterightbeforespendingalotoftimeonanyone.Forexample,Figure3-1showsvarioussketchesthatImadeforcharactersbeforechoosingtheBatCreaturedesignusedinthisbook.
Creating,Finding,andUsingReferencesConceptartservestwopurposes:First,itisaquickwaytoexperimentwithideas,andsecond,itservesasaguidetorefertowhencreatingyourproject.Thismeansthatyoudon’tneedtokeepthewholeofyourideainyourheadallthetime,andyoucanplanaheadforthedifferentpartsofyourproject,savingyoutimeandeffort.Useyoursketcheseachtimeyoubeginpartofyourprojectasareminderofyourgoals.YoucanusereferenceimagesorconceptartdirectlyinBlenderorGIMPtohelpwiththemodelingandtexturingprocess,whetheryouusethemasbackgroundimagesorasastartingpointforprojectingandbakingtextures.
Whenconceptualizingyourproject,considerwhethertherearereal-worldreferencesthatyoucanuse.TheInternetisagreatresource,ofcourse,asarebooks,objectsaroundyou,andyourownphotographs.Forexample,whendevelopingtheJungleRuinsprojectinthisbook,IbeganbysearchingFlickrandGoogleImageswithphraseslike“jungleruin”and“Mayantemple”andthengatheringimagesIliked.(Obviously,youshouldmakesurethatyouaren’tdirectlycopyingsomeoneelse’swork;gatheringinspirationisfine,butcopyrightviolationisnot!)
Figure3-1.Workingthroughdifferentideasforcharacters
Evenwhenyouwanttocreateacompletelyfictionaldesign,likeadragonorasci-fispaceship,itcanhelptoexaminereal-worldobjectsthatsharesomeaspectsofyourdesigninordertohelpbettervisualizeyourcreation.Forexample,whencreatingadragon,youmightsearchforimagesofdinosaurs,lizards,largebirds,bats,orevenmammalianpredators,likelionsorwolves.Eachanimalmighthavesomeaspectthatyoucanuseinyourdragon,likethepatternofscalesonalizardorthewingstructureofabirdorbat.Whencreatingaspaceship,youcouldexamineexistingcrafts,likespaceshuttles,airplanes,industrialvehicles,orevenautomobiles.Adoptingaspectsofexistingthingswillhelpbringrealismandbelievabilitytoyourwork.
Onceyou’vegatheredsomereferences,youcoulddivestraightintomodeling,oryoumightsketchsomeaspectsofyourproject.Figure3-2showsexamplesofsomeofmystudiesofMayanarchitecturefortheJungleRuinsproject.
Ifyou’renotmuchofatraditionalsketcher,considersculptingaroughconceptofyourprojectinBlenderfromasimplebasemesh(seeChapter6)orblockoutaroughideaofyourscenein3DinBlenderusingsimplegeometricshapes.Rememberthateachaspectofanyproject,whetherit’scomposition,lighting,textures,ormodels,willaffectyourconceptart,sothinkaboutandplaywitheachoftheseaspectsbeforestartingyourprojectinearnest.
WhattoLookforinReferenceMaterialWhencollectingreferencematerial,herearesomethingstokeepinmind.
Subjectmatter.Trytocollectorcreateasmanyimagesasyoucanthatmatchthesubjectmatter;whoknowswhenonemightcomeinhandy.Themorereferencematerialyouhaveatyourdisposal,thebetter!
Pointofview.Trytocollectorcreatereferencematerialthatshowsyoursubjectfrommanydifferentangles,bothcloseupandasawhole,tomakesurethatyouwon’tgetstuckwhenitcomestimetocreatethebackofyourcharacterorasmallobjectinyourscene.
Lighting.Bothstronglylitandevenlylitreferencesareuseful.Whentexturing,itcanbereallyhandytohavereferencematerialthatdoesn’tshowstronglightingorspecularhighlights,butwhenyou’remodeling,youwillwantthosehighlightsandcontrastinglightingtoshowtheshapeofyoursubject.Don’tpassupeitherkindofreference.
Figure3-2.SketchesofdifferentelementsofMayanarchitecture
Lens.Whenusingphotography,trytocollectimagestakenwithaslongalensaspossible,especiallyifyouplantouseyourreferencedirectlyasanorthographicreferenceinBlender’sViewportformodeling.Theshorterthelens,thegreaterthedegreeofdistortionintheimage,andifyoublindlyincorporatethisdistortionintoyourmodel,youareboundtogetsomestrangeresults.Ifyoucan’tgetaphotographtakenwithalonglens,atleasttrytodeterminewhatlenswasusedwhentheimagewastakenandkeepthisinmindwhenmodeling.
Licensing/copyright.Whileyoucanuseanyimagelooselyforinspirationorasajumping-offpoint,ifyouplantouseaphotoorartworkcreatedbyotherpeople,youmustcomplywiththeirintentionsfortheirwork.Ifanimageisprotectedbycopyright,youmustgetthecopyrightholder’spermissiontouseitorperhapscontactalicensingthirdparty,like3d.skoriStockPhoto.Iftheimageisunderalessrestrictivelicense,likeCreativeCommons,besuretocomplywiththespecifictermsofthatlicense.Whenindoubt,assumethatanimageisprotectedbycopyrightanddon’tdirectlyuseitinyourwork.
Aboveall,rememberthatallphotographicreferenceshavetheirlimitations.Inadditiontomanifestationsoflensdistortion,imagesmaybesmall,takenfromawkwardangles,poorlylit,blurry,orincomplete.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatimperfectimagesaren’tuseful,butdon’tbeaslavetoyourreferences.Whatmattersintheendisthatthingslookright,andiftheydon’t,don’tletyourreferencedeceiveyouintomakingpoorartisticdecisions.Ifsomethingdoesn’tlookright,changeit.
CompositionWhencreatinganyartwork,whetheranimatedorstill,itisimportanttothinkaboutcomposition,anddoingsobeforeyoustartwillmakeitaloteasiertofittogetherthefinalelementsofyourscene.ThiswasparticularlytruefortheJungleRuinsproject,wherethegoalwastocreateafinalimagefromasinglevantagepoint.Rememberthatyouwantthefinalresultsnotonlytolookconvincinganddetailedbutalsotobepleasingtotheeyewhenplacedwithinthesettingofyourfinalrenders.
Compositionisaveryrichsubject,anditisbeyondthescopeofthisbooktocoveritindetail,butherearesomebasicprinciples.
TheRuleofThirdsTheruleofthirdsprinciplearguesthatthepointsofinterestinanimageshouldfallroughlyinlinewithanimaginarygriddrawnovertheimage.Thisimaginarygridsplitstheimageintothirdsalongbothitslengthandwidth.Thegoalistocarvetheimageintolesssymmetricalareastoproducesomethingthatisgenerallymorepleasingtotheeye,asopposedtoanimagesplitrightdownthemiddlebythevariouspointsofinterest.Figure3-3showshowIsplitanimageintoatotalofninesections,usingthreerowsandthreecolumns.
Figure3-3.TheJungleRuinsprojectattheblocking-instage,witharuleofthirdsgridoverlaid
Foranotherexampleoftheruleofthirdsinaction,thinkofasceneshowingtheskyandahorizontogetherwithsomebuildings.Applyingtheruleofthirds,wewouldplacethehorizonatonehorizontaldivisionoftheimage(aboutone-thirdofthewayupfromthebottomordownfromthetop),withtheskyoccupyingtheareaabovethehorizon.Ifthemainpointsofinterestaresituatedabovethehorizon,suchasatallbuildingoralitmooninthenightsky,wemightplacethehorizonabovethelowerthirdoftheimagetoallowthebuildingandmoontooccupymorespace.Ontheotherhand,ifthemainpointsoftheimagearebelowthehorizon,saysomeboatsonalake,placingthehorizonattheupperthirddivisionwouldallowustogivetheboatsmorespacewhilecreatingabalancedcomposition.
Theruleofthirdsdoesn’talwaysapplytoimagescontainingsinglecharacters,
however.Forexample,ifyourimageisaportraitorfull-bodyshotofacharacter,itwilllikelymakemoresensetogivethesubjectcenterstage.Buteveninthesecases,youmightapplytheruleofthirdstootheraspectsoftheimage,suchasthecharacter’seyelineoraheavyobjectcarriedinhisarms.
It’sworthpointingoutthattheruleofthirdsisn’ttheonlytheorydrivenbythebeautyofasymmetryandimbalance.Otherrules,likethegoldenmean,whichplacesthegridlinesaccordingtothegoldenratio(approximately1.618:1),havesimilareffectsandsharethegoalofnotdividinganimageintoobvioussymmetricalhalves.
SilhouettesandNegativeSpaceForyourimagetoreadwell,itmusthaveastrongsilhouette.Thesilhouetteistheoutlineofyoursubject,asshowninFigure3-4.Ifwhenlookingatyourimage’ssilhouetteyoucanstilltellwhattheimageis,youhaveastrongdesign.Ifthesilhouettelookslikejustajumbleofshapes,however,viewersmayhaveahardtimeprocessingtheimage,eveninitsfinalstate.Togetabetterideaofyourmodel’ssilhouette,tryaddingablackmaterialtoitwithnospecularity(seeChapter12),andrenderitonitsowntoseeitasablackshapeonaplainbackground(Figure3-4).
Inthesameway,thenegativespacearoundandbetweenyoursubjectandanyotherobjectsalsoaffectstheappearanceofyourcomposition.Forexample,whenplacingthehorizononaruleofthirdsline,asdiscussedintheprevioussection,wearelikelytocreateapleasingnegativespaceintheformofthesky.
Figure3-4.SilhouetteoftheBatCreature
SimplicityandFocusWhencreatinganyimage,youshouldstrivetocontroltheviewer’sgaze.Ifyourimageisbusywithtoomuchgoingon,aviewermaybeoverwhelmedandnotknowwhattopayattentionto.Toavoidpotentialconfusion,animageshouldhavesome“rest”areas—partsthataresimpleanddon’tdemandattentionsothatother,moreimportantpartsarenotoverlooked.Forexample,ifyoumodelandtextureafantasticportrait,youmightavoidputtingacomplex,clutteredbackgroundinthenegativespacebehindtheportraitbecausethisbackgroundmightdistracttheviewer.Thenegativespaceinthisexampleistherestarea,butrestareasmaysimplybelesscomplexanddetailedpartsofthemainimageitself.
Thesameideaappliestoallaspectsofdesign:Keepthingssimpleandcontroltheviewer’sfocus.Ifyoucoverthewholeofanyobjectinelaboratedetail,theresultmaybeanindecipherablemélangeofcompetingfocalpoints.Ifinsteadyoufocusthedetailsinspecificareaswhilekeepingotherssimple,theviewer
canmoreeasilyunderstandyourdesign.Forexample,intheSpiderBotprojectshowninFigure3-5,someaspectsofthedesign,likethelegsandthemechanicaldetailsofthejointsbetweenthebodysegments,arequitedetailed,whileotherareas,likethesurfaceofthebody,arekeptsimple.
Definingareasoffocusandsimplicitycanbeaccomplishedinmanyways,themostobviousofwhichisbyplacement:Simplyleavespacebetweenthecomplexareasinyourscene.Butthereareotherways,too.Forexample,youcanuselightingtoputlessimportantareasofacompositionindarknessortooverexposethoseareassothattheyaremostlywhite,oryoucanusedepthoffieldtoputforegroundandbackgroundareasoftheimageoutoffocus.(We’lltouchonthesetechniquesinvariouschapters,especiallyinChapter13andChapter14.)
Figure3-5.Spiderconceptart.Becausethelegsareverycomplex,thedesignofthebodyiskeptsimpletomakeiteasierfortheviewertounderstandtheoverallimage.
VisualPath
Mostimagescontainmultipleelements.Whenworkingwithsuchanimage,youshouldcreateapaththatdrawsviewersthrougheachelementbeforetheylookawayfromtheimage.Byplanningthispath,youcanmakeyourimagetellastoryandexposemoreofyourscene.
Youcanusetheruleofthirdstocreateavisualpaththroughanimage,astheviewerwillnaturallylooktotheintersectionsoftheruleofthirdslinesfirst.Youcanalsouseperspective,allowingconverginglinesintheimagetodirecttheviewerthroughyourcomposition’svariousfocalpoints.Oryoumightframethepointsofinterestwithnegativespace.Inimagescontainingcharacters,youmighthavethecharacterslookatthefocalpointsothattheviewerfollowstheirgaze,oryoumightevenjusthavethecharacterspointatit!
TestingCompositionsinBlenderBlendercanbeusefulwhenblockingincompositionsforascenebeforegoingall-outandcreatingit.Forexample,inthecaseoftheJungleRuinsscene,Itriedvariouscompositionssimplybycreatingaroughblockingofthesceneusingcubes,andIthenaddedsimplelightingtoseehowdifferentoptionswouldaffectthecomposition.
Blenderalsohassomehandytoolsforyoutouseinguidingyourcompositionchoices.Withyourcameraselected,youcanaccessthesetoolsfromtheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor,asshowninFigure3-6.Forexample,tobetterseehowyourimageisframed,youcanturnuptheAlphavalueofthePassepartoutsettingtohidetheareaoutsideyourcamera’sview.You’llalsofindseveralcompositionguidesthatyoucantoggletohelplineupyourcompositionaccordingtotheruleofthirds,thegoldenratio,orthecenterlines,asshowninFigure3-6.
Figure3-6.CompositionguidesinBlender
PreparingReferencesinGIMPWhetheryou’recollectingreferencesforaprojectfromphotosordrawingthem,itusuallypaystoinvestsometimeinGIMPmakingsurethatyourreferenceswillbeasusefulaspossibleonceyoubringthemintoBlender.Forexample,youcanuseGIMPtocombineimagesintoreferencesheetsortocorrectdistortionsinyourimagestogetthebestreferencepossible.
CreatingaReferenceSheetItisgenerallyusefultohavemultipleimagesonhandthatyoucanquicklyreferencewhenworkingonyourproject.Forthisreason,ithelpstocombinealotofimagesintoasinglereferencesheetthatyoucanthenloadasasingleimageintoBlender.
Tocreateareferencesheet,chooseFile▸OpenAsLayersinGIMPandthenselecttheimagesyouwanttoimport.Next,increasethesizeofyourcanvasusingImage▸CanvasSizesothatyoucanspreadoutyourimagesandarrangethemtofitontheonecanvasusingtheMovetool(M),asshowninFigure3-7.ScaledownanyimagesthataresignificantlylargerthanothersusingtheScaletool(SHIFT-T).Finally,addablackbackgroundbehindtheimagesbyaddinganewlayer,fillingitwithblack,andmovingittothebottomofthelayerstack.Savethereferencesheetasa.jpgfile.
AligningOrthographicReferencesOrthographicreferences,ororthorefs,arereferenceimagesdrawnortakenfromspecificvantagepoints(front,side,back,ortop)withaslittleperspectiveaspossible.It’seasytoreduceperspectivewhendrawing;toreduceperspectivewithphotos,takethemasfarawayfromthesubjectaspossible,usingalonglens.
Ifyouwillbeusingorthographicphotoreferencesordrawingsinyourproject,consideraligningtheminGIMPinasingleimage,asshowninFigure3-8,beforeopeningtheminBlendersothatthefeaturesofeachpartlineupineachimage.Byaligningyourimages,youwillbeabletofolloweachfeaturefrommorethanoneviewpointwhenmodeling.
Figure3-7.CreatingareferencesheetinGIMP.Youcanopenmultipleimagesaslayers,laythemoutwiththeMovetool,andsavetheresultasasingleimagethatyoucanthenopeninBlender.
Figure3-8.AligningorthographicreferencesinGIMP.Here,photosofanartist’smannequintakenfromthefront,side,andthree-quarterperspectivesarebeingalignedusinghorizontalguidelines.Eachphoto
hasbeenimportedasaseparatelayerandalignedusingtheMovetool.
Ifyourreferencewastakenwithalonglensordrawninorthographicperspective,youshouldbeabletoaligniteasily.Todoso,openyourimagesaslayers,asdescribedinCreatingaReferenceSheet,andthenpickonelayertousetoalignalltheothers.Useguides(clickanddragfromtherulersatthesideoftheimagewindow)tomarktheverticalpositionsofthekeyfeaturesandthenuseGIMP’sRotate,Scale,andMovetoolstopositionyournextlayersothatthefeatureslineup.Byrepeatingthesestepsforasmanyorthographicviewsofyoursubjectasyouhave,you’llessentiallycreateablueprintofyourprojectthatyouthencanuseformodeling(seeFigure3-9).
Notethatwhenaligningimageswithphotoreferences,somefeaturesmaynotlineupperfectlyineveryviewduetolensdistortionandperspective,particularlyiftheyweren’tallthesamedistancefromthecamera.WhileyoucancorrectlensdistortiontosomeextentusingGIMP’slensdistortionfilter(Filters▸Distort▸LensDistortion),theresultwillnotbeaperfectorthorefbecauseyoustillwon’tbeabletocorrectforperspective.It’seasiertosimplyalignthekeyfeaturesasbestyoucanandrememberthatyouaren’tshackledtoyourreferencewhenmodeling;youcancorrectforanyerrorsthatyouknowwillbethereusingyourownjudgment.
Figure3-9.Workingwithorthographicreferences.Theabilitytoseefeaturesfrommultipleanglesmakesiteasiertomodelthemaccurately.
UsingConceptsandReferenceImagesinBlenderOnceyou’vepreparedyourconceptartandreferenceimages,thereareseveralwaystomakethemavailableforuseasreferencesinBlender.Ofcourse,youcanjustopenyourimageinyourstandardimageviewerandkeepitofftoonesideofyourscreen,butyoucanalsouseBlender’sUVImageeditor,backgroundimages,ortheimagedisplayoptionforanemptyobject.
UVImageEditorToopenupanimageinBlender’sUVImageeditor,selectImage▸OpenImagefromtheheader,navigatetoyourreferenceimageorconceptartinthefilebrowser,andselectOpen.BlendershouldopenyourimageintheUVImageeditor.Ifyouthenopenanotherimage,youcanaccessanypreviouslyopenedimages,aswellasanyusedbytexturedatablocks,fromthedrop-downmenuintheheader.
Whenworkingwithseveralreferenceimageswhilecreatingmycompositions,I
liketocombinethemallintoonebigreferencesheetinGIMP.Ithensavethatreferencesheetasa.jpgfileandopenitinBlender’sUVImageeditor,asshowninFigure3-10.ThisreferencesheetallowsmetopanaroundtheimageandzoominandouttolookmorecloselyatspecificreferenceswithouthavingtoloadeachintoBlenderseparatelyandswitchbetweenthemconstantly.
Figure3-10.ReferencecollageinUVImageeditorinBlender
BackgroundImagesIfyouwanttodisplayanimageinBlender’s3DViewport,thesimplestwayisbyusingbackgroundimages.Withyourcursoroverthe3DViewport,pressNtobringupthePropertiesregion,whichcontainstheBackgroundImagespanel(seeFigure3-11).Hereyoucanaddimagestothe3DViewport,changetheirsizeandlocationinthe3DView,anddefinewhichviewstheyappearfromusingtheAxissetting.
ImageEmptiesBackgroundimagesarereallyusefulwhenmodelingfromorthographic
referencesbecauseyoucansetthemtoappearonlyfromthecorrectvieworwhenlookingfromthecamera’sviewpoint.
Ifthere’sadownsidetousingbackgroundimages,it’sthattheyaren’tvisiblewhenyouhaveperspectiveenabledinthe3DViewport.Fortunately,Blender2.6allowsyoutoaddanimageasthedrawtypeforanyempty,whichyoucanthenpositionasyoulike.Thismakesimageemptiesgreatbothforarbitrarilyplacingreferenceimagesinyourscenesoyoucanmovethemasyoupleaseandforsettinguporthographicreferencesthatcanbeviewedfromanyangle.
Touseanimageempty,createanemptyinyoursceneusingSHIFT-A▸Empty.TheninthePropertieseditorundertheObjectDatatab,youcansettheempty’sdisplaytypetoImageandselectanimagetodisplay(seeFigure3-12).Theemptywillnowdisplaythisimageonaplanethatyoucanmove,scale,androtatetoplacetheimageinyoursceneasyouwouldanyobject,butthisobjectwon’tinterferewithyourrendersbecauseitwillbevisibleonlyinthe3DViewport.
Figure3-11.UsingbackgroundimagesinBlender.YoucanaddfurtherimagesusingtheAddImagebutton,whichallowsyoutoseemultiplereferencesatonce.
Figure3-12.Thesameimageusedasanimageemptycannowbeviewedfromanyangle.IfyourimagehasanAlpha(transparency)channel,ittoowilldisplayasatransparentimageintheViewport.
InReviewInthischapter,wehavelookedatthepreparatorystepstothinkaboutwhenworkingonaprojectinBlender,includingplanningwhatyouwanttomake,collectingreferenceandconceptart,andgeneratingideasforyourfinalcomposition.WethenmovedontodiscusswaystomakethisinformationavailabletoyouinBlenderwhileyouwork.Inthenextchapter,webeginmodelingourprojects.Byblockingoutthekeyelementsofourprojects,wewilldevelopafoundationonwhichtobuildmorecomplexmodels.
Chapter4.BlockingIn
Withpreparationfinishedandconceptartandreferenceattheready,wecanmoveontomodeling.Modelingistheprocessofcreatinga3Dobjectthatismadeupofindividualpointsconnectedtoformfaces,whichinturnmakeupmorecomplexshapes.TherearemanywaystocreatemodelsinBlender,frommodifyingprimitives,likeasimplecubeorsphere,tobuildingthesurfaceofameshfacebyfaceordrawingsmoothcurvesthatBlendercanconvertintoobjectscomposedofverticesandfaces.
Modelingcanbealongprocess,andtosavetime,ithelpstoknowwhereyouaregoingwithaparticularmodelingtask.Still,youcan’tmodelanobjectallatonce;youhavetostartsomewhere,andthat’swhereblockingincomesin.Blockinginistheprocessofaddingsimpleplaceholdersfortheobjectsyouwanttocreatesothatyoucanbetterplanhowtheyfittogether,considertheirindividualconstructions,andspotproblemsbeforetheybecomemajorissues.Onceascenehasbeenblockedin,youcanmoveontorefining,replacing,oraddingtoeachparttocreateafinalmodel.Forexample,intheJungleTemplescene,simpleelementslikecubesareusedasplaceholdersforkeyelements;forotherprojects,wecreatesimplebasemeshesforsculptingthatactasafoundationfordevelopingthefinalformofoursculptedmodels.
BasicModelingTermsBeforewedivein,herearesomedefinitionsofBlender’sbasicmodelingconceptsthatI’llusethroughoutthischapter.Table4-1liststheminhierarchicalorder:Verticesmakeupedges,whichmakeupfaces,andsoon.
EditModeEditmode(showninFigure4-1)iswherethemodelingmagichappens.Withameshobjectselected,youcanenterEditmodebypressingTABorbyclickingthe
modedrop-downmenuinthe3DViewportheaderandselectingEditmode.OnceinEditmode,yourselectedobjectiseditable(ifitisinfacteditable—emptyobjectsandlamps,forexample,arenot).Whenanobjectiseditable,youcanselectandmanipulatepartsaswellascreatenewparts.
Table4-1.ImportantTermsforModelinginBlender’sEditMode
Term Description
vertex(pluralvertices);alsoknownasavert
Asinglepointin3Dspacewithaspecificlocation.Verticesareconnectedtoconstructmeshes.
edge Alineconnectingtwovertices.
face(orpolygon)
Threeormoreverticesconnectedbyedgesandfilledwithaflatsurface.Apolygonformedofthreeverticesiscalledatri(shortfortriangle).Apolygonformedoffourverticesiscalledaquad(shortforquadrangle).Polygonswithmorethanfourverticesarecalledn-gons.
normal Thedirectioninwhichafaceorvertexpoints.Imagineaflagpolepointingstraightoutfromthesurfaceofanobject.Thedirectionitpointsisthefacenormal.Verticesandedgescanalsohavenormalswhentheyarepartofasurface.
mesh Acollectionofvertices,faces,andedgesthatareallpartofasingleobject.
topology Atermthatreferstothewaythefacesofamesh“flow”overitssurface.(SeeChapter5andChapter7formoreontopology.)
operator Anyoperationyouperformonpartofamesh,suchastranslating,scaling,duplicating,andsoon.Operatorsgenerallytakeinputfromtheuser(suchasthedistanceanddirectionyouwanttomovesomething)andthendosomethingtotheselectedobjectasaresult.
Figure4-1.Blender’s3DViewportinEditMode
Table4-2.FrequentlyUsedOperatorsinEditMode
Operators Hotkey Description
Delete X Deletestheselectedvertices,edges,orfaces.
Duplicate SHIFT-D Duplicatesyourselectionandallowsyoutomoveit.
Extrude EorCTRL-click
Createsnewgeometryby“pulling”newverts,edges,andfacesoutfromthecurrentselection.Theresultsofextrudingdependonwhatyouhaveselected(seeFigure4-2).CTRL-clickinginEditmodewithnothingselectedwillcreateanewvertexwhereveryouclick.Doingsomultipletimeswillcreateastringofconnectedvertices.
Fill F Iftwoverticesareselected,Fillcreatesanedgejoiningthem.Ifthree,four,ormoreverticesareselected,itcreatesatri,quad,orn-gonfromthem.
Rotate R Rotatesthevertices,edges,orfacesyouhaveselected.(Youcanalsousethe3DManipulatorwidgetinRotatemode.)
Scale S Scalesthevertices,edges,orfacesyouhaveselected,allowingyoutoresizepartorallofamesh.(Youcanalsousethe3DManipulatorwidgetinScalemodetodothis.)
Shrink/Fatten ALT-S Movestheselectedverticesalongthedirectionoftheirnormalstoinflateamesh,almostlikeaballoon,ortoshrinkittomakeitthinner.
Smooth W▸Smooth Smoothssharpanglesbetweenedgesandfacessothattheresultingmeshissmoother.
Subdivide W▸Subdivide Dividesallselectededgesintotwoandfacesintofour,creatingmoredensegeometry.
Translate(alsoknownasGraborMove)
G Grabsthevertices,edges,orfacesyouhaveselectedandallowsyoutomovethem.(Youcanalsousethe3DManipulatorwidgetinTranslatemodetodothis.)
Dissolve X AnalternativetoDelete,thisdeletestheedgesorverticesselectedbutfillstheholeleftbehindwithann-gon.
Connect J Connectstwoverticesthatarepartofthesameface,splittingthefaceintwointheprocess.
Cut K Givesyouaknifetoolthatletsyoucuttheselectedgeometryalongthelinesyoudraw.HoldCTRLtosnaptoverticesandthemiddleofedges.
NOTEBlenderalmostalwayshastwowaysofperforminganaction:throughtheUIandbyusingakeyboardshortcutand/orSearch.Inmanycases,itpaystolearnbothbecauseknowinghowtoquicklyperformactionsandswitchbetweenmodeswillgreatlyspeedupyourwork.
OnceinEditmode,youcanselectthingsbyright-clickingthem.YoucanextendyourselectionwithSHIFT-right-click.Toselectordeselecteverythinginthecurrentmesh,pressA.Toswitchbetweenselectingvertices,edges,andfaces,clickthevertex,edge,orfaceselectbuttonsinthe3DViewportheader(seeFigure4-1).
PressLtoselectallpartsofameshconnectedtothepartofthemeshunderyour
cursor.Withpartofameshselected,youcanperformvariousoperationsonyourselectioninordertoedityourmesh.
Table4-2liststheoperatorsthatyou’llusemostoftenwhenmodelinginBlender.Therearemanyotherwaystointeractwithamesh,butI’llcoverthoseaswegoalong.
TolearnmoreaboutanoperatorinBlender,searchforitonhttp://wiki.blender.org/.Youcaneasilydiscovermoreoperators(orsearchforanexistingone)usingtheSearchmenu(spacebar)orbylookingthroughtheheadermenusandpanelsofBlender’sdifferenteditors.YoucanhoveroverbuttonsinBlendertoseeatooltipdescribingwhatanoperatordoesandwhetherithasakeyboardshortcut.
Figure4-2.Extrudingfaces1,extrudingedges2,andextrudingasinglevertex3.Extrudingoperationsondifferentselectionswillhavedifferentresults.Extrudingverticeswillcreateedges,whileextrudingedgesorfaceswillcreatefaces.Extrudinganentireclosedmesh(notshown)willduplicatethatmesh.
InEditmode,theWkeybringsupamenuwithalotofhandytoolsformodeling.AlloftheoperatorsyouwilluseinEditmodecanbefoundinthe3DViewport.AsofBlender2.5,whenyouusemostoperators,theToolOptionspanelwillappearatthebottomoftheToolShelf,allowingyoutochange,retroactively,theparametersoftheoperatoryoujustused.Forexample,afterapplyingtheSubdivideoperator,youcanusetheToolOptionspaneltochangehowmanysubdivisionstoapplyandwhethertosmooththem.
OtherWaystoModel:CurvesYoucanuseBlendertocreatemodelsinanumberofdifferentways,including
usingvariouscurves,metaballs(whichbehavesomewhatlikeblobsofclaythatsticktogetherwhentheygetclosetooneanother),NURBSsurfaces(surfacesconstructedfromcrosssectionsdefinedbycurves),textobjects,andBéziercurves.Eachhasitsplaceinmodeling,butthemostimportant(aftermeshes)areBéziercurves,whichwe’lluseoftenthroughoutthemodelingsectionsofthisbook.
Béziercurvesdefineapathin3Dspaceandareconstructedusingcontrolpointsandhandles.Theycanbeusedtomakebothwire-orribbon-likeobjectsthatfollowthepathofacurve(usingclosedoropencurves)andflatsurfacesthataredefinedbytheiroutline(usingclosed2Dcurves).Eachcontrolpointhastwohandlesthatdefinehowthepathflowsthroughthatvertex,allowingyoutocreateawidearrayofsmoothandsharppathswithacurve.
Modelingwithcurvesworksverymuchlikeusingmeshes;youcangrab,rotate,scale,duplicate,andextrudecontrolpointsortheirhandles.(Youcan’tmakefacesfromcurves,though;youcanonlyconnecteachvertexinacurvetotwoothers.)
Whenworkingwithcurvesbearthefollowinginmind:
Thegeometrygeneratedbycurvesisprocedural.ThismeansthatthecurvesyoudefineareusedtogenerateameshaccordingtothesettingsyouapplytothecurveintheObjectDatatab(Figure4-3)ofthePropertieseditor.Youcanchangethingslikethenumberofdivisionspercurvesegmentandthebevelingandextrusionappliedtothecurve.
Figure4-3.TheObjectDatatabforacurveobjectallowsyoutochangebetweena2Dand3Dcurve,setthedensityofthemeshcreatedfromthatcurve(Resolution),anddefinehowthecurveisbeveledand
extrudedtocreatea3Dobject(Geometry).
Curvescanbeopenorclosed.Tocloseacurve,selectitstwoendsandpressFtojointhem.YoucandeleteasegmentofaclosedcurvebyselectingtwoormoreconnectedpointsandchoosingX▸Segmenttomakeitopenagain.Curvescanbeeither2Dor3D.Pointsona2Dcurvecannotbemovedalongthecurveobject’sz-axis,whichallowsyoutocreateaflatobjectbydefiningitsoutlinewithacurve.Blenderthenfillsintheshapewithfacesaccordingtothe
Fillsetting(seeFigure4-3).YoucanthenextrudetheoutlineofaclosedcurvetocreateasolidshapeusingtheGeometrysettingsintheObjectDatatab.Youcanalsoadddetailslikebevelededgesandchangethecurve’sresolutionhere.
3Dcurveshavea“tilt”thatdeterminesthedirectionofextrusionofthecurve,asshowninFigure4-4.Youcanseethedirectionofthetiltfromthenormals(arrowheads)displayedalongthelengthof3Dcurves.YoucaneditthistiltwithCTRL-T,allowingyoutocreateacurvethattwistsalongitslength.
Curvescanbeusedtodeformmeshes.Meshobjectscanbestretchedalongthepathtakenbyacurvebyapplyingacurvemodifiertothem.
Thecurvehandlescanworkinoneofseveralways,asshowninFigure4-5.Thedefaultisusuallyautomaticoraligned,dependingonthesortofcurveobjectyouadd.Automatichandlessimplycreateasmoothpathfromonecontrolpointtothenext,withthehandlespointinginoppositedirections.Ifyougrabonehandleandmoveit,itscontrolpointwillswitchtousingalignedhandlesthatpointinoppositedirectionsbutcanberotatedandscaled,allowingyoutocreatemoreflexiblecurves.YoucanchangetootherhandletypesusingtheshortcutV(orviatheCurvemenuintheheader).Vectorhandlescreatestraightlinesbetweenpointswithsharpcorners.Freehandlescreatesharpcornerstoo,butyoucanalsograbthemandmovethemaroundlikealignedhandles,allowingyoutocreatecurvedsegmentsbetweencontrolpoints.
Figure4-4.Differenttypesofcurves.Left:A2Dcurveextrudedandbeveledtomakeaflatcutoutshape.Right:3Dcurvesextrudedtomakeribbons.(Thetiltofthecurvedefineshowthecurvetwists.)
ModifiersModifiersallowyoutoprocedurallyandnondestructivelyperformoperationsonyourmodels.TheyarefundamentaltocreatingjustaboutanythinginBlender.Somemodifiersgeneratenewgeometry,replacingoraddingtoyourmesh,whileothersdeformexistinggeometryaccordingtocertainrulesorofferwaystoplugsimulationsandothermorecomplexentitiesintoyourscene.
We’llfocusmainlyonmodifiersthatgenerateanddeformthemeshestheyareappliedtobecausethey’rethemostusefulforcreatingmodels.SomeofthemostimportantonesformodelingarelistedinTable4-3.Inparticular,theMirrorandSubdivisionSurfacemodifiersareusedinpracticallyallorganicmodeling.Theeffectsofthemostcommonlyusedgeneratemodifiersareshownonahalf-sphereinFigure4-6.
Figure4-5.Curveswithdifferenthandletypes(clockwisefromtopleft:automatic,aligned,vector,andfree)
Table4-3.UsefulModifiersforModeling
Type Modifier Effect
generate Mirror Mirrorsthegeometryofthemeshalongthespecifiedaxis,abouttheobject’sorigin,orofanotherobject.Mirrormodifiersareveryusefulforcreatingsymmetricalobjects.
Array Copiesthemeshgeometryandoffsetsitusingafixedoffsetrelativetotheobject’ssizeorsomeotherobject.Arraysareusefulformodelswithrepeatingelements.
SubdivisionSurface(Subsurf)
Divideseachfaceofameshintofoursmallerfacesandsmoothsthem,creatingasmoothermeshwitheachiteration.Subsurfsareusefulforobjectswithsmoothsurfaces,particularlyorganicmodels.
Solidify Extrudesthegeometryalongitsnormalstocreateasolidshellfroma
surface.
deform Lattice Usesa3Dgridofpointstosmoothlydistorttheshapeofamesh.
Shrinkwrap Projectsthemeshontothesurfaceofanotherobject.
Curve Deformsameshalongthepathofacurve.
Figure4-6.Differentgeneratemodifiersandtheireffects.Fromthetop,weseehalfasphere1,withaMirrormodifier2,anArraymodifier3,aSolidifymodifier4,andaSubdivisionSurfacemodifier5applied.Modifierscanbecombinedtocreateallsortsofshapesmoreeasilythanmodelingthemby
hand.
BlockingintheJungleTempleLet’sconsidertheJungleTemplescene.Forthisproject,myinitialconcernwasdesigningalayoutfortheenvironmentthatlentitselftocreatinganicecomposition.Ibeganwithonlythemainelementsinthescene:adoorintothe
interiorofthetempleandsomestoneblocksandtreesstrewnaroundtheruins.
Tocreatethedoor,IaddedacubeinObjectmode(SHIFT-A▸Mesh▸Cube)andscaledit(S)toaboutthesizeIneeded.OnceyouactivatetheScaleoperator,youcanconstrainscalingalongoneaxis(bypressingX,Y,orZ)toscaletheobjectinonlyonedirection.YoucanalsoscaleonallbutoneaxisbypressingSHIFTandX,Y,orZ.
SwitchingtoEditmode(TAB),Iaddedaholebyextrudinginthetwooutsidefacesandscalingthemonthex-andz-axesonly.Next,Ideletedthecenterfaces(X)andcreatednewfacesaroundtheholeinthecenterbyselectingtwoopenedgesatatimeandmakingafacebetweenthem(F),asshowninFigure4-7.
BackinObjectmode,Iaddedaplane(SHIFT-A▸Mesh▸Plane)andscaledituptoformthegroundplaneofthescene.ThenIaddedacameraandmovedittoroughlyviewthedoorIwaslookingfor.Aquickwaytodothisistonavigatetotheviewyouwantjustwithinthe3DViewportandthenpressCTRL-ALT-0tosnapthecameratothecurrentview.Youcanalsojustmoveandrotatethecameralikeanyotherobject.Notethatthismightresultinthecameragettingslightlytilted.YoucanrectifythisbymanuallysettingtheYrotationofthecamerato0,usingtheRotationpropertiesintheTransformpanelofthePropertiesregion(N).
Fromhere,Iaddedsomesimplewallstoformthemainboundariesofmyscenesimplybyadding,scaling,moving,andextrudingcubes.Next,Ibeganaddingmorecubes,keepinginmindhowtheywouldbecomethefinalarchitecturalelementsofthescene,likestonewalls,statues,andlooseblocksofstone.ThisprogressionisshowninFigure4-8.
Withthesimpleelementsblockedin,IbegantoaddroughproxiesforthetreesIwantedgrowingovertheruins.Tocreatetheseproxies,IaddedaBéziercurveobjectandsetthehandlestoautomatic.ThenIusedBlender’sSnappingtoolstoextrudecurvesresemblingtherootsandtrunksoftreesoverthesurfacesoftheplaceholderobjects(Figure4-9).IaccomplishedthisbyturningonSnapping,settingthesnappingtargettofaces,andenablingProjectontoSurface(Figure4-10).Thisprojectsthecurvesontotheotherobjectsinthesceneasyoumoveandextrudethem,allowingyouto“drawout”thetreesoverthetopoftheexistingscene.
Figure4-7.Makingasimpledoor
Figure4-8.Blockinginwithsimpleelements.Ibeganwiththedoorandthenaddedagroundplane,walls,andcubestorepresentmajorelementsinthescene.
Figure4-9.Bysnappingthetreerootstotheirsurroundings,wecanquicklyblockintreerootscrawlingoverthesurfaceoftheruins.
Figure4-10.Snappingicons
SnappingBlenderhastoolsforsnappingobjects,vertices,faces,oredgestoallsortsofthings.ToturnonSnapping,clicktheSnappingicon(thehorseshoemagnet)intheheaderofthe3DViewport(seeFigure4-10).Then,fromthedrop-downmenubesidetheSnappingicon,selecthowBlenderwillsnapyourselectionwhenit’smoved,scaled,orrotatedfromamongthefollowingoptions:
Increment.Yourselectionwillsnaptothenearestincrementsothatyoucanconstructobjectswithpreciselyalignedpoints.Thisisusefulformodelingthingslikebuildingsormechanicalobjectswhereyouwantperfectlyalignedwallsandfloorswithnolumpsorbumps.(YoucanalsosnapyourselectiontoBlender’sgridbypressingSHIFT-S▸SelectiontoGrid.)Vertex/Edge/Face/Volume.Yourselectionwillbesnappedtothevertices,edges,faces,orinteriorofanyobjects.YoucanchangewhatBlenderchoosestosnaptofromthedrop-downmenuthatappears.Clicktheicontotherightofthedrop-downmenutorotatetheselectionsothatitalignswiththenormalverticesthatitsnapsto.
OneveryimportantsnappingoptionisfoundinFaceSnappingmode.EnablingFaceSnappingcausestheProjectontoSurfaceicontoappear.ProjectontoSurfacewillcausegeometryyoucreatetosnapontothesurfaceofexistingobjectsasyoumove,scale,orrotatethemaround.Thisoptionallowsyoutocreatenewtopologyoverthesurfaceofanexistingobject.InChapter7,wewillbecreatingnewtopologyoverthesurfaceofexistingobjectstobettercapturetheirshapesafterwehavesculptedtheoriginals.
BaseMeshesTocreatetheBatCreature,Ineededasimplebasemeshthatcouldbesculptedon.Abasemeshisasimplemodelthatcapturesthebasicshapesofthemodelyouwanttosculpt.Onceyou’vecreatedabasemesh,youcanaddaMultiresolutionmodifierandbeginsubdividingandsculptingdetailsinSculptmode(seeChapter6).
Yourbasemeshshouldcapturetheoverallproportionsofthemeshandbedesignedtosubdivideeasilyinordertoprovideaniceevenmeshtosculpton.
Wecanretopologizethesculptedbasemeshlatertocreatethefinalmodel,butworkingwithverysimplegeometrynowwillleavemorefreedomforexperimentationwhilesculpting.
Abasemeshcanhaveanylevelofcomplexity,buttrytocreatetopologythatwillsupporttheformsthatyouknowyouwanttocreate,withoutintroducingtoomanydetailsthatyoumightnotbesureabout.Dependingonhowsureyouareofwhatyouwantyourmodeltolooklike,youcanincludetopologyforfeatureslikeeyes,mouths,andmusclegroups,oryoucanleaveitassimpleasabasicsphereorcubeifyou’rejustmodelingaface.
FortheBatCreature,Iaimedforabasemeshthatgavetopologyfortheoverallbodyplanbutleftoutfinedetails,suchasthehead.Idevelopedthebasemeshbysettingmyconceptartasabackgroundimageandusingitasaguide.
BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMeshIstartedwiththetorsoofthecreaturetoprovideaguideforthescaleoftherestoftheparts,aswellassomethingtoattachthemto.Tobegin,Itookthedefault.blendfile(thesceneyouarepresentedwithwhenBlenderstartsup)anddeletedanyobjectsalreadypresent.ThenIloadedintheconceptdrawingfortheBatCreature(asshowninFigure4-11).(Forhelpwiththis,seeUsingConceptsandReferenceImagesinBlender.)WhileIdidn’tplantousethisconcepttomodelfromexactly,itmadeausefulguideforjudgingtheproportionsasIworked.Atthispoint,Ileftthewingsoutofthebasemeshforthebody,asIplannedtomodelthemseparatelylater.
Figure4-11.Conceptartloadedinasabackgroundimage
Next,Iaddedacube,changedtoEditmode(TAB),andscaledittotheroughproportionsofthetorso.Ididthisfirstinoveralltermsbyjustscalingittotherightwidth(S).ThenIscaledupthez-axis(S▸Z)beforescalinginonthey-axis(S▸Y)tomakeittallerandshallower.Byaddinghorizontalloopcuts(extraringsofedgesaroundthemesh,asdiscussedbelow)aroundthemiddleofthecube(CTRL-R)andmovingthemforwardalittle,Iaddedabitofcurvaturetothetorsoandbeganrefiningitsshape.
Atthispoint,itwaseasiertostartusingaMirrormodifiertokeepmymeshsymmetricalbecausethemodelwasbecomingmorecomplex.Todoso,Iaddedaloopcutverticallyaroundthemiddleofthetorsoanddeleteditsright-handside.AddingaMirrormodifierthenmirroredthegeometryoftheleft-handsideofthebodytocreateasymmetricalwholethatonlyrequirededitingononeside(seeFigure4-12).Atthesametime,turningonclippingkeepsverticesonthemidlinefromstrayingawayfromtheobject’sxorigin,whichpreventsholes
fromappearinginthemeshifyouaccidentallymoveavertexslightlyawayfromthelineofsymmetry.
LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoopsAfaceloopisastringofquadsconnectedend-to-endinacontinuouspath,allowinganedgeloop(achainofconnectedvertices)tobecutthroughthemiddle.Forexample,inFigure4-13,addingtwoedgeloopsaroundthefaceloopencirclingthecylindercreatesanewfacelooprunningaroundthemiddle.Technically,anedge/faceloopshouldbeonecontinuouscyclicalpath,butthetermisoftenusedtomeananyreasonablylongchainofquads/edges.
Figure4-12.AddingaMirrormodifiertothebodyrequiresaddinganedgelooparoundthemiddleanddeletinghalfofthetorsofirst.Bydefault,themirrormodifiermirrorsobjectsaroundthex-axis,butyoucanchangethistomirroraroundanycombinationofthex-,y-,andz-axes,dependingonyourmodel.
TheLoopCuttool(CTRL-R)isextremelyimportantbecauseitfollowsapathofquadsthroughyourmesh,cuttingthrougheachonetocreatenewedgesthatflowthroughthefaceloop.IfyouactivatetheLoopCuttoolandmouseoveranedge,Blenderwillhighlightthepathinpurple.Ifthepathreachesatriangleoranopenedgeofthemesh,itstops.
Loopcutsareusefulbecausetheyallowyoutoadddefinitiontoyourmodelwhilemaintainingcleantopology.Youcancreatemultipleloopcutsbyscrolling
yourmousewheelafterpressingCTRL-Randbeforechoosinganedgetostartcuttingfrom(seeFigure4-13).
Blenderhasotheroperatorsforinteractingwithedgeloopsandfaceloops,includingonesfordeletingtheloop(joiningthefacesoneithersidetogethertokeepthemeshwhole)andslidingtheloopupanddowntheedgesparalleltoit.Youcanalsoselectanentireedgeloopatoncetomanipulateit.(Ifitisn’tcyclic,Blenderwillsimplyfindthelongestpaththatitcan.)TheseoperatorsaredetailedinTable4-4.
Asthenextstepinmyproject,Iextrudeddownfromthehipstomakethelegandaddedloopcutstofleshoutitsshape,asshowninFigure4-14.Forthearms,Iaddedabendattheshoulderbyextrudingoutfromthebodyandthendownfromthebottomfaceofthenewlyextrudedregion,asshowninFigure4-15.Thisgavetheshoulderanicer,morenaturalcornerthanitmighthaveifI’dextrudeddowndirectlyfromthebody.
Figure4-13.YoucanaddmultipleloopcutsbyscrollingyourmousewheelorenteringanumberwiththekeyboardafterpressingCTRL-R.Loopcutsterminatewhentheyreachatriangleortheedgeofa
mesh.
Table4-4.EdgeLoopOperators
Operator Hotkey Function
DeleteEdgeLoop
X▸EdgeLoop
Deletestheselectedportionofanedgeloop,leavingthesurfaceotherwiseintact.
EdgeSlide CTRL- Allowsyoutoslideallorpartofanedgeloopalongtheedges
E▸EdgeSlide
runningperpendiculartoit.
LoopCut CTRL-R Createsanewedgeloopstartingfromtheedgeunderthecursor.
SelectEdge/FaceLoop
ALT-right-click
Selectsanedge/faceloop(dependingonselectionmode).
Figure4-14.Addingloopcutstotheleggavememoreverticeswithwhichtodefineitsshape.
PosesforModelingCharactersTheposeyoumodelacharacterorcreatureinisveryimportanttoitsultimatelook,andyourstrategywilldependonwhatyouwanttouseyourmodelfor.So
far,I’vemodeledtheBatCreatureinarelaxedposethatisclosetotheclassicTpose:armsstraightoutandlegsshoulderwidthapart.TheTposeisusefulwhenriggingacharacter(theprocessofcreatinganarmaturethattellsthemeshhowtomoveasifithadbonesandjoints).However,theTposelooksrathertenseandunnaturalwhenmodeling,aneffectthatcanstickaroundwhenposingacharacterintootherpositions.Instead,IwantedthecharactertolookasrelaxedandneutralaspossiblewhileintheearlystagesofmodelingsothatIcouldprogressawayfromthisneutralpositionlater.Byrelaxingthearmsdowntowardthecharacter’ssides,Ieliminatedthistensiontomakethecharacter’sdefaultposemuchmorenatural.
Figure4-15.Extrudingthearms.Creatingacornerattheshouldersgavethearmamorenaturalshape.
Figure4-16.Addinganextraedgelooparoundthetorsoandlegsandmergingacoupleofedgesto
cleanupthemesh
NOTEThoughwewon’tcoverriggingindetail,notethatthereisareasonfortheclassicTpose.Whenitcomestorigging,havingacharacter’sarmsoutstraightcanmakeitsimplertosetupbonechainsandconstraints.However,continuingimprovementsinBlender’sriggingtoolshavemadeitsomewhatlessnecessarytodothis.Youcanalwaysre-poseyourmodelintheTposeafterhavingmodeledandsculpteditinamorerelaxedpose.
Next,Iselectedalltheedgesrunningdownthefrontandbackofthebodyandlegsandsubdividedthem(W)toallowmetorefinetheshapeofthetorsoandlegs.Doingsocreatedsomeawkwardtopologyatthepelvis,whichIfixedbyselectingthetwonewedgesandmergingthem,asshowninFigure4-16.Ididthesamefortheedgesonthebackside,too.
Iaddedanedgelooparoundthemiddleofthecharacterasseenfromtheside(Figure4-17)andrunningacrossthechestanddownthearms.Ithenfurtherrefinedthebodyshape,tuckinginthewaistatthebackandroundingouttheshapeofthelegsandarms.Thisstepbroughtthenumberofverticesaroundthearmsandlegstoatotalofeight,whichwouldbeimportantwhenaddinghandsandfeet.
Figure4-17.Refiningthebodyinsideview(left)beforeaddinganedgelooprunningaroundthemiddle(right)
AsIwentalong,Itriedtomakesurethatmymeshwascompletelycomposedofquads,andIaimedtokeepthesizeandshapeofthequadsapproximatelyevenandsquare.Thisisimportantwhencreatingabasemeshforsculptingbecausetriangles,n-gons,andlong,thinfacesgenerallycreateartifactswhensculptedon.
Tocreatealoopoffacesrunningaroundtheshoulder(Figure4-18),Iselectedthefacesofthearmandsplitthemfromthebody(Y).IthenshiftedthearmoutandbridgedtheedgesaroundthegapusingtheBridgeoperator(W▸BridgeTwoEdgeLoops).Thisconnectedtwostringsorloopsofverticestogether,fillingtheminwithfacesfromonetotheother.Thetwomusthavethesamenumberofverticestobejoined.
Figure4-18.Addingaloopoffacesaroundtheshoulder.Thisloopmadeiteasytorepositionthearmindifferentposeswithoutdeformingthechest.
ThenIaddedsomemoreloopcutsovervariouspartsofthebody,runningacrosstheforms,toevenoutthemeshandgiveanevendistributionofroughlysquarequads(Figure4-19).YoucanadjustthepositionofanexistingedgeloopusingtheEdgeSlideoperator(CTRL-E▸EdgeSlide),whichletsyouslideedgeloopsupanddown.
Figure4-19.Addingsomeextraedgeloopsaroundthelegs,arms,andtorso
ModelingtheHandsandFeetTomodelthehands(asshowninFigure4-20),Ibeganwithacubeandflatteneditbyscalingitdownalongitsx-axistoformthebasisforthepalm1.ThenIaddedsomeloopcutsaroundthemiddleandvertically2.
Atthispoint,Icouldhaveextrudedthefingersstraightoutfromeachfaceatthebaseofthepalm.Doingso,however,wouldhavecreatedsomenastytopologywherethefingersmeeteachotherthatwouldneithersculptnordeformwellwhenposed.Instead,Ididsomeextrudingtoaddfaceloopsthatrunbetweenthefingers3.Forthemiddleone,Isimplyselectedhalfofthehandandextrudedout.Fortheoutertwogaps,Iextrudedinthemiddle4facesonthebottomhalfofthehandonbothsides,aswellasthoseconnectingthetwosidesalongthebottom,foratotalof10faces.
Figure4-20.Creatingthehand
Toreducethenumberoffacesalongthetopsideofthehand(whereitwilleventuallyjoinwiththearm),Imergedthetwopairsofedgesonthetopcornerofthehandoppositethethumb4.(RememberIwasaimingtohaveeightverticestojoinwiththearm,sothisareaneededtobekeptsimple.)
Forthethumb,Iextrudedouttwicefromthefacesonthefrontofthehand5andthenmergedtheverticesonthecornertocreateabend6.Ithenaddedaloopcutrunningaroundtheoutsideofthehand7,extrudedthefingersandthethumb8,andsmoothedthemslightly(W▸Smooth).Next,Igavethefingersandthumbabitofacurlinwardbyselectingandfirstrotatingthewholefinger,thenthelasttwo-thirds,andthenjustthetip9.Ialsoadjustedtheshapeofthewholehandbyselectingpartsofthehandfromthetopviewandrotatingthemwithproportionaleditingturnedontogivethepalmandthumbaslightcurve.
Ismoothedthehandslightly(W▸Smooth)tomakethefingersandpalmabitlessblocky.Byselectingthesurfaceofthepalm,andwithproportionaleditingturnedon,Iinflateditslightly(ALT-S)togivethehandabitmorevolume10.ThiscompletesthemodelingstagesshowninFigure4-20.
Toconnectthehandtothearm(Figure4-21),Ideletedthefourfacesinthemiddleofthetopsideofthehand,movedthehandintoplace,andthenjoinedthehandwiththemainbodyinObjectmode(CTRL-J).TheninEditmode,I
deletedthecorrespondingfacesattheendofthearmandbridgedtheloopstoconnectthehandtothearm.
Figure4-21.Joiningthehandtothearm
BecauseIkeptthenumberofverticesaroundtheendofthearmandthewristthesame,thehandjoinedtothearmwithaminimumoffuss,asshowninFigure4-21.Becausethejoinnowhadtwoedgeloopsquiteclosetogether,Ideletedone(selectingitwithALT-right-click,thendeletingwithX▸EdgeLoop)tocreateamoreevendistribution.
Modelingthefeetwasmuchthesame,asshowninFigure4-22.Beginningwithacube,Ifirstextrudedthegeneralshapeofthefoot1.Iaddedfaceloopstoproducegapsbetweenthetoes(2to4),extrudedthetoes5,smoothedthefootalittle6,andthenmergedthecorneredgesonthebackofthefoottoimprovethewaythattheedgeloopsflowaroundthebackandreducedtheoverallpolycount,
asIdidwiththehand7.IusedInflateandproportionaleditingtomakethebigtoebiggerandrefinetheslopeofthefoot,whichslopesdownforwardfromtheleganddownfromthebigtoesidetothelittletoeside8.Again,becausethereareeightverticesaroundthecircumferenceoftheleg,Icoulddeletefourfacesfromthetopofthefootandbridgethegapwiththeleg(9and10).ThenIcleaneduptheedgeloopdistributionalongthelowerlegbysliding,deleting,oraddingedgeloopstogetmoreevenlyspacededgeloops(11and12).
ModelingtheHeadTheheadbeganasjustacubeextrudedout,onceatthefrontandthendownatthebasetocreatethechin(Figure4-23).Afteraddingafewloopcuts,Iextrudedoutfromthebottomtocreatetheneckandthensmoothedandrefinedtheshapetogiveitabettersilhouetteandtomakeitslightlynarroweratthefront.Iextrudedoutfromthefacesonthesideoftheheadtocreatesomegeometryfortheears.Then,aswiththebody,IdeletedhalfandaddedaMirrormodifier.Next,Iconnectedtheheadtothebody,deletingthefacesinbetweenandbridgingthegapwiththeBridgeoperator.
Figure4-22.Constructingthefoot
Figure4-23.Makingtheheadandattachingittothebody
NOTEBesurethatthexlocationoftheoriginoftheheadalignswiththebodybeforejoiningitwithCTRL-J.Ifyoudon’t,theMirrormodifieronthebodywillhaveadifferentcenterthanthehead,causingittosplittheheadapartandforcingyoutojointhefacestogetheragain.
TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
Ifyoudon’tliketheproportionsofcertainareasofyourmodel,youdon’thavetotweakeveryvertexindividually.Instead,youcanuseBlender’sproportionaleditingtograb,scale,orrotateonevertexanddragnearbyverticesalongwithitsothatchangesaremadeproportionally.
Toturnonproportionalediting,usethecirculariconinthe3DViewportheader(asshowninFigure4-1)ortheshortcutkeyO.Onceproportionaleditinghasbeenturnedon,youcanadjustthedistanceoverwhichthenearbyunselectedverticesaredragged(alongwithselectedones),aswellasthefalloffcurvefortheeffect.Tochangetheradius,scrollyourmousewheelwhilemanipulatingyourselection.Selectthefalloffcurvefromthedrop-downmenunexttotheProportionalEditingiconintheheader.Youcanalsosetproportionaleditingtoaffectonlyconnectedvertices(ALT-O),whichwilldragonlynearbyverticesinthesamemeshasthoseselected,allowingyoutodothingslikemoveanarmwithoutaffectingyourmodel’swaist.
Differentfalloffsettingscansignificantlyimpacttheeffectoftransformingpartofyourmesh.Forexample,theSharpFalloffoptionwillcreatesharppeaksifyougrabandmoveasinglevertex,whereastheSphereFalloffoptionwillcreatebulbous,sphericalshapes.TheRandomFalloffoptionisusefulforrougheningupthesurfaceofamesh;bygrabbingasinglevertexandmovingitalittle,withawideradiusforthefalloff,youcanaddaslightrandomvariationtothesurfaceofamesh.
Proportionaleditingisusefulformanythingsbesidestweakingproportions.Forexample,youcanuseittocreateinterestingcurvedortwisteddeformationsbygrabbingorrotatingpartsofthemesh(Figure4-24)orforposingcharacterswithouthavingtorigthem.
Figure4-24.Proportionaleditinghasmanyuses.Hereit’susedtodeformasubdividedcolumnusing(lefttoright)Translate,Rotate,andScaleoperationsandthestandard“smooth”falloff.
Iusedproportionaleditingtomakeafewtweakstofinalizethemesh,suchaspullingbackthearmsandshouldersslightlyandnarrowingthebackwhereit’slevelwiththewaist.
CreatingtheWingsTomakeiteasiertosculptonthebodyandwings,IcreatedthemasseparatemeshesthatIcouldjoinlaterwhenretopologizing.Tocreatethewings,Ifirstblockedintheskeletonusingthereferenceasaroughguide,beginningwithasmallplaneandworkingalongthelengthofthebones(seeFigure4-25).TomakeiteasiertogetthetopologyIwanted,Ikeptthemesh2Datthispoint.
Withthebasicskeletonblockedin,Ibeganfillinginthewingsbetweenthebones.Tomakesurethegapcouldbefilledinneatly,Ispacedouttheverticesalongthebonessothattheyroughlymatchedupwithoneanother,addingmoreasneededorshiftingexistingones.Next,Iextrudedandscaledtheedgestocreateacleandivisionbetweenthewingandthebones,andIbeganfillinginthegaps.(Theextrusion/scalingwon’tproduceperfectresults,butyoucantweakthe
positionoftheverticesmanuallytogetanicerlayout.)
Withthegapsfilledin,Iselectedthewholemodelandextrudeditbacktogiveitsomethickness,asshowninFigure4-261.Next,IselectedjustthewingmembraneareasandusedtheShrink/Fattentool(ALT-S)tomaketheseareasslightlythinneragain2.Atthispoint,thewinghadsomethicknessbutwasstillveryflatlooking.Torectifythis,Ifirstselecteditsmorecentralpartsandshiftedthembackslightlytogivethewingabitofaconcaveshape3.
NOTESometimesBlenderwillcalculatethenormalsofameshincorrectly,whichcancauseoperatorslikeShrink/FattenandmodifierslikeSubdivisionSurfaceorBeveltobehavestrangely.Youcanoftenseethisifyousetyourmeshtodrawsmooth,asblackboundarieswillappearbetweenareaswithconflictingnormals.Tofixthis,simplyselectyourwholemeshinEditmodeandusetheRecalculateNormalsoperator(CTRL-N)toforceBlendertorecalculatetheobject’snormals.
NextIusedtheWarpoperator(SHIFT-W)togivethewingacurve4.Thisoperatorusesthe3Dcursorpositionasthecenteroftheoperationandarrangestheselectedverticesinacirclearoundthatcenter.Youcandefinehowfartheverticesarewarpedwithyourcursor;settingthe3Dcursorfurtherfromthemeshbeforeusingtheoperatorwillgivethecurveawiderradius.
Asaresultofthesetreatments,IwasabletoaddanicecurvetothewingbyswitchingtothetopviewandusingWarp.Also,byrotatingthemeshandusingWarpagain,Icouldaddasimilarcurvetothewing’sprofile5.
TheWarpoperatorwilloftenmovethemeshaboutabit,soIdroppedbackintoObjectmode(TAB)andmovedthewingbacktowhereIwanteditbeforeapplyingthetransforms(CTRL-A▸ApplyLocationandthenrepeatforRotationandScale,too).
Figure4-25.Blockinginthewings.Startingwiththelayoutofthewingin2Dkeepsthingssimpleandmakesiteasiertoproducethestructurewewant.
Figure4-26.Blockinginthewings.Thewingsareextrudedandthemembranesbetweenthebonesmadethinner.ThenthewholewingisgivensomecurvatureusingtheWarptool.
ApplyingTransformsOperationslikeWarpcanmoveyourobjectoutofplaceandrequireyoutorotate,scale,ortranslateyourmeshtoputitbackinplace.It’softeneasiesttodothisbymovingtheentiremeshatonceinObjectmode,thoughdoingsowillalsoaffecttheobject’slocalcoordinates,whichcanleadtostrangeresultswhenusingoperatorsandmodifiers.Forexample,InextwantedtouseaMirrormodifiertocopythewingsoverontotheothersideofthebasemeshfortheBatCreature,butafterusingtheWarpoperatorandmovingandrotatingthewingsinEditmode,addingaMirrormodifierwouldhavegivenincorrectresults(seeFigure4-27).ThereasonforthisisthatbyrotatingtheobjectinObjectmode,Irotateditslocalcoordinates,too.BecausetheMirrormodifierusesthese
coordinatestomirrortheobject,theresultswerenotwhatyoumightexpect.
Toseeanobject’slocalcoordinates,turnontheAxessettingintheObjecttabofthePropertieseditor(seeFigure4-27).Toresettheaxestomatchtheglobalcoordinatesystem,useeachoftheApplyLocation/Rotation/ScaleoperatorsinObjectmode(CTRL-A)inturn,whichwillplacetheobject’soriginattheglobaloriginandmatchtherotationandscalingofitslocalcoordinatestotheglobalcoordinateswithoutaffectingitsshape.Asaresult,you’llbeabletomodel,addmodifiers,andperformotheroperationswithmorepredictableresults.
Figure4-27.Withtheobject’scoordinateaxesturnedon,itbecomesobviouswhytheMirrormodifierisn’tproducingthedesiredeffects.Applyingthetransformsonthemeshbeforeapplyingmodifiers
producesmorepredictableresults.
NOTEOfcourse,insteadoftheabove,youcanmanipulateanobject’slocalcoordinatestoyouradvantage.Forexample,youcoulduseaMirrormodifiertocreateasymmetricalobjectandthenmoveandrotateittoapositioninyourscenethatdoesn’tmatchtheglobalcoordinates.Aslongasyoudon’tapplythesetransformsinObjectmodeatthispoint,theresultsofthemodifiershouldstaythewayyouwantthemto.
Finally,aswiththebody,IaddedaMirrormodifierandthenusedproportionaleditingtobetteralignthewingswiththebackandtweaktheshape.
Atthispoint,Ihadcompletedblockinginthebat’sbody,asshowninFigure4-28.We’llcreateitsfinaltopologyoncethesculptingisfinished,asdiscussedinChapter5andChapter7.
ShadingModesNoticethatsofarinblockingouttheprojects,Ihavekeptthemesheswehavebeencreatingshadedflat—thatis,thefacesappearfacetedanddonotblendintooneanother.Thereasonforthisisthatitmakesiteasiertoreadataglancethedirectionthatthefacesofamesharepointingandtoseehowtheformsofthemeshareprogressing.Lateron,Iwillusesmoothshadingtorendersomeofthemodelsinordertomakethemlooksmooth(Figure4-29),butfornowthisisn’tnecessary.Toswitchbetweenthetwo,simplyselectyourmesh,andintheToolShelf,usetheFlatandSmoothoperatorstoswitchtheshadingofyourselectionbetweenflatandsmoothshading.YoucandothiseitherinObjectmode,whichaffectsthewholeofeachselectedobject,orEditmode,whichaffectsonlytheselectedfaces.
Figure4-28.Thefinishedbodybasemesh
Figure4-29.FlatandSmoothshadingmodes.Smoothshadingblendsbetweenthenormalsofamesh’sfacestomakeitlooksmooth.YoucanswitchbetweenthetwomodesusingtheShadeSmoothandShade
FlatoperatorsineitherObjectorEditmode.
CreatingtheSpiderBotToblockintheSpiderBot,Ineededonlythebasicpartsofthebodyandlegs.Togeneratemoredetailedideasforthemainpartsofthebody,Iusedsculptingandthenretopologizedtheresultsandaddedmoremechanicalpartswithtraditionalmodeling.
Beginningwithtwocubes,onefortheabdomen(backsegment)andtheotherforthecephalothorax(headandbodysegment),Iscaledthemroughlytothecorrectproportions,asshowninFigure4-301.ByaddingaSubsurfmodifier(CTRL-1),Iwasabletogetamoreroundedshapewithouthavingtoaddandmanuallyadjustlotsofedgeloops.JustaddingacouplemoreedgeloopsbroughtmeclosertotheshapesIneeded2.
AfterjoiningthetwocubesintothesameobjectinObjectmode(CTRL-J),IappliedtheSubsurfmodifieratsubdivisionlevel1togivemoregeometrytoplaywith3,butIcopiedthemodifierfirsttofurthersubdividethemesh.Whena
modifierisapplied,changesitmakestothemeshareappliedtothemeshandthusconvertedintogeometryyoucanedit.Thisallowedmetoextrudesomeofthenewfacesfromthefrontofthebodytocreateabumpforthehead4.Withtheextrudedfacesstillselected,IpressedCTRL-+togrowtheselection,fatteneditabitwithALT-S,andthensmootheditalittletocompletemybasemeshforsculptingthebody.
Forthelegs,Ibeganbylayingoutmyplanforthemainpartoftheleg,consistingoflong,flattened,bone-shapedpiecesforthelongsegmentsofthelegandshield-shapedpiecesforthekneeandfootsegments.Icreatedtwoslightlydifferentvariationsofthelongsegments,oneforthefirstandlastpairsoflegsandoneforthemiddletwopairs5.Tocreatethesepieces,Ibeganwithaplane,addedaMirrormodifiertomakethelegsymmetrical,andthenextrudedoneedgeandaddedloopcutstocreatethetop-downplanoftheleg.Next,Iselectedthewholething(A)andextrudeditoutalongitsnormalsbyfirstextruding(E)withoutmovingthenewfaces.Ithenmovedthenewfacesalongtheirnormals(ALT-S)togivethelegsegmentauniformthickness.Fornow,Icreatedonlyonecopyofeachpiece;aftersculptingandretopology,I’llduplicatethefinishedpartsandpositionthemtomakethelegs.ThiscompletessomebasicpartsfortheSpiderBot.
Figure4-30.CreatingbasemeshesfortheSpiderBot
InReviewThischapterlaidthefoundationsforthemodels.FortheSpiderBotandtheBatCreature,thisentailedcreatingbasemesheswithsimpletopologythatwe’lllaterusetosculptonandfleshoutthedesignsofourcharacters.InthecaseoftheJungleTemple,Iblockedinthemostimportantelementsofthescenewithsimpleplaceholdermeshes.Inthenextchapter,wewillreplaceandexpandupon
theseplaceholders,aswellasmodelsomeextradetailsfortheothertwoprojectsanddiscusssomemorein-depthmodelingconceptsalongtheway.TheninChapter6,wewillmoveontosculptingthebasemeshescreatedinthischapterusingBlender’ssculpttools.
Chapter5.ModelingtheDetails
InChapter4,weblockedinthebasicelementsoftheprojects,creatingtheblockinoftheJungleTempleandmodelingbasemeshesforsculptingtheBatCreatureandSpiderBot.Inthischapter,you’lllearnhowtofleshoutthisframeworktocreatefinishedmodels.
Tocreatethefinalmodels,weneedtotransformoursimplegeometryusingamixoftechniques.Thesetechniquesincludeusingmodifierstoaddproceduraldetailsaswellasmodelingelementsbyhand.Ouraimshouldbetoendupwithclean,well-modeled,detailedmeshes,withoutovercomplicatingthingsorintroducingunhelpfulgeometrythatcouldslowdownrendersorcreateartifacts.
Modelingdetailsisgreatfun,butitcanalsobequiterepetitive,soIwon’texhaustivelycovertheprocessofmakingeverypart.Instead,I’llfocusonkeyaspectsofcreatingcertainelementsofprojectsthatarethemostinterestingortrickyandleavetheresttoyourimagination.We’llbeginwithsomediscussionoftopology,discusswhatconstitutesa“good”mesh,andthenmoveontotheactualmodeling.
TopologyTopologydescribesthewaythattheedgesandfacesofameshconnectandflowacrossitssurface.WecoveredthebasicsoftopologywhencreatingthebasemeshesforsculptingtheBatCreatureandSpiderBot—namely,creatingevenloopsofverticesaroundthearmsandlegsandavoidingtriangularfaces.Nowlet’stalkaboutwhywedothingsthisway.
Therearemanywaystocreatemeshesthathavethesamebasicshapesbutuseverydifferentconfigurationsoffacesintheirconstruction,asyoucanseeinFigure5-1.
WhiletheshapesinFigure5-1areroughlythesame,themiddlemeshisthemostusefulbecauseitsgeometryflowswiththeformoftheface,creatingloops
aroundtheeyesandthemouthandrunningneatlydowntheneckandoverthehead.Also,itdescribestheformsoftheheadjustaswellas(orbetterthan)theothermeshes,whileusingfewerfaces.
Theflowingcharacteristicsofthismesharealsoimportantforanimationbecausetheyallowthemeshtodeformeasilyandsmoothly.Forexample,closingtheeyesoropeningthemouthwon’tstretchedgesawkwardlyorcausepartsofthemeshtointersectunpleasantly.Thiskindofloop-basedtopologyalsohelpswhencreatingfurthervariationsontheshape,anditmakesiteasiertoplaceUVseamsandtoUVunwrapthemeshwithouttoomuchstretching(seeChapter8formoreonunwrapping).
Figure5-1.Thesameheadshapewiththreeverydifferentmeshes
AnotherreasonthatthemiddlemeshinFigure5-1isthebetterchoiceisthatitstopologyisthebestsuitedforusewiththeSubdivisionSurface(Subsurf)modifier.TheSubdivisionSurfacemodifier,whichwecoveredinChapter4,isusedtosubdivideandsmoothamesh.ThealgorithmusedbytheSubdivisionSurfacemodifier,Catmull-Clarksubdivision,worksbestwhengivenameshconstructedlikethisone.WhentheSubdivisionSurfacemodifierisusedwithameshcontainingalotoftrianglesorlong,oddlyshapedfaces,itcangivepoorresults,butwhengivenwell-constructed,flowingtopology,itproducesverypredictable,smoothforms.
WhatIsGoodTopology?Goodtopologyforanimationisusuallygoodforsubdivisionandviceversa.Butwhatconstitutesgoodtopology?Whiletherearenoabsoluterules,thereareafewimportantprinciples.It’samixofartandscience.
Avoidtrianglesandn-gonswherepossible.Thisisthebigone.Whiletrianglesarefineinastaticmeshthatyoudon’tintendtosubdivideorinalow-polyobjectforagame,ifyouplantosubdivideyourmesh,useasfewtrianglesaspossiblebecausetrianglesdon’tsubdivideaswellasquads.Equally,n-gonsareconvertedtotrianglesbeforebeingsubdivided,resultinginthesamekindsofproblems.
Avoidpoleswithlotsofedges.Apoleisavertexwherethree,five,ormoreedgesmeet—thatis,apointinameshthatdeviatesfromagrid-likestructure.Liketriangles,polescancreateartifactswhensubdividingamesh.Poleswiththreeorfiveedgesaren’tsobad—indeed,it’sjustaboutimpossibletocreateanythingbuttoroidsandgridswithoutcreatingafewpoles—butpoleswithsixormoreedgessubdividepoorly.
Createloopsaroundimportantforms.Thisallowsyoutoeasilyselect,deform,andanimateyourmeshes,anditalsoensurestheywillsubdividecleanly.Forexample,inFigure5-1,theuseofedgeloopsthatflowaroundtheeyesmakesiteasiertoadjusttheirshape.
Alignedgeswiththeform.Ifyourobjectisroughlycylindrical,theedgesofthemeshshouldflowarounditscircumferenceandalongitslength.Ifyourobjectisroughlycuboidal,createitbystartingfromacubeandaddingloopcuts.Ingeneral,trytocreateameshstructurethatgoeswiththe“grain”oftheshapeyouaretryingtocreate,asshowninFigure5-2.
DealingwithDifficultTopologyTheruleslistedabovearesimple,butyoumayrunintotroublefollowingthemfromtimetotime,especiallywhentryingtoeliminatetrianglesandpolesfromyourmodels.Herearesometipsfordealingwithdifficulttopology:
Planahead.Mosttopologywoescanbesidesteppedsimplybyplanningahead.That’swhy,forexample,wemadesuretherewereeightverticesintheloopsaroundthearmsandlegswhencreatingthebasemeshfortheBatCreature:It
madejoiningthehandseasy,astherewerenosurplusedgestojointogetherwhenitcametobridgingthegap.Powersof2(8,16,or32)areoftenagoodwaytothinkaboutthis,butregardless,trytokeeptoevennumberswhencreatingedgeloops.Ifyouarenewto3Dmodeling,itcanbehelpfultosketchyourdesiredmeshoveraphotooryourconceptart,eitherinGIMPoronpaper,asshowninFigure5-3.
Twotrismakeaquad.Youcanjointwoadjacenttrianglestomakeaquad,killingtwobirdswithonestone.Toconvertmultipletrianglesintoquadsautomatically,selectyourmeshandpressALT-Jtoturnsuitablepairsoftrianglesintoquads.
Figure5-2.Topologydosanddon’ts:Avoidtriangles1,avoidpoles2,createloopsaroundimportantforms3,andalignedgeswiththeforms,notagainstthem4.
Rotateedgestomovetriangles.Torotateor“spin”anedge,selectitandpressCTRL-E▸RotateEdgeCW/CCW(clockwise/counterclockwise).Thisrearrangesthefacesaroundthatedge,allowingyoutomovetriangles.Youcancombinethistrickwiththejoiningadjacenttrianglestrickabove:Byspinningedgestobringtwotrianglestogether,youcaneliminatethem,asshowninFigure5-4.
Figure5-3.Sketchingyourtopologybeforehandcanhelpyouavoiddifficulties.
Addanedgeloop.Addingaloopcut(CTRL-R)thatendsonatrianglewillturnthattriangleintoaquad(ortwotriangles,whichyoucanmergeintoaquad).Ifthenewedgeloopterminatesatanopenedge,you’veeliminatedyourtriangle.Ifyourmeshisclosed,itmightjustmovethetriangletotheotherendoftheedgeloop,and,ifyouhavetrianglesatbothends,youcantakeouttwoatatime(seeFigure5-5).
Splitapoleintwo.Apolewithsixedgescaneasilybesplitintotwofivesbyaddingafaceloopbetweenthetwohalves.Addfurtherfacesforevencleanertopology,asshowninFigure5-6.
Cut,dissolve,andjoin.Thecuttool(K)allowsyoutoarbitrarilycutedgesandfacestogetthetopologyyouwant.YoucancombinethistoolwiththeDissolveoperator(X▸Dissolve)togetridofvertices’edgeswithoutdeletingthefacestheyarepartof.ThenusetheJoinEdgesoperatortoconnecttwoverticesthatarealreadypartofafacebutdonothaveanedgeconnectingthem.Thesetoolsaregreatforarbitrarilyrearrangingdifficulttopology.
Figure5-4.Rotatingedgestobringtwotrianglestogetherallowsyoutoeliminatethem.
Figure5-5.AddingedgeloopswiththeLoopCuttool(CTRL-R)cangetridoftriangles.Ifyouaddonebetweentwotriangles,youcaneliminatethembothinonego.Alternatively,youcoulddeleteoneofthe
edgeloopsalreadypresentwithsimilareffect.
Figure5-6.Addingfacestoremovepoles.Addingonefaceloopacrosssixpolesreducesittotwofivepoles,whichwillsubdividemuchmorecleanly.
Figure5-7.Thistrianglehiddeninthecornerofanearisn’tlikelytocausemuchtrouble.
Ifyoucan’tgetridofit,hideit.Ifyoureallycan’tgetridofatriangle,hideitwhereitwon’tcausetroubleorcreatesubdivisionartifacts,suchasinsideanearornostrilorsomeplacereallyflatthatdoesn’tneedtodeform,asshowninFigure5-7.
Whenindoubt,startover.Ifyoumanagedtomakesomethingonce,chancesareyoucandoitagainandgetitright.Itmighttakesomeextratime,butit’susuallyworthit.
ModelingtheDetailsoftheJungleTempleTheJungleTemplescenewasalreadyblockedin,sonextitneededtoberefinedtomakeitmorefinal.ThisprocessrequiredmetothinkabouttheshapesIwantedtocreateandtomodelmorecomplexmesheswiththeshapesIwantedinthefinalrenders.
WallsForthemainwallsoftheJungleTemple,Ifirstlaidoutcubestoformthestoneblocksofthewall(seeFigure5-8).Beginningwiththebottomrow,Iaddedeachonebyhandandmodifieditslengthtogivesomevariation.Next,Ibuiltupthehigherlayersbyduplicatingandscalingthecubes.Toaddfurthervariety,Iselectedblocksatrandom,movedtheminoroutfromthewallabit,androtatedthemslightlytomakethesurfaceofthewallsomewhatmoreuneven.Leavingthebasicwallsfromtheblocking-instagebehindthenewblocksprovideda
fillerforthegapsbetweentheblocks.
Toaddabevelededgetotheblocks(seeFigure5-8),Isubdividedthemacoupleoftimes(selectall[A]inEditmode,thenW▸Subdivide)andthenaddedaBevelmodifierandsetthe“limit”methodtoAngle.Thelimitrestrictsthebevelingtoedgesbetweenfacesatasharpangle,andsettingtheangletoabout45°givesanicelyroundedbevelthatisheavieronthecornersoftheblocksthanattheedges.Thesidesareleftalone.
NOTEWhenapplied,theBevelmodifiercancreateerrorsthatwillturnyourgeometryintotrianglesandcreatealotofduplicatevertices.Tofixthis,applythemodifieronlyonceyou’refinishedmodeling.Then,inEditmode,selecteverything(A)andusetheRemoveDoubles(W▸RemoveDoubles)operatortoeliminateduplicatedvertices.Next,usetheTrianglestoQuadsoperator(ALT-J)toreturntoacleanermeshwithoutsomanytriangles.YoucanalsobevelindividualedgesandverticesinEditmode,usingtheBeveloperator(W▸Bevel).
Fortheblockdetails,Isubdividedsomeoftheblocksandthenaddedextrafeatures,suchasacrackdownthemiddle,achunkoutofacorner,andasplit.Iaddedloopcutsorsubdividedspecificpartsandmovedverticesaroundtocreatecracks,dents,andchips.Becausethemeshwon’tbesubdividedordeformedsignificantly,there’snoneedtoavoidtriangleshere;theywon’tcauseproblems.
Topreventtheblocksfromlookingfaceted,IsettheirshadingmodetoSmoothandthenaddedanEdgeSplitmodifiertosplitthemeshatcertainedgesinordertoproduceseparatesurfaces(seeFigure5-9).TheEdgeSplitmodifierbreaksthemeshintoseparatepiecessothatwhenshadedsmoothorwhenfurthermodifiersareapplied,theedgebetweenthepiecesispreserved.YoucansetEdgeSplittosplitthemesheitheralongedgestaggedasSharpinEditmode(CTRL-E▸MarkSharp)oralongedgeswithsharpenoughanglesbetweentheirfaces.Usingtheanglesonlywithasettingof30°resultedinnice-lookingblocks.
Icreatedtheotherincidentalblocksandpavingslabsinthesamewayasthewalls,usingtheinitialblockincubesasaguideforplacementandthendeletingtheoldgeometryoncethenewblockswereplaced.Thefinalblocksareshown
Figure5-8.Creatingthestoneblocksforthewalls.First,Iblockedinthewallswithsimplecubes,whichIscaledandmovedtobuildupthewall.Next,Idamagedthewallsabitbyaddingsomebasicsubdivisionsandrougheningsomeedges.Finally,IbeveledtheedgesoftheblocksusingaBevel
modifierlimitedbyangle.
inFigure5-10.
Figure5-9.Thefinalwalls,withaBevelandanEdgeSplitmodifiertogivethembevelededgesandflatsides
StatuesImodeledthestatuesinthecornersbythedooroftheJungleTempleusingfairlybasicbuildingblocksandmyconceptartasaguide.Eachpartbeganwithasimpleprimitive—usuallyacubeorcylinder—transformed,subdivided,andextrudedtocreatewhatIneed.
AsshowninFigure5-11,eachpartisfairlysimple.Toaddbevelededges,IusedthesamemethodthatIusedforthewallandfloorblocks.Addingsomeloopcutsaroundtheendsofsomepieces(forexample,tothe“legs”andtheendsofthearms)allowedtheseedgestoretaintheirsquareshapeandsharpercornerswhenbeveled,withouttoomuchsubdivision.
Figure5-10.Therestofthestoneblocksinthesceneweremodeledinthesamewayasthewalls.
StoneCarvingsForthestoneglyphs,Iusedmyconceptartasasingleorthographicreference,
loadingitasabackgroundimage,asdiscussedinChapter3.Then,beginningwithaplane,Itracedeachpieceofthedesigns,stickingprimarilytoquadswherepossible.Next,Iextrudedthewholedesigndownwardtogiveitsomethicknessanddeletedthenewfacesafterwardtoleavejustthesidesandfrontofthedesign.Byplacingedgesalongtheformsofthedesign’sinteriorelements,Icouldmovethegroovesinthedesigndownwardtocreatethedetails.
Tocleanupthedesign,Iusedcreasing(seeFigure5-12).ByaddingaSubsurfmodifierandtaggingedgesascreased,youcancreatesmoothobjectswithsharpcreasesalongthetaggededges.Creasingallowedmetoaddtightcreasestothemodelwithoutusingmorepolygonsthannecessary.AddinganEdgeSplitmodifieraftertheSubsurfmodifierthengaveanicesmoothmeshwithsharptransitionsatthecreasededges.
Figure5-11.Thestatuemodelexplodedintoitsconstituentparts.Mostarederivedfromsimplecubesorcylinders.
Withthecarvingscomplete,Imovedontoplacingtheminmysceneby
replacingsomeoftherowsofstoneblocksinthewallswithrowsoftheglyphs.Todothis,IlinedupallsixglyphsinarowandthenusedanArraymodifiertorepeatthedesigntofillthelengthofthewall(seeFigure5-13).
TaggingEdgesTheedgesofameshcanbetaggedormarkedinavarietyofways,eachofwhichtellsdifferentBlenderoperatorsandmodifiershowtoperformoperationsonthemesh.TheshortcutforEdgeoperators,includingTagging,inEditmodeisCTRL-E.EdgescanbemarkedasSharp,whichallowsoperatorslikeBevelandEdgeSplittoworkonlyontheseedges.Theycanalsobegivenacreasevalue,eitherfromtheCTRL-EmenuorwithSHIFT-E,whichtellstheSubsurfmodifiernottosmooththeseedgeswhendoingsubdivision,resultinginnicesharpedges.
SharpEdgesandSubdivisionCreasingisonewaytoachieveasharpcreaseinasubdividedmesh;anotherwayiswithsupportloops.Supportloopsworkbyplacingtwoormoreedgeloopsclosetogetherattheedgeofaform.Whenthemeshissubdivided,thenewgeometrycan’tbesmoothedoutasmuchbecausetheextrageometrydefinesthecornermoretightly(seeFigure5-14).
Bothmethodshavetheirplace.Supportloopsarethebetterchoicewhenyou’retryingtoproducenicelybevelededgesandneedfinecontroloverpreciselyhowyourformslook.However,ifyourgoalistoproduceverysharpcreasesoryouareworkingwithsimplermodelswithlessextratopology,creasingispreferable.Youcanalwaysmixandmatchbothmethodsasthesituationdemands.
Supportloopsarealsousefulforensuringthatobjectssubdividetogivetheshapesyouwant.Forexample,Figure5-15showsacubewithaSubsurfmodifierappliedanditswireframevisible.Withnosupportloops,themodifierturnsitintoasphere.Withextrasupportloopsrunningaroundthemiddleofthefaces,theobjectmorecloselyresemblesacube,andshiftingthesesupportloopstowardtheedgesofthecubemakesthecornerssharper.Thisisusefulwhenmodelingallsortsofsurfaces.
Figure5-12.Creatingthestonecarvings.Ifirstblockedoutthecarvingsasindividualpiecesovertheconceptart,usingprimarilyquads.Next,Itaggedsomeedgesascreased(purple)togivesharpedgeswhensubdivided.Finally,IaddedSubsurfandEdgeSplitmodifierstogivesmoothcarvingswithsharpedgeswheretheedgeshadbeentagged.TheresultusesfewerpolygonsandsimplertopologythanifI
hadusedsupportloopstoproducesharpedges.
Figure5-13.UsingtheArraymodifiertorepeatthestonecarvingsmultipletimes
Figure5-14.Twomethodsofgettingsharpedgeswhenworkingwithasubdivisionsurface.Top:UnalteredmeshwithagentleslopeandaSubdivisionSurfacemodifierapplied.Middle:Supportloopsaddedtogivesharpedges.Bottom:Edgescreasedtogivesharpedges(withoutextrageometry).
Figure5-15.Clockwisefromtopleft:Acubewithzeroloops,oneloop,twowidelyspacedloops,andtwoevenlyspacedloopsrunningaroundthemiddleofeachside.Astheedgeloopsgetclosertothe
edge,thecornersbecomemoresharplydefined.
PlantsTheplantsinthisscenearesimple.Tocreatethem,Ibeganbymodelingafewvarietiesofleavesfromplanes;Iscaledandsubdividedtheplanesintoleafyshapes(seeFigure5-16).Next,Istartedduplicatingthesedifferentleafobjectsandplacingthemaroundthescene.BycreatinglinkedduplicateswithALT-D,youcancreatemultiplecopiesofthesamemeshthatallupdatetogetherwhenyouchangeoneduplicate,whichmakescreatingUVsandtexturesmucheasierbecauseyouonlyhavetodosoonceforeachtypeofplant.ByscalingandrotatingtheseduplicatesinObjectmodeandplacingthemaroundthescene,youcangivetheimpressionofalotofvariationwithouthavingtocreatealotofdifferentmeshes(seeFigure5-17).
TherearetwowaystoduplicateameshinObjectmode.Onewayistocreatea
simplecopy,whichthenbecomesauniqueobject(SHIFT-D);theotheristoduplicatealinkedcopy(ALT-D),whichretainsthesamemeshdataandmaterialsastheoriginalandupdatesalongwithit.Youcanstillapplydifferentmodifierstoalinkedduplicateandmove,scale,androtateitindependentlyinObjectmode,butitsmeshdataandmaterials,aswellasotherdata,willremainlinkedwiththeoriginalobject;ifyoueditone,thechangesareappliedtoboth.
Bothmethodsareextremelyusefulfordifferenttasks.Basically,youshouldusesimpleduplicatesinthefollowingsituations:
Youwanttoeditthenewobjectindependently.
Figure5-16.Theplantswereallmadewithverysimplemeshes(shownwithaSubdivisionSurfacemodifierapplied).
Youplanonrecombiningthenewmeshwithotherelementsinthescene.
Youwanttokeeptheoldmeshasabackuporalternative.
Youshoulduselinkedduplicatesifthefollowingistrue:
Youwanttocreatemanycopiesofasingleobjectanddon’twanttoeditthemindividually.
YouwantonlyonesetofUVsandmaterialsformultipleobjects.
Figure5-17.Duplicatingthedifferentplantcomponentsandplacingthemaroundthescene.Varyingthescaleandrotationoftheduplicatescangoalongwaytowardmakingthemdistinctive.
Whenyouselectalinkedduplicate,youcanseehowmanyusers(copies)ofthatobjectareusingthesamedatablockbyexaminingitsobjectdatapropertiesinthePropertiespanel(seeFigure5-18).Youcanalsomaketheobjectuniqueby
clickingthenumbericonnexttothedatablock’sname.Makingtheobjectuniquecreatesanewmeshdatablockthatisnowindependentoftheoneitwascopiedfrom,allowingyoutoedittheobject’smeshandchangeitsmaterialsseparately(asifitwereasimplecopy).
IvyGenTheIvyGenadd-onforBlenderisaproceduralgeneratorthatallowsyoutoquicklycreateivy-likevinesthatcreepoveryourscene(seeFigure5-19).Touseit,firstenableitfromtheUserPreferenceseditor(File▸UserPreferences)andthenlookundertheAdd-OntabintheAddCurvecategory.Onceyouhaveenabledtheadd-on,youshouldhavetheoptiontogrowivyonaselectedobjectviatheAddmenu(SHIFT-A▸Curve▸AddIvyToMeshinObjectmode).
Figure5-18.Checkingthenumberofusersofameshdatablock.Clickthenumber(4inthiscase)nexttothedatablock’snametocreateanewcopythatyoucaneditindependently.TheFiconwillcreatea“fake”userofthatdatablock,whichwillsavetheobjectandpreventitfrombeingdeletedwhenyou
savethe.blendfile,eveniftherearenoinstancesofthatmeshinthescene.
Figure5-19.UsingIvyGentogenerateproceduralvines.TheparametersforhowyourivywillgrowareintheToolOptionsregionontheleftwhenusingIvyGen.Forclarityhere,I’veaddedagreenmaterial
fortheleavesandabrownmaterialforthevines.
InorderforIvyGentogeneratevines,itneedsasinglemeshobjectforthemtogrowover,soweneedtocreateanewmeshthatincludesallofthegeometrywewanttogrowvinesover.Todoso,selectalloftheobjectsyouwanttheivytocover,duplicatethem(SHIFT-D),applyanymodifiers(usingtheConverttoMeshoperatorinObjectmode—ALT-C),andmergethemintooneobject(CTRL-J).Theresultshouldbeoneobject.Ifyourscenehasahighpolycount,youmightwanttoskipapplyingmodifiersthatincreasethepolycountalotinordertogiveyoualower-polymeshtogrowivyover;unfortunately,thismaycomeatthecostofsomeaccuracyinhowitwillgrow.
Later,onceyou’vefinishedgrowingyourivy,deletethisduplicateormoveitto
anotherlayersothatitdoesn’tgetinyourway(M).
Next,placethe3DcursorwhereyouwanttheivytostartandactivateIvyGenwiththeAddCurvemenu(SHIFT-A▸AddCurve▸AddIvyToMesh).TheIvyGenallowsyoutotweaknumerousparameterstodeterminehowtheivylooks,themostimportantofwhicharetheMaxIvyLengthoption,whichdetermineshowfartheivyspreads,andtheIvySizeandLeafSizeoptions,whichdeterminethethicknessofthevinesandthesizeoftheleaves.Theleafprobabilityoptiondeterminestheleafdensity.Otheroptions,likeFloatLengthandAdhesionLength,determinehowfarthevinescanreachoutfromthewallandhowtheyareaffectedbygravity.
KeeptweakingIvyGen’ssettingsandpressingUpdateIvytoregenerateyourivywithanynewsettingsuntilyou’rehappywiththelookofyourfoliage.KeepinmindthatthehigheryousettheMaxIvyLength,thelongertheivywilltaketogenerate.Also,ifyouwanttocoveralargearea,it’seasiertorunIvyGenrepeatedlyusingdifferentstartinglocationsinordertocreatemultipleivymeshes.Forexample,intheJungleTemplescene,Ihidthestartinglocationsinthecornersofthesceneinacoupleofdifferentstartinglocationsandletmyivygrowoutfromthere.YoucanseethefinalresultsinFigure5-21.
Figure5-20.Addingpuddlestothescenebyfirstcreatingdepressionsinthemaingroundplanemeshandthenaddingasecondflatplanetointersectwithit
Figure5-21.ThefinalmodeledJungleTemplescene
IvyGenalsocreatesautomaticUVcoordinatesfortheleavesandvinesitgenerates,aswellasassigningmaterialslotstothem.Thisfeaturewillgreatlyspeeduptexturingandassigningmaterialstoyourivylater.(SeeChapter8and
Chapter12formoreonUVunwrappingandmaterials.)
Ground/SoilTomakethegroundabitmoreinteresting,IsubdivideditacoupleoftimesandrougheneditupabitwiththeSculpttools,whichI’lldiscussindetailinChapter6.Next,Iaddedanewplane(thistimekeepingitunsubdividedandperfectlyflat)andplaceditjustbelowtheaverageheightofthegroundsothatsomeofthedeeperareaspokeddownthroughit.Thisproducestheeffectofpuddlesontheground(seeFigure5-20).
Additionally,Icreatedpilesofdirtinthecornersofthescenesimplybycreatingaplane,subdividingitseveraltimes,andusingproportionaleditingtoaddlumps.Bycombiningthiswithabitofsculptingtobuildupdirtinthecracksandcornersbetweentheblocksandotherelements,Iwasabletogivethesurroundingsmoreofanagedlook.ThefinalsceneisshowninFigure5-21.
NOTEWhilethefollowingflowsfromthemodelingtechniquesalreadydiscussed,thepartswearecreatingfitinalongsidethesculptedandretopologizedmesheswewillbeworkingoninChapter6andChapter7.YoucanfollowalongwiththispartfirstorskipforwardtoChapter6andChapter7onsculptingandretopologyandthenreturntothislater.
ModelingtheDetailsoftheSpiderBotFortheSpiderBot,IneededtocreatetheothermechanicalpartsofthebodythatwillcompletethemodelwhencombinedwiththemainbodyandlegpiecesIwillbesculptingandretopologizinginChapter6andChapter7.Theaimwastocreatesomefeasiblemechanical-lookingparts,suchasjoints,wires,andsoforth,thatcompletethelookoftheSpiderBot.
JointsThejointswerealldesignedfromthesamebasictemplate:acylinderforthecentralpart,whichallowsthemtomovefreely,withstrutscomingoutthatattachtothelegs(seeFigure5-22).Toproducethestruts,Ibeganwithacurveobject
tomakethebasicshapea2Dcurve,usedtheExtrudesettingtogiveitsomethickness,andthenconvertedittoamesh.Blender’sdefaultcurve-fillingtopologyisfullofskinnytriangles,whichdonotsubdivideatallwell,soIdeletedthesefacesandfilledinthefrontandbackbyhandtoproducenicertopology(seeFigure5-23).
Figure5-22.Thelegjoints.Bothjointswerecreatedusingamixofcylindersforthesimplepartsandcurves(convertedintomeshes)forthelongerpieces.Addingsupportloopsaroundtheedgesofthe
cylindricalpartsallowsthemtosubdividemuchbetter.
WiresThewiresareallcreatedfrom3DBéziercurvesmodeledaroundthelegsandotherareastoaddinterestandconnecttheparts(seeFigure5-24).Toaddfurther
detail,Iconvertedsomewirestomeshestoallowmetoaddsomeloopcutsandextrusions(seeFigure5-25).
Forsomeofthemoreelaboratewires,IcombinedtheArrayandCurvemodifierstoduplicateasinglemeshalongacurve(seeFigure5-26).First,Imodeledasingleunit(thering-shapedobjectinFigure5-26),andthenIaddedanArraymodifierandaCurvemodifiertoduplicatethatunitanddeformittotheshapeofthecurve.
Figure5-23.Creatingthestrutelementsofthelegswithcurvesandthenfillingintheflatsurfacesoftheresultingmeshwithcleanertopology
Figure5-24.Creatingthewiresfortheundersideofthelegs.Theseweremadewith3DBéziercurvesandgiventhicknessusingtheBevelsettingintheObjectDatapanel.
Figure5-25.Initially,Imodeledthesetubesusingcurves.ThenIconvertedthecurvestomeshestoallowmetoaddsomeloopcutsandscalethemintocreategrooves.
Figure5-26.Amorecomplexcurvedobject,madebycombininganArraymodifiertoduplicatethebaseunit(thering-shapedobject)andaCurvemodifiertodeformtheresultingstackalongacurve.IalsousedanEdgeSplitmodifierandaMirrormodifiertomirrortheresultstotheothersideofthemodel.
CouplingForthecouplingbetweenthebodyandabdomen,Iinitiallycreatedtheshapewithcurvesandthenduplicateditandconvertedtheduplicatetoamesh(ALT-C).BecauseBlender’sdefaultcurvefillingcreatesugly,longtrianglesthatdon’tdeformwell,Ifixedthetopologybyhandbydeletingtheinsidefacesandfillingintheshapemanually(seeFigure5-27).
Figure5-27.Creatingthecoupling.Iconvertedthecurveobject(right)intoameshandthendeletedsomeoftheedgeloopsaroundtheedgestoevenoutthedistributionoffaces.Ifilledtheinnerfaceswith
nicertopologybyhand.Then,usingproportionalediting,Iaddedabendinthemiddle.
OtherPartsIplacedtheSpiderBot’seyesusingBlender’sSnappingtools:IturnedonSnappingtoFaces,addedspheresinObjectmode,andthensnappedthemtothesurfaceofthehead.Thefangsaresimplycubes,extrudedandwithloopcutsaddedtomakeconstrictionswheretheybend.IaddedsomefurtherembellishmentsusingamixofBlender’smodelingtoolsandretopologytechniques.(SeeChapter7forthesepartsandthefinishedmodel.)
ModelingtheDetailsoftheBatCreatureThefinalBatCreaturewillconsistonlyofonemeshforthebody,whichwe’lldiscussinChapter6,butitwillneedeyes,teeth,andfingernails,too.Asthesewouldn’tbesculptedorretopologizedinanyway,Iaimedstraightforthefinalmesh.
Eyes
Therearemanywaystomodeleyes,butingeneralithelpstomodelsomeoftheinternalstructureoftheeyefirsttoallowtherenderedeyetocatchlightandreflectionsrealistically.Mymodelfortheeye(seeFigure5-28)consistedofanouterlayer,whichwillhaveatransparentmaterialandwhichmakesupthecorneaandthereflectivesurfaceoftheeye,andaninnerlayer,whichwilllaterbetexturedwiththepupil,iris,andsclera(thewhiteoftheeye).
Boththeinnerandouterlayersaremadeinthesameway,beginningwithaUVsphere(inObjectmodeSHIFT-A▸Mesh▸UVSphere)andthenusingproportionaledittopushintheendofthespherefortheinnerpartortopushitoutalittlefortheouterparttoaddabulgetothecornea.Fortheinnerpart,afterpushingthesurfaceinwithproportionalediting,Iextrudedbackthemostcentralfacestocreateapitforthepupil.Forthecornea,IdeletedtheendtriangularfacesoftheUVsphereandreplacedthemwithasubdividedplanetoavoidartifactswhenaSubdivisionSurfacemodifierisadded(seetheleftofFigure5-27).UsingtheToSphereoperator(ALT-SHIFT-S)canhelpyouregainthesphericalshapeoftheeyeafteradjustingitstopology.
TeethandNailsBoththeteethandnailswerederivedfromcubes(seeFigure5-29).Tocreatetheteeth,Ibeganwithacube,scaleditdown,andextrudedfromthebottom.Byrepeatedlyscalingdownthebottomofthetoothandthenextrudingagain,Iwasabletorefinethetoothintoapoint.IthenpositionedandduplicatedtheteethandusedaMirrormodifiertofillintheothersideofthemouth.
Forthenails,Iflattenedthecubeabit,addedaloopcutdownthemiddle,andmoveditoutalittletogivethenailabitofacurve.IthenrepeatedthesameprocessIhadusedfortheteeth,refiningthemintoapointandthenplacingthembyhandandduplicatingasmanyasIneeded.
Figure5-28.Modelingtheeye.Left:Theouterlayer.Notethegridtopologyattheendofthecornea.Middle:Theinnerlayer.Right:Thetwocombinedinwireframeview,shownfromtheside.
Figure5-29.Modelingtheteethandnails
InReviewThiscompletesourdiscussionofmodelingtheJungleTemplesceneandaddingsomeextradetailstotheSpiderBotandBatCreatureprojects.You’velearnedhowtouseavarietyofBlender’smodelingtools,includingmodifyingexistingmesheswithmodifiers,applyingtheresultsofthesemodifierssoyoucanedittheresults,modelingwithcurvesandadjustingtheresults,andmodelingparts
fromscratchusingprimitivesandextrusionstobuildupcomplexforms.
Inthenextchapter,wewillmoveontosculptinginBlenderusingtheMultiresolutionmodifierandSculpttoolstocreatedetailedorganicandhard-surfaceforms.InChapter7,you’lllearnhowtoretopologizetheseformsusingBlender’smodelingtoolsinordertocreateyourmodels.
Chapter6.Sculpting
TheadditionofsculptingtoolstoBlender’sarsenalhasvastlybroadenedtherangeofcreationspossibleandthelevelofdetailwecanaddtoourcreations.Inaddition,sculptingallowsformuchmorefreedomintheroutetakentocreateamodel;priortoitsintroduction,wehadtolabortocreatetopologytosupporteachelementofamodel.Now,withsculpting,wecanstartfromamuchsimplermesh,usemultiresolutionsubdivisiontoprovidethelevelofcontrolnecessarytosupporttheformswewant,andworryaboutthetopologylater.
Inthischapter,we’llintroduceBlender’ssculptingtoolsandshowyouhowtouseSculptmode.We’lllookatcustomizingtheappearanceofSculptmodeandthetoolsyoucanusetogetthemostoutofBlenderwhensculpting.Then,we’llmoveontousingthesetoolstostartsculptingonthebasemesheswecreatedinChapter4,takingthemfromsimple,low-resbasemeshestohighlydetailed,sculptedmodels.Finally,we’lllookatsomegeneralprinciplesforsculpting.
SculptModeInordertosculptinBlender,you’llneedtoenterSculptmodeinthe3DViewport,asshowninFigure6-1.OnceinSculptmode,makesureyouhavetheToolShelfopen(T),asthisiswhereyou’llfindallofBlender’sSculptmodeoptionsandtools.
ThefamiliarToolShelfontheleftoftheViewportisnowhometoourBrushoptionsforsculpting,wherewecanchoosebetweendifferentbrushesandadjusttheirsettings.Brushoptionsincludethetypeofbrush;whetheritwillutilizepressureinputfromagraphicstablet(recommendedifyouhaveone);andthesize,falloff,andshapeofthebrush.Figure6-1alsoshowshowthe3DViewporthasbeensetuptomakesculptingeasier—youuseBlender’sGLSLshadingandenableOnlyRendertodisplayonlyobjectsthatwillberendered.Thiskeepsthegridandanysuperfluousobjectsinyourscene,suchaslampsandcameras,outofyourwaywhilesculpting.Wewillcoverthesesettingsinmoredepthin
Customizingthe3DViewport.
Figure6-1.Sculptmode,withtheViewportdisplaymodesettoTextured(withGLSLshading)andOnlyRenderenabled.TheToolShelf,ontheleft,containsmostofBlender’ssculptingtoolsandoptions.
BrushOptionsTheBrushoptionsareshownattheleftofFigure6-1.Clickaselectedmeshinthe3DViewporttobeginsculpting.
RunningdownthelistofpanelsintheToolShelfattheleftofFigure6-1inorder(somearecollapsed,buttheirtitlesareallvisible),wehavethefollowing:
Brush.Here,youcanselectwhichbrushtouse;thebrushproperties,suchasradius,strength,andautosmooth;whetherthebrushshouldaddorsubtractfromthesurface;andsomeoptionsspecifictoindividualbrushes.YoucanalsocreatenewbrushesfromtheBrushselectorbyclickingthe+icon.Doingsowillduplicatethecurrentbrush,creatingacopythatyoucanmodifyseparately.
Texture.Thispanelallowsyoutocreatestrokeswithuniqueshapesandtexturesortodragoutpatternsontothesurfaceofyourmesh.Brushtexturesusethe
brightnessofthetexturetodeterminehowstronglytoapplythebrushstroke.Whileyoucanusecolorimagesforbrushes,it’smorecommontosimplyuseblackandwhitetexturestomakeiteasiertojudgetheireffects.(Inordertodistinguishbrushtexturesfromotherkindsoftextures,I’lloftenrefertothemasalphas.)
Tool.WhilethebrushesintheBrushselectorhavenameslikeClayandSmooth,youcanchangethesenamesasyouplease.Theactualbehaviorofanybrushisdeterminedbythechoicesyoumakeinthedrop-downmenuinthispanel,whichallowsyoutochoosefromallofthebasetooltypesBlenderhastoofferbeforecustomizingthemfurther.
Stroke.Thispanelcontainsoptionsforhowyourmouseortabletstrokesareconvertedintosculptingstrokes.Thedefaultmethodformostbrushes,Space,createsauniformbrushstroke.Anchoredallowsyoutoclickanddragoutalargestrokeoveryourmesh,centeredaroundthestartingpointofthestrokeandwitharadiusdeterminedbyhowfaryoudrag.Thisoptionisextremelyusefulfordraggingouttexturesoverthesurfaceofyourmeshinordertocreatesurfacedetail.Anotheroption,SmoothStroke,causesyourstrokestolagbehindyourcursorasyoupullitaround,resultinginclean,smoothcurves.
Curve.Thispanelletsyouchoosethebrush’sfalloffcurve(seeFigure6-2)andgivesyoufinecontroloverhowthedepthofyourstrokesfadesawayfromthecenter.YoucaneitherdefinethecurvemanuallybydraggingandclickingtomoveandaddingpointstotheCurveeditor,oryoucanchooseoneofthepresetsfromtheiconsbelowtheCurveeditor.ThedefaultSmoothcurveisfineformostbrushes,butwhendraggingoutalphas,theflatMaxcurveisuseful.Forfinecreases,theSharpcurveisbest.
Figure6-2.DifferentFalloffsettings
Options.Thispanelcontainsmainlymiscellaneousoptions.Oneoptioniswhethertoconstrainsculptingtoindividualaxes.Anotherdetermineswhethertokeepyourbrushsizeandstrengthuniversalortoletyousetitforeachbrush.(Maintainingauniversalbrushsizeisoftenlessconfusing,butit’susuallypreferabletochoosestrengthforeachbrushindividually,asyoumaywantdifferentstrengthsfordifferenttools.)
Symmetry.JustasyouwoulduseaMirrormodifierforanormalmesh,youcanenableSymmetrywhensculptingtokeepyourbrushstrokessymmetrical.Thisisausefuloptionforalotofsculptingasmostorganiccreaturesarebroadlysymmetrical.
Appearance.Thispanelcontainssomeaestheticoptionsforchangingthecolorofthebrushcursororaddingacustomiconforyourbrush.
BrushTypesThedefaultbrushtypes,whicharefoundintheToolpanel(seeFigure6-3),arediscussedbelow.Somehavehotkeys(inbrackets)thatallowyoutoquicklycyclethroughanybrushesofthattypethatyouhavecreated.Almostallbrushes(Grab,Nudge,Thumb,andSnakeHookaretheonlyexceptions)alsohaveaSubtractivemode(ALT)thatusuallydoestheoppositeofwhatthebrushdoesinAdditivemode.
Blob.Thisbrushtypecreatesblob-likeinflatedlumpsinthesurfaceofyourmesh.ThisoptionisabitofamixbetweentheDrawandInflatebrushes.Additivemodebuildsout,whileSubtractivecutsin.
Figure6-3.TheToolpanelletsyouchoosebetweenthedifferentbasebrushtypes.
Clay(C).Oneofthemostimportantbrushtypes,theClaybrushbuildsupthesurfaceofyourmeshevenly,fillingvalleysfirstandthenbuildingupsmoothlyfromthesurfaceofthemesh.You’llfindthisbrushtypeusefulthroughoutthesculptingprocess,thoughbewarewhenaddingfinedetails,asitwillbuildup
overthem(usetheDrawbrushinstead).Additivemodebuildsout,andSubtractivemodecarvesintothemesh.
Crease(SHIFT-C).ThisbrushtypecombinestheDrawandPinchbrushtypes,drawingastrokeoutonthemeshandthenpinchingittomakeittighter.ItismostusefulinSubtractivemode,whereit’sgreatforcreatingwrinklesandcreasesinacharacter’sskin,butitcanalsobeusedinAdditivemodetocreatesharpedgesbytracingalongtheedgeofaform.
Draw(D).TheDrawbrushtypedrawsastrokeoutfromthesurface,movingthesurfacewithoutchangingthedetailsunderneath.IfyouuseDrawearlyonwhensculptinglarge-scaleforms,itmaymakelifedifficult,asitcanresultinaratherlumpylook(whichiswhytheClaybrushismoreuseful).Lateronthough,whenaddingfinedetails,theDrawbrushtypeisveryhandy.
Fill.Thisbrushtypefillsinvalleysinthesurfaceofthemeshwithouttouchingthepeaks.Itisusefulforsmoothingoutandfillinginconcaveareasinameshwithoutaffectingthesurroundingareas.Subtractivemodedeepensthevalleysinsteadoffillingthemin.
Flatten.TheFlattenbrushcombinestheFillandScrapebrushtypes,fillinginvalleysandscrapingawaypeakstocreateasmoothersurface.UnliketheSmoothbrushtype,thisbrushflattensthesurfaceinadditiontosmoothingit.InSubtractivemode,thisbrushtypeexaggeratesthevalleysandpeaksinsteadofflatteningthem.
Grab(G).Thisbrushtypegrabstheareaunderthebrushandletsyoupullitaround.You’llfindthistobeaveryusefulbrushtype.
Inflate(I).TheInflatebrushtypeinflatesthemeshinmuchthesamewaytheShrink/FattenoperatordoesinEditmode.InflateisusefulforestablishingvolumesandissometimesagoodalternativetotheDraworClaybrushes,butbesuretokeepthestrengthofthisbrushloworitcandosomedamage.Also,beawarethatinadditiontopushingthesurfaceoutward(orinward),thisbrushusuallymakesfacesbigger,reducingtheamountofdetailthatthemodifiedareacansupport.InSubtractivemode,thisbrushshrinksthemeshinstead,oftencausingthemeshtoself-intersect.Useitcarefully.
Layer(L).ThisbrushtypebuildsoutanevenlayerfromthesurfaceofyourmeshorsubtractsanevenlayerinSubtractivemode.
Nudge.LiketheGrabbrushtype,thisbrushtypeonlynudgesthemeshasmalldistance,andyoucankeepmovingyourcursoraroundtootherareastonudgethemaswell.
Pinch(P).Thisbrushtypepullsfacesunderthebrushclosertogether,creatingapinchingeffect.Thisbrushisusefulfortighteningcreasesandwrinklesorforsharpeningedgesbetweenformsonhard-surfacesculpts.InSubtractivemode,thisbrushpushesthefacesfartherapart.
Rotate.Thisbrushtyperotatestheareaunderthebrusharoundthemesh’sorigin.Ifindthisprettyuselessasabrushtype.
Scrape.TheScrapebrushtypescrapesawaythepeaksofameshwithouttouchingthevalleys.Thisbrushtypeisreallyusefulforestablishingplanes,eliminatinglumpsandbumps,andsmoothingtransitionsbetweenoverlappingforms.Subtractivemodebuildsthepeaksupratherthanscrapingthemdown.
SnakeHook.Thisbrushtypeallowsyoutopulloutatentacle-likesurfacefromyourmesh.Usethisbrushtypesparinglybecausethetopologyunderneathwillprobablynotsupportittoowell.Thisoptionisgoodforpullingoutpeakstolooklikestrandsofhairorhorns,especiallyifyouplanoncorrectingtheuglytopologylater.
Thumb.TheThumbbrushtypeslidesthesurfaceofthemesharoundunderthebrushbutonlyontheplaneofthedirectionthesurfaceisfacing.ThisissimilartotheGrabbrush,exceptthatitallowsyouonlytoshiftthesurfaceofthemesharoundratherthanlettingyoupushorpullthesurfaceofthemeshoutwardorinward.
AllofthebrushesinBlender’sBrushpanel(seeFigure6-4)arejustvariationsonthetypeslistedabove,withvarioustweakstogiveeachbrushslightlydifferenteffects.Forexample,thePolishbrushisavariationontheFlattenbrushwiththeAutosmoothsetting(whichaddsasmoothingeffecttoanybrushstroke)turnedup.
Figure6-4.Blender’sdefaultsculptbrushes
CreatingCustomBrushesNowthatwe’vetakenalookatsomeofBlender’sbuilt-inbrushes,let’slookathowtocreatecustomonestobettersuitourneeds.Asexplainedearlier,Blender’ssculptingbrushesareallvariationsonthesameinitialsetofbrushtypes;thedifferencescomefromchangingthesettingsthataffecthowthesebrushesfunction.You’llwanttochangesomesettingsfrequently,liketheradiusofthebrushanditsstrength.Ifyouendupusingacertainsetofbrushsettingsoften,it’sagoodideajusttogivethemtheirownbrush.
Tocreateanewsculptingbrush,selectanexistingonesimilartotheoneyouwanttocreate,andthenpressthe+iconintheBrushselectornexttoitsnametocreateanew,uniquebrush.Now,modifythenewbrushbychangingitsstrength,assigningtexturesandstrokeoptions,andsoon.
Todemonstrate,let’screateafewcustombrushesthatwillcomeinhandywhensculpting.
ClayTubesTheClayTubesbrush(seeFigure6-5)willbegreatforsculptingearlyon.Itworksthewaytraditionalclaysculptorsworkbyaddingstripsofclaytothesurfaceofasculpturetobuildupforms.TocreateabrushthatmimicsthistechniqueinBlender,takethefollowingsteps:
1. DuplicatethedefaultClaybrush.
Figure6-5.TheClayTubesbrush
2. IntheTexturepanel,addanewtexturetouseasanalphaforthebrushbyclickingthe+iconintheTextureselector.Thiscreatesanewtextureandassignsittothebrush.Nameitsomethinguseful,likeClayTubes.
3. Toeditthistexture,opentheTexturetabofthePropertieseditor(seeFigure6-6),andmakesureyouhavethebrushiconselectedtoeditbrushtextures.
4. IntheTypedrop-downmenu,chooseImageorMovieandthenselectanimagetouseasabrushtexturebyopeningoraddinganimagefromtheImagepanel.Forthisbrush,Icreatedaverysimple,slightlyblurredwhitesquareonablackbackgroundinGIMP,whichIthenloadedasthebrushtexture.
5. Withthetextureloaded,returntothe3DViewportToolShelf,andsetthebrushanglesetting(intheTexturepaneloftheToolShelf,asshowninFigure6-5)toRaketomakethealpharotatetomatchthedirectionofthestroke.Nowwe’llhavenicesquarestrokeswithaslighttexturethatwillbegreatforbuildingupformslikemusclesandwrinklesandforquickly
blockinginlargeshapes.
6. Tostoptheusualfalloffofthebrush,setthefalloffcurvetotheflatMaxpresetintheCurvepanel.
Figure6-6.AddingtheClayTubestexture
RakeLiketheClayTubesbrush,theRakebrush(seeFigure6-7)isbasedontraditionalsculpting.Claysculptorsoftenuseatoothedscrapingtool,arake,toscrapeawayattheclaysurfacetoproduceafinetextureandsmoothforms.InBlender,theRakebrushisgreatinbothAdditiveandSubtractivemodes.
LiketheClayTubesbrush,theRakebrushstartsoutbyduplicatingthedefaultClaybrushandthenaddingacustomalpha,thoughthistimeweusealineofblurreddotsorsquares,asshowninFigure6-7.TocreatetheRakebrush,takethefollowingsteps:
1. DuplicatetheClaybrushasyoudidfortheClayTubesbrushabove.
2. Addatexturetothebrush,asyoudidfortheClayTubesbrush.SeeFigure6-7forthekindoftextureneeded.
3. Settheangleto(surprise!)Rake,andenableAutosmoothintheBrushpanelofthe3DViewportToolShelf,settingitsvaluetoabout0.25.(Thisaddssomesmoothingtothebrushstrokestokeepthetexturefromgettingoutofcontrol.)
4. Setthefalloffofthebrushtoflat(Figure6-7).
Figure6-7.TheRakebrush
ScrapeFlatTheScrapeFlatbrush(seeFigure6-8)createsniceflat,facetedsurfacesinamesh.It’sgreatforsculptingjaggedrocksandhard,technicalsurfacesandforquicklyestablishingclearplanesinorganicmodelsthatyoucansmoothandrefinelater.
Tocreatethisbrush,dothefollowing:
1. DuplicatetheScrapebrush.
2. LocktheAreaPlaneofthenewbrushbyclickingthepadlockiconnexttoitsoption(asshowninFigure6-8).Now,thesurfacenormalofthesurfaceunderthebrushwhenyoufirstbeginthestrokewillbeextendedthroughoutthewholestroke,producinganiceflatsurface.
Figure6-8.TheScrapeFlatbrush
Figure6-9.TheCreaseLazybrush
3. Setthebrush’sPlaneOffsettoaround0.1(seeFigure6-8)tomakethebrushcutmoredeeplyintothesurface.Thissettingdetermineshowdeeplythebrushaffectsthesurfaceforpositivevaluesorraisesitseffectsawayfromthesurfacefornegativevalues.
TrychangingthetooltypeforthisbrushtotheFlatten,Fill,orClaytools,astheyworkwellwiththesesettings,too.
CreaseLazyThisbrushisavariationofthestandardCreasebrush.WiththeSmoothStrokesettingactivated,theCreaseLazybrushisgoodforcreatinglong,smoothcreases.TocreatetheCreaseLazybrush,asshowninFigure6-9,followthesesteps:
1. DuplicatetheCreasebrushandturnonSmoothStroke.
2. ForboththisandtheregularCreasebrush,Iliketoturnupthestrengthofthebrushtobetween0.6andfullstrengthandturnthepinchvaluedowntoaround0.1or0.2.(Ifindthedefaultpinchstrengthabitheavy.)
DragAlphaTheDragAlphabrushusestheanchoredstrokesettingtodragalphasoverthe
surfaceofamesh,butotherwiseit’sjustabasicDrawbrush.Youcancreatethisbrush,showninFigure6-10,bytakingthefollowingsteps:
1. DuplicatetheDrawbrushandaddatexture.Mostanytexturewillwork;Ichosearockyimage.
2. Becauseyoucanuseallsortsoftextureswiththisbrush,differentfalloffcurvesareuseful.Forimageswithanaturalbuilt-infallofftothem,liketheClayTubesandRaketextures(thatareblackaroundtheedges),youcansetthecurvetoFlat.Fortexturesthatyou’vecreatedfromphotosorotherimagesthatdon’thavenaturalfalloff(thepatterncoversthewholeimage),useoneofthepresetcurves.Apresetcurvecreatesanicetransitionsothatthealphawon’tproduceanobviousedgewhendrawnoutoveryourmesh.
Figure6-10.TheDragAlphabrush,usedherewitharoughconcretealphatexture
MakingBrushesAvailablebyDefaultInordertoloadyourcustombrushesbydefault,youneedtoincludethemwithyourdefault.blendfile,thefilethatloadsupeverytimeBlenderstarts.Todothis,createanew.blendfile,create(orappend)anybrushesyouwanttomakeavailablebydefault,andthensavethemodifiedfile(File▸SaveUserSettings).Toappendintoanexistingbrush,chooseFile▸Append(orSHIFT-F1);thenselectthe.blendfilewhereyoucreatedyourbrushes,selectBrushes,choosethebrushesyouwant,andclickAppend.Nowyourcustombrusheswillbeavailablewheneveryouwanttosculpt.
ImprovingYourSculptingExperienceTogetthebestfromSculptmode,youneedtotweakBlender’ssettingsabit.Thegoalsaretwofold:toensurethatyougetthebestperformancewhilesculptingandtoconfigureBlender’s3DViewportandmaterialstomakeiteasiertoseetheeffectsofyourbrushstrokesonyourmodelwhilesculpting.
OptimizingSculptingPerformanceOfcourse,thebestwaytoimprovesculptingperformanceistouseapowerfulcomputerwithalotofRAM.Atminimum,you’llneed4GBofRAMifyouplanongoingintothemillionsofpolys,butmorecertainlywon’thurt.Butbarringhardwareupgrades,here’showtomakethemostofwhatyouhave.
Closeotherprograms.Ifyou’rerenderinginanotherinstanceofBlenderorburningaDVDatthesametime,yoursculptingperformancewillsuffer!
EnableVBOs(VertexBufferObjects).OpenBlender’sUserPreferences(File▸UserPreferencesorCTRL-ALT-U),gototheSystemtab,andselecttheVBOscheckbox.Thiswillboosttheperformanceofthe3DViewportifyourgraphicscardsupportsVBOs.
TurnonFastNavigate.You’llfindFastNavigateinthe3DViewportToolShelfunderOptions.FastNavigatecausesyourmodeltoswitchbacktoalower
subdivisionlevelwhenyoumoveorrotatethe3DViewport,speedingupnavigationwhilesculpting.
SubdividebeforeaddingaMultiresmodifier.Ifyouareworkingfromareasonablydensebasemesh,liketheoneswecreatedinChapter4,youdon’tneedtoperformthisstep.However,ifyouintendtostartfromacube,addandapplyaSubsurfmodifierbeforeaddingaMultiresmodifiertospeedupsculpting.
Thisworksbecause,underthehood,Blenderlooksathowmuchofthemeshitneedstoupdatebasedonhowmanyfacesoftheunderlyingbasemeshwerecoveredbythebrushstroke.Forexample,ifyourbasemeshisonlysixfaces,moststrokeswillaffectalargepercentageoffacesinthebasemesh(atleastone-sixth),makingitslowerforBlendertoupdateitsshape.Bysubdividingfirst,eachstrokewillaffectamuchsmallerpercentageoffacesinthebasemesh,sothereislessforBlendertoupdateonscreen,speedingupyousculptingexperience.
Customizingthe3DViewportWhensculpting,wegenerallywanttoseeonlywhatwe’reworkingon,withoutdistractionslikelampsandthegridfloor.Toturnoffthesedistractions,openthePropertiesregioninthe3DViewport(N)and,intheDisplaypanel,checkOnlyRendertoshowonlymeshesandotherobjectsatrendertime.Youcanalsoturnoffthegridfloorandaxesguidelinesfromthispanelsothattheywon’tbevisibleevenwithOnlyRenderturnedoff.WithOnlyRenderturnedon,thebackgroundcolorforthe3DviewswitchestothebackgroundcolorsetintheWorldSettingstabofthePropertieseditor.Itcanbenicewhensculptingtosetthistoadarkgrayorblack,butusewhateveryoulike.
MatCapMaterialsWhilesculpting,you’llwantthelookofyourmeshinthe3DViewporttogiveyouasmuchinformationaspossibleabouttheshapeofthesurfaceyouareworkingon.WhileBlender’sopenGLshadersdoareasonablejobofthis(andcanbeimprovedforsculpting,asoutlinedbelow),usingaGLSLmaterialknownasaMatCap(shortforMaterialCapture)thatshadesyourmeshdependingonitsnormalsgivesabetterandmoreaestheticallypleasingviewofyourmodels.
MatCapimagesuseapre-rendered(orpainted/photographed)imageofaspheretoshadeyourwholeobject,matchingtheshadingofthesphereimagewiththenormalsofyourmesh.TheMatCapimageusedformanyofthefiguresinthischapterisshowninFigure6-11.I’llcovercreatingmaterialsinChapter12,butI’lloutlinehowtocreateaMatCapmaterialnow.
Figure6-11.AMatCapimage.Blenderusesyourobjects’normalstomatchtheshadingofyourmeshwiththeshadingofthesphere.
CreatingaMatCapMaterialTocreateaMatCapmaterial,dothefollowing:
1. Selecttheobjectyouwanttoapplythematerialto.
2. IntheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditor,addanewmaterialbyclickingthe+Newbutton.Thiswillcreateanewmaterialwiththedefaultsettings.
3. TheonlymodificationyouneedtomaketothisistoturnonShadelessintheShadingpanel.ThisstopsthematerialfromusinglightsinGLSLmodeandinsteadonlyusescolorinformationfromthematerial’stextures.(TherelevantsettingsareshowninFigure6-12.)
4. IntheTexturestab,addanewtexturetothisimage.SetitstypetoImage
orMovieandthenloadyourMatCapimage.Bydefault,thiswillbeusedtoinfluencethecolorofyourmaterial,soallyouneedtodoischangethemappingcoordinatesforthetexture(intheMappingtab)toNormal,whichwillthensetyourobject’snormalsastexturecoordinates.
5. Finally,settheViewportShadingMethodofthe3DViewporttoTextureand,intheDisplaypanelofthe3DViewport,settheshadingoptiontoGLSL.YourMatCapmaterialshouldnowbevisibleonyourmesh,asshowninFigure6-12.
FindingMatCapImagesAnumberofMatCapimagesareincludedonthediscaccompanyingthisbook,butyoucanfindmanymoreonline.ManyareavailablefromwebsitesdevotedtoZBrush,apowerfulcommercialsculptingappthatwasoneofthefirsttoimplementthiskindofshadingforsculpting.Whilemanyaredistributedintheproprietary.zmtformat,youcanofteneasilyfindimagesofMatCapmaterialstouseastexturesinBlender.GooglingaroundwillturnupplentyofgoodMatCaptextures,too.
It’salsoworthcreatingyourownMatCapimages.Wheneveryouhaveamaterialyoulikethelookof,tryapplyingittoasphereandrenderingitouttouseasaMatCapmaterial.(Justremembertocropyourimagetojustinsidetheoutlineofthespheretoavoidgettinganyartifactsaroundtheedgesofyourmesh.)YoucanalsomixMatCaptexturesusingamaterialwithmultipletextureslots.(SeeChapter12formoreonhowtodothis.)
Figure6-12.AMatCapmaterialsetupandtheresultsinBlender’s3DViewport.WiththeNormaltexturecoordinates,theimageofthesphereismappedtothenormalsofthemesh,mimickingthesame
shading.
TweakingOpenGLShadingWhileit’snicetosculptwithMatCapmaterials,onceyougetintothemillionsofpolygonswithyoursculpts,Blender’sperformancemaybegintosuffer.SwitchingbacktoBlender’sdefaultOpenGLshading(thatis,solidshading)ismuchfaster,butit’squiteevenlyilluminatedandnotbrilliantforsculpting.Fortunately,youcaneasilytweakthelookofthisshadingintheSystemtaboftheUserPreferences,makingitmoreappropriateforsculptingandincreasingtheamountofsubdivisionyoucansqueezeoutofyourcomputerwhilestillmaintainingreasonableperformance.
InFigure6-13,I’vetweakedBlender’sstandardOpenGLlighting.Todothisyourself,openUserPreferencesand,intheSystemtab,locatetheSolidOpenGLLightssettings,asshowninFigure6-13.Thesesettingsgiveyouthreeindependent“lights”thatdeterminehowmeshesareshadedinBlender’sdefaultsolidshadedview.Youcanturntheselightsonandoffusingthelightbulbicon,adjusttheirdiffuseandspecularcolorswiththecolorpickers,andchangethedirectionfromwhichtheylightthemeshusingthespheresontheright.
Tomakethelightingmoreamenabletosculpting,Iturnedoffthesecondandthirdlightsourcesandsetthefirstlightsourcetopointstraightatthemesh,givingitaslighttancolor.ThisresultedintheshadingontherightinFigure6-13,whichismoredirectionalandgivesabetterideaoftheshapeofyourmeshwhilesculpting.
Figure6-13.Blender’sdefaultOpenGLshadingisveryversatileandmuchfasterthanGLSLMatCapshading,especiallyforhigherpolygoncounts.Byadjustingthepositionsandcolorsofthethree
availablelights,youcancreateavarietyoflightingsetupsthataremoresuitableforsculptingthanthedefaultis.
TheMultiresModifierWhileyoucansculptonanymesh,weneedtousetheMultiresmodifierinordertotakeasculpttoahighlevelofdetailwhilemaintainingabasemeshthatisstillsimpletoedit(seeFigure6-14).TheMultiresmodifierissimilartotheSubsurfmodifierinthatitsubdividesyourmodelusingeitherCatmull-ClarkorSimplesubdivision1.However,insteadofbeingpurelyprocedural,theMultiresmodifierwillstorefurthereditingofyourmeshinSculptmode,allowingyoutofirstsubdivideyourmeshandthenusetheextrageometrythiscreatestosculptinextradetail.Thisletsussubdivideafairlybasicmodelintomillionsofpolygonsandallowsustosculptthemintowhatevershapesandwithwhateverdetailswewant.
ThethreesettingsontheleftoftheMultiresmodifierpanel(Preview,Sculpt,andRender2)determinethelevelofsubdivisionshownindifferentmodes.PreviewsetsthedisplaylevelforObjectmode,SculptthelevelforSculptmode,andRenderthesubdivisionlevelusedwhenrenderingthemesh.TheSubdivideoperator3addsanotherlevelofsubdivisioneachtimeyouclickit,whiletheDeleteHigheroperator4deletesanysubdivisionlevelsabovetheoneyouarecurrentlyworkingon.
Ifyouhappentoexportyourmeshtoanotherprogram,orduplicateandedititseparately,youcanusetheReshapeoperator5toreshapeyourMultiresmeshtobethesameasthatofanotherselectedobject.Inordertodothis,though,bothmeshesmusthaveidenticalvertexorderandtopology,andanydeletionoraddingofverticeswillbreakthisfunctionality.Ifyou’reexportingtoanotherprogram(likeZBrushorMeshLab),besuretousethe.objformatandensurethattheKeepVertexOrderoptionischeckedwhenimportingandexporting.
TheMultiresmodifierdoesnotaffecttheoriginalshapeofyourmesh;however,youcanusetheApplyBaseoperator6tofitthelowestsubdivisionlevel(youroriginalmesh)totheshapeofthesubdividedmesh.Thisisusefulifyouhavedonealotofsculptingandwantyourbasemeshtoresemblemorecloselytheshapeofthesculptedmeshagain.
VertexOrder
Blender(andanyapplicationthatusesmeshobjects)storesameshasanumberedlistofvertices,alongwiththeconnectionsbetweenthemthatmakeuptheedgesandfaces.Thisistheobject’svertexorder,anditmustremainunchangedinorderfortheReshapeoperatortofunction.Simplemanipulationsofthesevertices—likemoving,rotating,orscaling—willnotaffecttheirordering,butaddingordeletingverticeswill.Additionally,savingtootherformatswhenexportingorimportingmayreordertheverticesofamesh.
Figure6-14.TheMultiresmodifier
SubdivisionandPolycountsWhenworkingwiththeMultiresmodifier,youcantrackthepolycountofyoursceneusingtheInfoEditorheader(seeFigure6-15).Rememberthateachsubdivisionyouapplymultipliesthepolycountofthatobjectby4,sosubdividingameshfivetimesincreasesyourpolycountbyafactorof1024!DependingonhowmuchRAMyouhave,youcanprobablysafelysubdivideuptoamillionormorepolygons,butthenumberofsubdivisionlevelsthatthisrequireswillreallydependonthenumberofpolygonsinyourbasemesh.
TheInfoEditorheadercontainsseveralusefulnumbers.Theseare,fromleftto
right:theversionofBlenderyouareusing,thetotalvertexcount(Ve:)oftheactivelayers,thetotalpolygon(face)count(Fa:)oftheactivelayers,thenumberofobjects(Ob:)selectedandintotal(selected-total),theactivelayer,memoryusage,andthenameoftheactiveobject.
Figure6-15.Keepaneyeonthepolycount(Fa:)whenusingtheMultiresmodifier.
SculptingConceptsWithBlendersetupnicelyforsculpting,let’sgettoit.Ingeneral,we’llsculptfromcoarsetofine,justlikesculptureintherealworld.Bybeginningwiththebroadstructureofthefinalproductwewanttoachieveandworkingtowardthefinedetails,wereducethenumberofstepsweneedtoundoinordertocorrecterrors.
ThissectionwillintroduceyoutosomegeneralconceptsintheorderIthinkaboutthemwhensculpting.
Volumesandproportion.Whenbeginningtosculpt,firstsetouttheroughshapeofyoursubject;inotherwords,createaroughvolumeforeachcomponentofyouroverallfigure.Whensculptingacharacter,youshouldblockoutthevolumesofthelegs,arms,torso,head,hands,andfeet.Thisisaccomplishedpartlybycreatingagoodbasemesh.Forexample,wealreadycreatedthebasicshapeoftheBatCreaturecharacterinChapter4;however,thiscanstillberefinedandimprovedwhilesculptingtogiveabetterfeelforthesizeandoverallshapeofthemodel.
Gesture.Gesturedescribesthestanceofacharacterandtheflowofformsfromonebodyparttoanother.Thisstageappliesmoretoposedcharactersbutisanimportantpartofcreatingagoodneutralpose,andevenapplieswhensculptinginorganicforms.Keyatthisstageisthattheformsofthebodyareconnectedbysmooth,flowingcurves.Youshouldusuallybeabletodrawasmoothcurvethroughyourcharacter’spose,asshowninFigure6-16.
Planes.Byplanes,Imeanbreakingdownandsimplifyingtheformoftheobject
intoflatplanes—areasoftheobjectthatformbroadlyflatsurfacesratherthanpolygons.Thedirectionandplacementoftheplanesinyoursculpturedeterminehowthesurfacesofyourobjectscatchlight,creatingpatternsthatinturnplayalargepartinhowwereadandrecognizeshapes.
Eventhoughyou’llultimatelysmoothouttheseplanes,they’llstillinfluenceyourfinishedobject.Forexample,theplanesinahumanorhumanoidcharacterarelargelydefinedbytheobject’smajoranatomicallandmarks,suchasthebonypartsoftheskull,ribcage,collarbones,andpelvis.InFigure6-17,themainlargeplanesaredefinedbytheshapeoftheskull;theseplanesincludethosealongthesideofthehead,alongthejawlineandchin,anddownthebridgeofthenose.Smallersecondaryplanesformtheshapesoftheears,lips,andnostrils.(Youdon’tactuallyneedtodefinetheplanesofyourmodeltoorigorously,astheywillbesmoothedoutlater,butitisimportanttoknowandroughlymarkinwheretheyare.)
Figure6-16.Trytoestablishsmoothcurvesthatflowthroughyourcharacters
Coarsedetailsandanatomy.Onceyou’vefinishedcreatingthemainvolumesandplanesofyoursculpture,you’llfindthatmanyoftheanatomicaldetailsareactuallyalreadypresent,thoughtherearestillmanyanatomicalfeaturestobeaddedtothefinalsculpt.Achievinganatomicalrealisminyoursculptstakespracticeandisamatterofgatheringandstudyinganatomicalreferencesandthenplacingandrefiningthoseanatomicallandmarksonyoursculpt.
Onewaytobeginfillinginthedetailsistostartwiththemajormusclegroupsandskeletallandmarksandthenprogresstosmallerdetailslikethemusculatureandsmallfeatureslikefingers,ears,eyes,andsoon.SeePlanestolearnhowIaccomplishedthisfortheBatCreature.
Finedetailsandsurfacetexture.Finally,weprogresstofinedetails,likewrinklesandporesinskin,ortechnicaldetailsinahard-surfacemodel(seeFigure6-18).Thisisafunstagethatcanaddalotofcharactertoamodel.Onethingtonoteatthisstageisthat,particularlywithorganiccharactersthataren’theavilymuscled,muchoftheanatomicaldetailyoumayhaveaddedwillneedtobetoneddown.Youcaneitheromitthesedetailsearlierinthesculptingprocess(butconsiderwheretheywillbeunderthesurfacenonetheless)orsmooththemawayinareaswhereyouneedasubtlereffect.Finally,youcanstartaddingsmallerdetails,likewrinkles,pores,scars,andsoon.Wecanstartsmoothingandpolishingoutanyartifactswehavecreatedearlierwhilesculptingandthenaddmoredeliberatefinedetails.
Figure6-17.Theplanesofthehead.Youdon’tneedtodefineplanestothisextent,butkeeptheminmind.
Thesearethegeneralstagesthatonegoesthroughwhensculpting.Theytakeyoufromaroughoverallshapetosomethingwiththekeyfeaturesyouaretryingtocreateandthenallowyoutore-createthefinerdetails.Nowlet’sapplythesestagestosculptingtheBatCreatureandSpiderBot.
Figure6-18.Finedetailscanbedealtwithoncethemajorformsareinplace.
SculptingtheBatCreatureFortheBatCreature,IbeganwithacoupleofsimplebasemeshesthathadtopologytosupportmostofthefeaturesIneeded(thoughnothingfortheface).ThenIcouldbegindevelopingtheformsoftheBatCreatureintosomethingmoreinterestingandaddfurtherdetails,suchassomemusculatureandfacial
features.
Tobegin,ItookthebasemeshandaddedaMultiresmodifierandafewsubdivisions.Theinitialaimwastoaddenoughresolutiontoallowmetobeginrefiningthevolumesanddefiningbasicplanesandlandmarks—butnotsomuchthatIwouldgetsuckedintoaddingdetailstooearly.Whensculpting,trytomakethemostoutofeachlevelofsubdivisionbeforeaddingthenextlevel.
VolumesIbeganbyaddingvolumetothelegsandarmswiththeInflatetool(seeFigure6-19).TheInflatetoolisparticularlyhandyatlowsubdivisionlevelsforenlargingbasicmassesandgivingthemaniceroundedshape.TheClaytoolisalsohandyforbuildingupmassinaspecificplace.(It’seasytomakeformsthinneragainwiththeSmoothtoolorwiththeInflatetoolinSubtractivemode.)
OntheBat’storso,Ibeganseparatingthebulkoftheribcageorchestfromthepelvisandaddingsomemusclemassonthebackfortheshoulders.TheBatCreatureisacharacterwithwingscomingoutofitsback,solargemusclesonthebackareexpected.
PlanesNext,Ibegansculptingthefigure’sbasicplanes.BecauseIwasaddingmoredefinitionatthispoint,Ifirstaddedafewmoresubdivisionlevels,bringingtheoverallpolycounttoafewhundredthousandpolygons.Theaimherewasfirsttofindthebonylandmarksofthebody,suchasthetopandbottomoftheribcage,theiliaccrestsofthepelvis,thekneesandelbows,andtheskull(seeFigure6-20,Landmarks).
Asafirststep,youcanroughlymarkthesepointswithalightimpressionfromtheClaybrush.Next,youcanplacethesecondaryformsofthemajormusclegroupsusingtheselandmarksasaguide.Todothis,simplyaddandsubtractmasswiththeClaybrushes(Figure6-20,Masses).ThenyoucanbeginflatteningthesemassesoutintothemainplanesofthebodyusingtheFlatten,Scrape,andFillbrushes(Figure6-20,Planes).UsingtheCreasebrushatthisstagewillallowyoutocreatebetterdivisionsbetweenplanesinSubtractivemode(thedefaultbehaviorforthisbrush);thisbrushcanalsobeusedinAdditivemodetoadd
sharpedgestoplanesthatfaceoutward.
AgoodwaytoplanandkeeptrackofthedetailsyouwanttocreateistosketchthemusclegroupswithBlender’sgreasepencil,usingtheSurfacedrawingsetting(seeFigure6-21).InObjectmodeandwithyourmeshselected,addanewgreasepencillayer,setthedrawmodetoSurface,andthendrawstrokesonthesurfaceofyourmeshbyholdingdownDandclickingtodraw.Nowyoucansketchanyanatomicallandmarksonyoursculptbeforeactuallysculptingthemin.Forexample,inFigure6-21,Ihavesketchedoutthemajormusclegroups.
Figure6-19.BatCreaturevolumes:Subdividedbasemeshbeforesculptingvolumes(left)andthebasiclargevolumesroughlyaddedusingtheGrabandInflatebrushes(right).Atthisstage,Iwasconcernedwithrefiningtheoverallshapeofthecharacterintoonewiththerightvolumesandproportions,mainlybyinflatinganddeflatingorbysmoothingouttheformsatalowsubdivisionlevel.Icouldalsotweak
certainproportionsinthebasemesh.
Figure6-21.Left:Sketchingoutmusclegroupsandlandmarkswiththegreasepencil.Right:TheGreasePencilpanel,whichisfoundinthePropertiesregion.
Figure6-20.StagesinlayingoutthemajorplanesofthebodyCoarseAnatomyWithourplanessketchedout,wecanmoveontofurtherdefiningtheanatomy.ReferencesareparticularlyhandyatthisstageaswedefinefurtheranatomicaldetailsusingbrusheslikeClay,ClayTubes,Crease,andInflatetoaccentuateindividualmusclesandthebonesofthebodyandtheface(seeFigure6-22).
SculptingHard-to-ReachAreasUsingShapeKeysSomeareas,likeunderthearmpitsorbetweenthelegs,canbeawkwardtoreachwithyoursculptingbrushes.Tomakethetaskeasier,createanewshapekeyforyourmeshinEditmodethatwillletyoureachtheareayouwanttoworkon.
Shapekeysallowyoutostoredifferentpositionsfortheverticesofyourmesh,enablingyou,forexample,tohaveonepositionwiththearmsup,onewiththearmsdown,orwhateverpositionyouwish.ShapekeysarefullycompatiblewithSculptmode,meaningyoucanblendthemonorofftochangeyoursculpt’sposewhilesculpting.Forexample,forthissculpt,Icreatedshapekeyswiththecharacter’sarmsandlegsheldfurtherouttomakeiteasiertoreachthearmpitandinnerlegareas.
Figure6-22.Definingtheanatomyfurther.Referencesareimportantatthisstage,thoughthereisroomforinventionaswell.
Tocreatetheshapekeys,IfirstaddedanewshapekeyinObjectmodetoholdthenewpose.(Clickthe+iconontherightoftheShapeKeyspaneltwicetosettheoriginalshapeofthemeshasthedefault“basis”shape;thenclickitagaintocreateanewshapewiththevertexpositionsstoredrelativetothebasisshape.)Next,IselectedtheverticesofthearminEditmodeandrotatedthemabouttheshouldertobringthearmoutwardslightly.ThenIadjustedthesurroundingverticestorefinethenewpose(seeFigure6-23).ReturningtoSculptorObjectmode,Icouldthenturnthisshapekeyupordown(usingthevalueslidersintheShapeKeyspanel)tomovethebodyintoapositionthatwouldbeeasiertoworkon.
HidingPartsoftheMesh
AnotherwaytoreachdifficultareasinasculptistohidepartofthemeshusingtheshortcutALT-B,whichletsyoudragoutaboxonthescreentorestrictthevisiblepartofyourmeshtoonlywhatisinsidethebox(seeFigure6-24).Byhidingpartsofyourmesh,youcanconcentrateononesmallareaofyourmodelatatimeandalsoseeintomoredifficultorhiddenareas.
Figure6-23.Addingshapekeysfordifferentposes.Topleft:TheShapeKeyspanelfoundintheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor.Topright:Selectingthearmtomoveittoanewpositiontomakethepreviouslyhiddenareasofthearmandchestmoreaccessible.Bottom:ThenewposeappliedinSculpt
modeandaseparate,similarshapekeyforthelegs.
Figure6-24.Restrictingthevisibleareatoasmallselection,usingtheshortcutALT-Banddraggingarectanglearoundtheareayouwanttoremainvisible
SculptingtheWingsNextImovedontosculptingthewings(seeFigure6-25).Thewingsrequiredlesswork,asthebasicshapewasclosertothefinallookIwanted.
IbeganbyusingtheInflatebrushtoaddsomevolumetothewingbones,andthenIaddedsomebonylandmarks.Next,IrefinedtheplanesofthebonesandgavethemclearboundarieswiththeInflate,Crease,Flatten,andClaybrushes.TheCreaseLazybrushthatwemadeearliercomesinhandyforworkingontheoutlinesofthebonesandaddingridgestothewingstructure.
BasicDetailsWhileIwasn’tplanningtofinalizethefinedetailscoveringtheBat’sbodyuntilretopology,Istillneededtoaddthemainfeaturesofthehead:theeyes,nostrils,mouth,anddetailsoftheears.Returningtothebody,Ibegantoaddthesedetails.TheCreasebrushisanexcellentwaytodrawintheoutlinesofthesedetails—suchasthevalleybetweenthelipsandthecreasesofthebrowsandaroundthenose—beforeusingtheClaybrushestobuildupthebasicformsand
theFlattenandPolishbrushestorefinethem(seeFigure6-26).Later,thesewouldberetopologizedandresculpted,soIleftthemprettyroughfortimebeing,justdoingenoughtoindicatethegeneralshape.
Figure6-25.Thewingsweresculptedinthesamewayasthebody.Becausetheinitialbasemeshwasmoredefinedtobeginwith,thisprocesswassimplerthanitwasforthebody.
SculptingAroundtheEyesEyescanbetrickytosculptbecauseyouneedtofollowtheunderlyingshapeoftheeyeballwhileaddingthedetailsoftheeyelidsandsuch.Tomakethingseasier,firstaddanewsphereobjectasaplaceholderfortheeyeball(see
Figure6-26),thensculpttheeyelidsaroundthesphere.AMirrormodifiercanbeusedtocreatetheothereyebyusingthebodyobjectasthemirrorobjectinthemodifiersettings.
Figure6-26.AddinganeyetomakesculptingthesurroundingareaseasierandusingtheCreasebrushtomarkinkeyfeaturesoftheface.Rememberwhenscalingtheeyetothecorrectsizethattheskullisapproximatelyfiveeye-widthsacrossandthatthereshouldbeoneeye-widthbetweenthetwoeyes.
TimetoRetopologizeAtthispoint,Ihadreachedthestagewhereaddingfurthersubdivisionswouldbeslowandunwieldywiththecurrenttopology(thepolycountofthebodyatthispointisover5millionfaces).Byretopologizingatthisstage,youcancreateadenserandmoresuitablemeshthatgivesahigherinitialdensityofpolygonsinimportantareaslikethefaceandhands,withbettertopologytosupportthecoarserdetails.Thiswillallowyoutoresumesculptingagainafterretopologizingandaddfinerdetailstothemeshwithouthavingtokeepincreasingthepolycounttoridiculouslevels.
NOTEJumptoChapter7ifyouwishtofollowalonginstrictchronologicalorder.Fromhereon,Iwillbetransferringexistingdetailstoanewretopologizedmeshbeforemovingontoaddfinerdetails.
TransferringSculptedDetailtoaNewMeshwithaDisplacementMap
Havingretopologizedthesculpt,IwasleftwithtransferringthedetailsIhadsculptedontheoriginalmeshtothenewone.Thereareseveralwaystoapproachthis,eachwithitsadvantagesanddisadvantages.OnewayistousetheShrinkWrapmodifier:firstaddingaMultiresmodifiertoyournewmesh,thensubdividingafewtimes,addingShrinkWrapmodifier,andsettingtheoriginalmeshasthetarget.Thiscanworkreasonablywellforsimplersculpts,butformorecomplexobjects,itcancreatesomeartifactsanderrorsthatwilltaketimetostraightenout.Assuch,formorecomplexsculpts,abettermethodistouseadisplacementmap.
AboutDisplacementMapsAdisplacementmapisanimagetexturethatdefineshowtodisplacethesurfaceofameshaccordingtothevalueofthetexture:Whiteareascausethesurfacetoberaised,andblackareasarepushedin.ByUVunwrappingthemeshandapplyingadisplacementmaptothenewmesh,youcantransferthedetailsoftheoldsculpttothenewmesh.
Tocreateadisplacementmap,useBlender’stexture-bakingtoolstocalculatethedistancesbetweenthesurfacesoftheoriginalsculptandthenewlyretopologizedmeshandtobakethemintoanimage.Then,byusingtheDisplacemodifier(combinedwiththeMultiresmodifiertosubdividethemesh),youcanapplythisdisplacementtomakethenewretopologizedmeshexactlymatchtheoldone.(UVmappingiscoveredmorethoroughlyinChapter8andtexturebakinginChapter10,soIwillonlytouchonthebasicshere.)
IcreatedasimpleUVunwrapformyretopologizedmeshbytaggingsomeseams(CTRL-E)tosplititintoeasy-to-unwrappatches.ThenIunwrappeditusingtheUnwrapoperator(U▸Unwrap)andpackedtheUVislandsintotheUVgrid.(YoucandothisautomaticallywiththeshortcutCTRL-P.)
Next,Iassignedanewimagetotheobject’sUVcoordinatesbyselectingtheobject,enteringEditmode,and,intheUVImageeditor,usingImage▸NewImagetocreateablank,4096×4096imageforbakingdisplacement.(Besuretocheckthe32-bitfloatoptionforbestresultswhencreatingthisimage,asdisplacementmapswithlowerbitdepthscancausenastysteppingartifacts.)
Finally,Ibakedthedisplacementfrommyoriginalsculpttothenewretopologizedmesh(seeFigure6-27)byfollowingthesesteps:
1. Selecttheoriginalsculpt.
2. UseSHIFT▸SelecttheretopologizedmeshandapplyaSubdivisionSurfacemodifiertoitwitharenderlevelof3.Thiswillsubdividethemeshbeforecalculatingthedisplacementsothatlater,whenweuseaMultiresmodifiertosubdividethemesh,thesamedisplacementcanbeapplied.
3. IntheRendertabofthePropertieseditor,opentheBakepanel.
4. MakesurethatSelectedtoActiveisenabledandBakemodeissettoDisplacement.
Figure6-27.Bakingthedisplacementfromtheoldsculpttothenewretopologizedmesh.ThisisofteneasiertotweakandgivesbetterresultsthantheShrinkwrapmodifier,thoughittakessome
extraeffort.
5. LeavetheDistanceparametersettothedefaultof0.
6. ClickBaketobakeyourdisplacementmap.
7. Onceitisbaked,saveyourdisplacementmapasanOpenEXRfilefromthe
UVImageeditorbyselectingImage▸SaveasImagefromtheheadermenu(makingsuretosetthefiletypetoEXRwhensaving).
ApplyingDisplacementtotheSculptOncethedisplacementmapimagehasbeenbaked,youneedtocreateatexturethatusesthisimageandapplyitastheinputforaDisplacementmodifierappliedtothenewmesh.
NOTETheprocedureoutlinedbelowissomewhatinelegantbecauseinordertoeditatexture’sproperties,Blenderrequiresyoutoassignittoamaterial,world,orbrush.Togetaroundthis,youcancreatea“dummy”materialtoassignthedisplacementtexturetosothatyoucanedititandthenassignittothedisplacementmodifier.(Formoreonhowimages,textures,andmaterialsnormallywork,skiptoChapter10,Chapter11,andChapter12.)
Toapplythedisplacementmaptoyournewretopologizedmesh,dothefollowing:
1. Selectyourretopologizedmeshand,intheMaterialstabofthePropertiesEditor,createanewmaterialforitbyclickingtheNewbutton.Wewon’tbeusingthismaterialtorenderourmeshlater;it’sjustthereassomewheretoholdourtexturefornow.YoucanrenamethismaterialsomethinglikeDisplacement_Dummy.YoumayalsowanttocreateafakeuserforthismaterialbyclickingtheFiconnexttoitsnamesothatwhenyouassignadifferentmaterialtotheobject(leavingthedummymaterialunassigned),thedummymaterialwillnotbediscarded.
2. SwitchtotheTexturetabofthePropertieseditorandaddanewtexturetothematerial,againbyclickingNew.
3. SetthematerialtypetoImageorMovieandthen,fromtheImagepanelbelow,clickOpenandloadthedisplacementmapyoujustcreated.Namethissomethingmemorableaswell.
4. DeletetheSubdivisionSurfacemodifierweaddedearlierandaddaMultiresmodifiertoyourretopologizedmeshinstead.Thensubdivideita
fewtimes.Aimforroughlythesamenumberoffacesasyouroriginalmeshfornow.
5. AddaDisplacementmodifier.FromtheTextureselector,chooseyourdisplacementmaterialandleavedirectionsettoNormal,butchangetheCoordinatessettingtoUVtouseyourobject’sUVcoordinatestoapplythedisplacementtexture.Becausewekeptthetexture-bakingsettingsmostlyontheirdefaults,thedefaultstrengthof1shouldbeexactlywhatweneed.Thisshouldnowgiveyourmeshexactlythesameshapeastheoriginalsculpt.
ControllingDisplacementwithaVertexGroupSomeareas,liketheinsideofthemouth,maycauseproblemswhentheDisplacementmodifierisapplied.Sincetheinsideofthemouthiscompletelynewtopology,itwon’thaveanyusefulinformationinthedisplacementmap,anditwouldbebettertoexcludetheseareasfromtheeffectsoftheDisplacementmodifier.Tofixtheseareas,youcanassignavertexgrouptotheDisplacementmodifiertorestrictdisplacementtoonlycertainpartsofthemesh,leavingproblemareasuntouched.Figure6-28showsthevertexgroupfortheDisplacementmodifierinWeightPaintmode;theinsideofthemouthandeyesandthetipsoftheclawsonthewingsarenotincludedinthegroup.
Figure6-28.RestrictingtheactionoftheDisplacementmodifierwithavertexgroup(shownhereinWeightPaintmode)
Tocreateavertexgroup,takethefollowingsteps:
1. EnterEditmode,andintheObjectDatatabofthePropertiesEditor,andclickthe+iconintheVertexGroupspaneltocreateanewvertexgroup.
2. Selecttheverticesyouwishtobeincludedinthegroup(thatis,thepartsofthemeshyoudowanttoapplytheDisplacementmodifierto),andclickAssignintheVertexGroupspaneltoassignthemtothegroup.
3. SwitchbacktoObjectmode,andsetthisvertexgroupasthevertexgrouptousetorestricttheeffectoftheDisplacementmodifier(theVertexGroupoptionisinthemodifiersettings;seeFigure6-29).ThemodifiersyoushouldnowhaveappliedareshowninFigure6-29.
4. ApplytheDisplacementmodifierbyclickingApply.ItseffectswillbestoredbytheMultiresmodifier,allowingyoutoreturntoSculptmodeand
continuesculptingandaddingdetails.
Figure6-29.ApplyingthedisplacementmapwiththeDisplacementmodifier.PlacingtheDisplacementmodifierbelowaMultiresmodifierinthemodifierstackwillallowyoutoapplythedisplacementand
havetheresultscapturedbytheMultiresmodifiersothatyoucancontinuesculpting.
DetailingWiththeretopologizedmeshreadytobesculpted,Ibeganworkingitoverwithvariousbrushesandbuildinginthefinedetails(seeFigure6-30).TheClayandStandardbrushesaregenerallythebestfordefiningtheimportantforms,butalphatexturescanbeusedtoaddtexturemuchmorequickly.
Beginningwiththeface,IaddedsomeofthemajorwrinkleswiththeClayandDrawbrushes.Then,Imovedontousingalphatextures.UsingtheDragAlphabrushdiscussedearlierinthechapter,togetherwithsomeskintexturealphas,Ibeganbuildingupthesurfacetextureoftheskin.
Therestofthebodywascoveredinthesameway:buildinguptextureandfinedetailsusingamixofalphabrushesandsmallClayandDrawbrushes.Intheareasaroundtheshouldersandwings,Iaddedsomecreasesthatflowwiththeexpansionandcontractionofthewings,usingamixofalphas,Clay,andCreasebrushes,asshowninFigure6-31.
ProceduralDetailsWhileit’sbesttosculpttheimportantdetailsofyourmodelbyhand,itcanbehandytobeabletoaddsomegenericroughnesstothesurfaceofyoursculpt.We’veusedtheDisplacementmodifiertotransferdetailsusingabakeddisplacementmap,butwecouldalsouseothertexturesastheinputfortheDisplacementmodifiertogeneratesomesubtlevariationinthesurface.Blenderhasavarietyofproceduraltextures(texturesgeneratedbyvariousalgorithmsthatdonotrequireimagesasinput)thatareidealforthispurpose.
Figure6-30.Addingdetailtothefaceusingavarietyofbrushesandalphas
Figure6-31.Addingdetailtothewingsandback
ToaddsomesurfacedetailtoyoursculptwithaproceduralcloudtextureandtheDisplacementmodifier,dothefollowingandseeFigure6-32:
1. Createanewtextureblock(wecanusethedummymaterialcreatedearliertoholdit)andsetitstypetoCloud.
2. AddaDisplacementmodifiertoyoursculpt(aftertheMultiresmodifier)inObjectmode(DisplacementwillnotbeshowninSculptmode).Setyournewproceduraltextureasthetextureforthemodifier.
3. Setthestrengthofthemodifiertosomethingverylow.ThenswitchbacktotheTexturetabofthePropertieseditorandplaywiththesettingsoftheCloudtexture,availablefromtheCloudpanelthatappearsnowthatyouhavechosentheCloudtexturetype.Trysettingthescaleofthecloudtosomethingverysmallandplaywiththebrightness,contrast,andnoisebasistoproducedifferenteffects.
Figure6-32.AddingproceduraldetailwithacloudtextureandtheDisplacementmodifier
4. AswedidwhenweusedaDisplacementmodifiertotransferdetails,youcanuseavertexgrouptomaskoutareasthatyoudon’twanttobeaffected.
5. Whenyouhavesomethingyouarehappywith,applythemodifiertobaketheresultsintotheMultiresmodifiersothatyoucancontinuesculpting.
BreakingSymmetryAtthisstage,ifyoukeepsymmetryenabled,yoursculptmaybegintolookalittletoosymmetrical.Whilethebodiesandfacesofmostanimalsandcharactersarebroadlysymmetrical,finedetailslikepores,wrinkles,scars,andsoonarenot.
Onceyoureachthedetailingstage,itisusuallyagoodideatoturnsymmetryoffintheToolOptions.Formorefar-flungareas,liketheendsofthearmsandlegs,youcanleavesymmetryon:Becausethesepartsarefartherfromeachother,thesymmetrywillbelessapparent.However,obvioussymmetryinthedetailsrunningdownthemiddleofyourcharacterwillgenerallylookstrange,soturnsymmetryofffortheseareasinparticular.
Ofcourseyoucanbreaksymmetrymuchearlier;mostcharactersandfaceshavesomesubtleasymmetry.Thislevelofsubtletycanaddalotofbelievabilitytoyoursculpts,soconsiderdisablingsymmetryearlieron.
PosingTocreateamoreinterestingposeformycharacter,IjumpedintoEditmode(TAB)andusedproportionaleditinginConnectedmode(ALT-O)togetherwithrotatingaboutthe3Dcursortomovethelimbs(seeFigure6-33).Icreatedanewshapekeyfortheposeandthenbeganadjustingthebody.Forexample,tomovealeg,Iselectedalltheverticesintheleg,placedthe3Dcursorwherethehipjointwouldbe,andthenrotatedthelegaboutthatpointusingproportionaleditingtocreateasmoothtransition.Thisisaquickanddirtywaytoposeacharacterwithoutresortingtoriggingit,whichisacomplextask—andforastillrender,moreeffortthanit’sworth.
Iadjustedtherestofthelimbsandtheheadtoposethecharacterinamoreinterestingway.ThenIreturnedtoSculptmode,whereIusedtheGrabandClaybrushesatalowsubdivisionleveltofixanyerrorswiththeposeandadjustthelookofthemusculature.IrelaxedmusclesthatwouldbeextendedwiththeSmoothtoolanddecreasedtheirvolumeabitandconverselyinflatedandtightenedupmusclesthatwouldbecontractinginthenewpose.
ExpressionFacialexpressionisanimportantpartofanycharacter.IaddedanewshapekeytoholdthefacialexpressionandusedtheGrabandClaybrushestoaddabitofasnarltotheBat’sface(visibleinFigure6-32)bygrabbingthesidesofthenoseandshiftingthemupslightly,pullinguptheupperlipabit,andnarrowingtheeyes.Addingsomecreasesinthoseareaswherethefaceisscrunchedupandsmoothingoutstretchedareascomplementsthedetailsalreadyadded.
Figure6-33.Adjustingthecharacterintoanewpose.Ihaveselectedtheverticesoftheheadandthenplacedthe3Dcursoratthebaseofthenecktoallowmetoturntheheadslightlybyrotatingthe
selectionaboutthe3Dcursorwithproportionaleditingenabled.Keepingthisnewposeasashapekeyallowsyoutochangeyourmindlaterandreturntothestandardpose.
SculptingtheSpiderBotTheSpiderBotwassculptedliketheBatCreaturebyfirstblockingoutthemajorformswiththeClayandGrabbrushes,thenrefiningplanesandaddingdetails.However,inthecaseoftheSpider,Ihadtheaddedcomplexityoftryingtocreatehard-surfaceforms.Whileyoucouldmodelthesesortsofformsdirectly(oftenanexcellentapproach),sculptingsomeaspectsofhard-surfaceformsallowedmetobemoreexperimentalwhencreatingourmodel.
WhileBlendercan’tquitepolishhardsurfacesandsharpedgestoperfection,youcanaccomplishalotwiththeFlattenandPolishbrushesalongwiththePinchandCreasebrushes.Thenyoucanuseretopologytocreateafinalizedmodelwithclean,smoothforms.Byfocusingonformsfirstandtopologylater,
youreducethehassleoftryingtomodelformsyouarenotyetsureaboutandgetyourobjectscurvingsmoothlywithcleantopologylater.
BodyBeginningwiththeSpiderBot’sbody,IusedtheCreasetooltoroughlymarkwhereIwantedtheedgesofmyhardsurfacestofall.InextusedtheClaybrushes(thecustomClayTubesbrushisexcellentforthispurpose)tobuildupthevolumesaroundtheselines,andIusedthePolishandFlattenbrushestorefinethem(seeFigure6-34).
Figure6-34.First,drawaroughdesignwiththeCreasebrush.Next,buildupmasseswiththeClayTubesbrush.Finally,refinethemwiththePolish,Pinch,andFlattenbrushes.
Tocreateevenfineredges,combinetheCreasebrushes(thecustomCreaseLazybrushwemadeisgoodforlong,smoothcurves)inAdditivemode(holdCTRL)to
makecornersandedgessharper.Then,pinchthemtogethertogetareallysharpcrease.BysteeringclearoftheedgesandusingtheFlattenbrushesontheflatareas,youcanachieveafairlypolishedresult.(Don’tgocrazy;we’lluseretopologylatertocreateanewmeshwithsmootherforms.)
HeadTheheadwassculptedthesameway(seeFigure6-35),usingthePolishbrushtoproduceflattershapesandtheCreasebrushtomarkinedgesandvalleys.Ialsocarvedinsomedeeprecesseswherethelegsandfangswillattachtothebody.
Figure6-35.Theheadsegment,sculptedinthesamewayasthebody
LegsSculptingthelegsproceededinmuchthesamemanner.Istartedbypolishingtheoverallshapeofthepiecesintosomethingflatterandslightlymorehardedged.ThenIbuiltupsomemoreinterestingshapesontopofthatwiththeClayandCreasebrushes,firstdrawingoutadesignandthenfillingintheshapes.Next,Ireturnedtopolishingagaintogetmoretightlydefined,smoothershapes(seeFigure6-36).
Figure6-36.Sculptingthelegsusingthesametechniqueasforthebody.Ikeptthesculptsforthelegpiecesfairlyloose,asthefinallegpartswouldbemadebyretopologizingoverthesculptedlegsto
createclean,smoothgeometry.
Againthough,there’snoneedtochaseaftersomethingperfectlysmooth,aswewillbefixingthesesurfaceswithretopologyinChapter7.
NOTEThePolishandFlattenbrushescanproduceoddeffectsatsharpcorners,creatingawkwarddents.Tofixthese,eitherundoorusetheInflateandSmoothbrushestoknockoutthedentsandthenre-creaseandpolishthesurface.
Togetanideaofthelookofmysculptatthispoint,Iduplicatedthelegparts(aslinkedduplicates,ALT-D)andmovedandrotatedthemintoplaceinObjectmode(seeFigure6-37).Thisletmecheckonthefinallookofthemodel,thoughIdidn’tbothermirroringthelegpiecesovertotheothersideofthebodyatthisstage.
Figure6-37.Thesculptedbodyparts,duplicatedandmovedintoroughlytheirfinalpositions
JungleTemple:CreatingIncidentalDetailsWhiletheruinedtemplescenedidn’tusealotofsculpting,certainincidentaldetailswereeasiertosculpt,suchaspatchesofmudandroughground(seeFigure6-38).IcreatedtheseareasmainlybyusingtheClaybrusheswithoutaMultiresmodifier,optingtosimplysubdividethemeshafewtimesinEditmode
instead.Icouldhavesculptedsomedamageintothestonewallsusingalphas,butIfeltthattherelativeflatnessofthewallscontrastednicelywiththechaosofthesurroundingfoliage,soIleftthemasonrysmooth.
Figure6-38.Someroughlysculptedpatchesofmudfromthetemplescene
SculptingNatural-LookingFacesWhiletheBatCreaturehasaface,itisn’tonethatyou’dcallclassicallyhandsome.Herearesometipsforsculptingmorenatural-lookingfaces.
Focusontheproportionsandthelargevolumesfirstbeforedivingintothedetails.Lockdowntheoverallvolumesbeforeaddingwrinkles,pores,andscarssothatyouwon’thavetoredothemlaterwhenyoursculptdoesn’tlookright(seeFigure6-39).
Figure6-39.Mappingouttheproportionsofthehead.Overall,youcanviewtheheadasbeingconstructedaroundthesphereofthecranium,withthefaceextendingforwardanddownwardfromit.Here,theproportionsoftheheadarelaidoutonagridscaledtooneeye-widthperunit.Certainimportantfeaturesoftheskull,includingthecheekbones,eyesockets,andupperjaw,aremarkedin
red.
Theheadisroughlyfiveeye-widthsacrossandapproximatelysevendown(seeFigure6-39).Thisprovesausefulmeasurement.Keepthismeasurementinmindanduseittojudgetherelativedistanceandsizeoffacialfeatures.
Themouthisdifficulttosculpt.Dependingonwhetheryouhavean“open”mouth(onewithtopologythatfollowsroundinsidethemouth)ora“closed”one(onethatissimply“drawn”ontothesurfaceoftheface),youwillneedtoadoptdifferentstrategies.Foropenmouths,theInflateandSmoothbrushesareusefulforadjustingtheshapeofthelipsandthesurroundingareas.Forclosedmouths,theCreasebrushisperfectfordrawinginthecreasebetweenthetwolips,followedbyfillingoutthesurroundingareaswiththeClayandClayTubesbrushes.RememberthattheupperlipgenerallyhasmuchmoredefinitionthanthelowerlipandhasaroughMshapetoit.Thelowerlipismoreroundedandslightlytuckedundertheupperlipinmostpeople(seeFigure6-40).
Figure6-40.Thelips
Theanatomyofthefaceandthelandmarksoftheskullareimportant.Trymodelingorsculptingaskull,sculptingthefacialmuscles,andthenaddingtheskinoverthetoptoseehowtheyaffectoneanother(seeFigure6-41).
Figure6-41.Theanatomyoftheskullisveryimportantindetermininghowapersonlooks.Inparticular,thelandmarksoftheskull—suchasthecheekbones,brows,andchin—haveabigimpact
ontheoverallappearanceofaface.
Don’taddlotsofwrinklesandcreasesunlessyouwantyourcharactertolookseriouslyold.Evenafewsubtlewrinklescanaddalotofcharactertoaface.
Fewfacesareperfectlysymmetrical.Whilesculptingwithsymmetryturnedonwilltakeyoualongway,turnitoffinthelaterstagesofyoursculpttoadd
abitofuniquenesstothetwosidesoftheface.
InReviewInthischapter,wehavelookedatthevarietyofsculptingtoolsthatBlenderhastoofferandhowtocustomizethemtomakethemostoftheircapabilities.Then,wemovedontosculptingtheBatCreature’sbodyandturningthesimplebasemeshesIcreatedbothforitandfortheSpiderBotprojectintomoredetailed,developedmodelsthatarenowreadyforretopology.Finally,wediscussedsomegeneralprinciplesforsculptingfaces.
Inthenextchapter,wemoveontoretopologizingoursculpts,bringingthemodelingstagesoftheprojectstoaclose.Inlaterchapters,we’lluseourhigh-polysculptsagainforbakingmapsandtexturesforourmodelsbeforerenderingthemwithdisplacementandnormalmapstorecapturethedetailswecreatedinthischapter.
Chapter7.Retopology
Sometimesit’seasiertocreateanobject’sbasicformusingonemethod—forexample,sculptingorcombiningsimpleprimitives—beforecreatingthefinaltopologyfortexturingandthefinalrendersanotherway,usingthebasicformsasaguide.Thisiswhatretopologyallowsustodo.Retopologyistheprocessofcreatingnewgeometryoveranexistingmeshwhilemaintainingtheobject’sbasicshapeandrebuildingitstopology.Retopologyallowsustosplitthetasksofcreatingtherightshapeandcreatinghelpfultopology,makingiteasiertoproducethemodelwewant.
Inthischapter,you’lllearnhowtouseBlender’sSnappingtoolsandotherretopologytechniquestomodelnewgeometryoverthesurfaceofhighpoly,sculptedmeshes,liketheoneswesculptedinChapter6.Theresultwillbeafinalmeshthatcapturesthedetailsofthesculptswithfewerpolygonsandproducestopologythatsubdivideswellandissuitableforriggingandanimation.
TheBasicsThereareseveralwaystoretopologize,butthemostdirectistouseBlender’sprojectionSnappingtoolstocreategeometrydirectlyonthesurfaceofthemeshyouwanttoretopologize.(SeeSnappingformoreonthesetools.)
UsingSnappingtoRetopologizeTostartretopologizingamesh,takethefollowingsteps:
1. AddanewplaneobjectinObjectmode.
2. EnterEditmodeandturnonSnapping.
3. ChangethesnappingtargettoFacesandenableProjectontoSurface(seeFigure4-10)tomakeBlendersnapselectedverticesandedgesontothe
surfaceofotherobjectsbyprojectingthemfromthecurrentviewpoint.
4. Scaledowntheplaneuntilitisthesamesizeyouwantthefacestobeinyourfinalretopologizedmesh.Next,grabandplacetheplaneoveraregionofyourmeshwhereyouwishtostartretopologizing.
5. Adjustthepositionsoftheexistingvertices.Then,selectoneedgeofthefaceandstartextrudingouttocreatenewfaces,followingthecontoursofthemesh.
6. Wheneveryouextrudeanewfaceorgrabanexistingone,itwillbeprojectedontothesurfaceofanyothermeshonscreen(thoughotherobjectsyouselectedbeforeyouenteredEditmodewillbeignored).
Usingthemethoddescribedabove,inashorttimeyoushouldbeabletocoverthesurfaceofevenacomplexmeshwiththeexacttopologyyouwant,creatinganewmeshwiththesameshapeasyouroriginal.
AlternativeMethodsforRetopologyThereareotherusefulwaystoretopologizequicklythatareworthdiscussing.ThefirstistousetheShrinkwrapmodifiertoprojectsimpletopologyoverthesurfaceofamesh.Withthismethod,youfirstmodelabasiccagearoundtheoutsideofyouroriginalmodel(asshowninFigure7-1),extrudingareastocreatethetopologyyouwant.ThecageneedstomatchtheoriginalshapeonlyroughlybecausethenextstepistoaddaSubsurf(orMultires)modifierandaShrinkwrapmodifiertothemesh,settingyouroriginalmodelasthetargetfortheShrinkwrapmodifier.TheShrinkwrapmodifierthenautomaticallyconformsthenewmeshtothesurfaceoftheoldone.
Shrinkwraphasafewmethodsfordoingthis,andit’sbesttoexperimenttoseewhatworksbestforyourmodel.I’vegenerallyfoundthemostusefulmethodstobetheNearestSurfacePointandProjectmodes.NotethattherearesomeextraoptionsforProjectmodeandthatyou’llneedtoturnonbothNegativeandPositiveinthedirectioncheckboxesinorderforyourmeshtoprojectinbothdirectionstoconformtothetarget(unlessthesurfaceofthenewmeshisalwaysaboveorbelowthesurfaceofthetarget).
Figure7-1.QuickretopologywiththeShrinkwrapmodifier.First,createasimplemesharoundyourhighpolyoriginal.Next,addaShrinkwrapmodifiertoprojectthenewmeshontotheoriginal.Here,anarmisretopologizedjustbyextrudingacirclealongitslength,roughlyscalingandrotatingitinto
place,andthenaddingSubsurfandShrinkwrapmodifierstofitthenewmeshtothesculpt.
Thismethodofretopologizingworkswellwhenyouwanttoquicklyretopologizeasculptthatneedsabetterbasemesh—forexample,ifyoustartedaheadorevenawholebodyfromacubeandthenwantedabasemeshwithtopologythatdoesabetterjobofsupportingthebasicforms.
TheShrinkwrapmethodisalsousefulforcombiningmodelscomposedofmultiplepiecesintoasinglemesh.Forexample,tocreateaone-pieceversionoftheMayanglyphsdiscussedinChapter6,youcouldprojectasimplegridmeshontotheglyphs,asshowninFigure7-2.NoticethatI’verepeatedtheShrinkwrapandSubsurfmodifierstocaptureallthedetails.Thisrepeatingofmodifiersisausefultrick,especiallywhenyouareprojectingontoameshwithalotofsharpcornersordeepcreasesandfolds,becausethefirstshrinkwrapwillmissdetailsthataren’tvisiblewhenlookingstraightatthesurfaceofthetargetmesh.Theresultingmeshcanthenbeeasilysculptedorunwrappedandtexturedwithouthavingtoworkwithmultiplepartmeshes.
AnothermethodforretopologyusesBlender’sBsurfacesadd-on,whichhas
someneattoolsforretopologythatallowyoutodrawlineswiththegreasepencilandhavethemautomaticallyconvertedtoamesh,asshowninFigure7-3.
Figure7-2.ProjectingagridmeshontotheglyphsfromtheJungleTempleprojectresultsinasinglemeshthatcapturesallthedetails.ThistechniquewouldmakeUVunwrappingandtexturingverysimple,butitwouldproduceamuchhigherpolycount.Top:Theoriginalglyphs.Bottom:Thegrid,projectedontotheglyphs.Right:Themodifierstack.TheShrinkwrapmodifiersarerepeatedwitha
SubdivisionSurfacemodifierandaSmoothmodifierinbetweentohelpthesecondshrinkwrapgetintoallthetightcorners.
RetopologizingtheJungleTempleTreesIcreatedmostoftheJungleTempleprojectusingtraditionalmodelingmethods,withoutalotofretopology.However,whenblockingoutthetrees,Icameup
withniceplaceholdersbysnappingcurvesoverthesurfaceofthebackgroundobjects.Theseplaceholdercurvescaneasilybeturnedintomorefinishedmeshesusingretopology.Toapplythistechnique,takethefollowingsteps:
1. Createaduplicate(unlinked,SHIFT-D)ofthetreeplaceholder.Then,convertittoameshwithALT-C▸MeshFromCurve/Meta/Text.Thiscreatesameshwithroughlythetopologywewant,exceptthattherootsandtrunkareseparatemeshes.
Figure7-3.RetopologizingwithBsurfacesbydrawingpolygonswiththegreasepencil.First,drawyourdesiredmeshwiththegreasepencil,crossingstrokeswhereyouwantavertextobecreated.Then,usetheAddSurfacebutton(inEditmode)tocreateameshfromyourstrokes.Usingthesurfaceoptionforthegreasepencilstrokeswillallowyoutodrawdirectlyontoyour
sculpt,creatingameshthatfollowsitsshape.
2. Jointherootstothetrunkbydeletingtheverticesintheareaswherethetwoshouldjoin.Then,startcreatingnewgeometrytocoverthejoinandbridgethegap(seeFigure7-4).Selectpairsofedgesthatroughlylineuponeithersideofthejoinandcreatefacesbetweenthem(F).
3. Youcanthenaddsomeloopcuts(CTRL-R)acrossthisfacetosplititintomoreeven-sizedquads.
4. Grabthenewverticesthiscreatesandreleasethemagaintosnapthemtothesurface.Repeattheprocesstocontinuefillinginthegaps,joiningnewfacestogetherandtryingtokeepthetopologyasevenandgrid-likeasyou
can.
Figure7-4.Retopologizingthecurve-basedtreesintoasinglemeshusingBlender’sSnappingtools.AfterIduplicatedtheoriginalcurve-basedtreeandconvertedittoamesh,mostofthe
workwasdone,leavingonlythejoinsbetweenrootsandthetrunktobefilledin.
5. Repeattheabovestepsforallofthejoinsbetweentherootsandthetrunk.
6. Finally,closetheopenendsoftheroots.It’salsoworthwhileatthisstagetoadjustthedensityofedgeloopsaroundtherootsandtrunk,deletingsome(X▸EdgeLoop)inareaswheretheyaretoodenseandaddingtheminsparserareas(CTRL-R).
RetopologizingtheBatCreatureWhiletheoriginalBatCreature’sbasemeshwasagoodstart,itlackedthenecessarytopologytosupportallthefeaturesoftheheadandmoredetailedanatomy.Additionally,thewingswereinitiallyconstructedandsculptedasseparatepieces.Now,Ineededtocreateafinalmeshwithmoredetailedtopologythatcombinesthetwoparts.
DecimationBeforeusingretopology,Ineededtodealwiththefactthatthefullsculptwasinthemillionsofpolygonsandwasgettingunwieldy.Ofcourse,thiswasthereasonforretopologizingit,butstill,itwouldbegoodtohaveastand-inmeshthatcapturesthedetailswithalowerpolygoncountformetodrawmynewtopologyover.Theanswerisdecimation.
Decimationisaprocesswherebyahighpolymeshisautomaticallysimplifiedby
collapsingsmalledgesandpolygonstoreducethemodel’scomplexitywhilelosingaslittledetailaspossible.BlenderhasaDecimatemodifier,butit’salittleslowandnotalwayseffective,soIoftenuseanotheropensourceapplicationcalledMeshLab(http://www.meshlab.sourceforge.net/).TouseMeshLabonaBlendersculpt,takethefollowingsteps:
1. Exportyourobjectasawavefrontobject(.obj)file(File▸Export),makingsurethattheSelectedOnlyandApplyModifiersoptionsarecheckedsothatallmodifiersareapplied(includingMultires)andthatthedetailsofyoursculptarepreserved.Thiswillcreateafairlyhuge.objfilethatcontainsyourhighpolysculptedmesh.
2. ToimportyoursculptintoMeshLab,justruntheprogramandthenuseFile▸Importtoimportyourmeshin.objformat.
3. MeshLabhasahugearrayofoptionsforprocessingmeshes,butforourpurposes,we’llusetheQuadraticEdgeCollapseDecimationtool(Filters▸Remeshing▸QuadraticEdgeCollapseDecimation).Thisbringsupamenuallowingyoutospecifyatargetpolycountforyourmesh,amongotheroptions(seeFigure7-5).
4. Setthetargetpolycounttoaround150,000andturnonPlanarSimplificationintheoptions.Thenrunthefilter.Afterashortwait,youshouldbepresentedwithamuchlowerpolygoncountversionofyoursculptthatstillencompassesmuchofthedetail.YoucanexportthisfromMeshLabusingtheFilemenuandthenre-importitbackintoBlender.
Figure7-5.DecimatingsculptsinMeshLab.TheQuadraticEdgeCollapseDecimationtoolallowsyoutosetatargetpolycount,towhichMeshLabwillthenreduceyourmeshbymergingclose-together
vertices.
RetopologizingtheBodyWiththesculptdecimatedandre-importedbackintoBlender,Icouldstartlayingsomenewtopologyoverit.IbeganbyaddinganewplaneinObjectmodeandapplyingaMirrormodifiertoit.Then,IturnedonProjectionintheSnappingtoolsbuttons.Next,IgrabbedmyplaneinEditmodeandscaledandpositioneditwhereIwantedtostartmyretopologyfrom(thetorso,inthiscase).
NOTEAtthispoint,IthoughtcarefullyaboutwhatdensityofpolygonsIwantedinthefinalmodel.Scalingthefirstplaneupordownandworkingtothisscalemadeabigdifferenceinthefinalpolycountoftheretopologizedmesh.Igenerallytriedtoworkatasimilarscaletomostoftheimportantdetailsoftheoriginalmesh.
Withastartingpointset,Ibeganextruding(E)fromoneedgeofmyoriginalquadalongtheformsofthemodel(seeFigure7-6),followingtheoutlineoftheribcageandtorsomuscles.Thiscreatedafaceloopthatranalonganimportant
formwithinthemodel.Byfillinginthesurroundingareasandcreatingfurtherfaceloopsalongotherforms,wecanworktowardcompletelyretopologizingoursculptwithtopologythatsupportstheformswehavesculpted.Thiscreatesamoreefficientmeshforcapturingthefinedetailswhenwesubdivideitandmakesiteasytounwrapandrigifwedesiretolater.
AsIprogressedoverthemodel,manyofthesamegeneralpositionsforfaceloopsthatIusedinthebasemeshwereusefulagain.Whileoverallthetopologywasmorecomplex,creatingfaceloopsthatranaroundthearmpitandshoulderandaroundthearms,legs,andneckresultedinclean,easy-to-modifytopology(seeFigure7-7).Also,becausethemeshwasstillbroadlysymmetrical,IonlyneededtoretopologizehalfthebodyanduseaMirrormodifiertofillintheotherhalf.
Forsomeareas,liketheface,Ibegantoshrinkthepolygonsinordertopackmoreintothearea’ssmaller,moredetailedforms.Icreatedloopsthatranaroundtheeyes,nose,mouth,andoutsideoftheears(seeFigure7-8).Theseloopsbothsupportedtheformsofthefacesothattheyweren’tlostorsoftenedtoomuchwhensubdividedandaddedextradensitytotheseareastoallowfortheadditionofmoredetailswiththeMultiresmodifier.(Forspecifictipsonfacetopology,seeHeadTopology.)
Tocreateamouthcavity,Iextrudedbackfromtheedgeloopsurroundingthemouthandfilledinthehole(seeFigure7-9).Whenwereturntosculptonthisretopologizedmesh,we’llneedtoresculptthisarea,butthemouthwillnowbeabletobeopenedandposed.
Forobjectslikethewings,whereitcanbedifficulttoseeintotightareas,itcanbehandytoswitchtoperspectiveview(5),whichallowsthecameratobemovedinandaroundtightspaces.ItcanalsobeusefultorestricttheviewwithALT-B.Thisletsyouselectapartofyourmodeltoshowinthe3DViewport,allowingyoutoseeasmallareawithoutotherpartsofyourmodelgettingintheway,asshowninFigure7-10.
Figure7-6.Beginbycreatingasingleimportantfaceloopquadbyquad.Then,moveontoothersandfillintheareasinbetween.
Figure7-7.Importantfaceloops.Agoodtipwhendoingretopologyistoviewyournewmeshonitsownbypressing/(forwardslash)toviewjusttheselectedobjects.Thiswillletyouseehowyour
retopologizedmeshisprogressingbeforepressing/toreturntoglobalviewandcontinuemodeling.
Figure7-8.Retopologizingafacetocreatenewtopologythatfollowsthesculptedforms
Figure7-9.Addingacavityforthemouth
Figure7-10.RestrictingBlender’sviewtoasmallselection(ALT-B)makesiteasiertoworkontightareas.HitALT-Bagaintoreturnthedisplaytonormal.
Creatingnewtopologythatbridgesthejoinbetweenthewingsandbodyisassimpleascontinuingtoretopologizeoverthejoin(seeFigure7-10,whichshowsthemeshcoveringboththewingandshoulderoftheBatCreature).Doingsoallowsyoutocreateasinglemeshthatcombinesthewingsandbody(seeFigure7-11).
Figure7-11.Theretopologizedbodymesh,nowincorporatingboththewingsandbodyandwithenoughdetailtocapturethebroaderfeaturesofthefaceandmusculature
RetopologizingtheSpiderBotMygoalfortheSpiderBotwastoturntheroughsculptintoasmooth,hard-surfacemodel.Todothis,Ineededtoreplacetheoriginal,simpletopologyofthebasemeshwithadensermesh,tailoredtotheshapesofthebody.Additionally,retopologyallowedmetoembellishasIwentalong,turningpartsofthemodelintohollowshells,addingholes,oraddingsupplementarydetailstotheretopologizedsurface.
Figure7-12.Retopologizingthebody.Notehowthepolygonsflowaroundtheedgesofthesculpt.Later,we’lladdsupportloopstorefinetheedgetomakeitsharperandcleaner.
Beginningwiththebody,Iaddedaplane(SHIFT-A)asbefore,withSnappingturnedonandsettoprojectnewgeometryontothesurfaceofthesculpt.Next,IaddedaMirrormodifiertomyplaneandbeganfollowingthemajorlinesacrossthesurface(seeFigure7-12).Thefinalstepwastofillinquadstocompletetherestofthesurface,whiletryingtokeepthesizeanddistributionofpolygonseven.Tosmoothoutanydentsinthesurface,youshouldselectanareayou’vealreadyretopologized—avoidingedgesandcorners—andusetheSmoothtoolafewtimestoevenoutthedistributionofgeometry.
Figure7-13.Replacingsomeareasofthesculptwithnew,cleanergeometry.Here,cubesareplacedbyhandandsubdividedacoupleoftimesbeforebeingconnectedtotheretopologizedgeometry.
Forsomepartsofthesculpt,Iwantedtoreplacetheroughformssculptedfreehandwithmoreprecisegeometry.Todothis,Isimplyaddedaprimitive,
suchasacubeorcylinderwithapproximatelytherightshape,andmoveditintoplace.Forexample,inFigure7-13,Iaddedcubestoformthesocketsforthelegs,deletingtheirfrontandbottomfacesandsubdividingthemtogivetherightshapewhileadjustingthesurroundinggeometrytofitthemin.
Tofurtherrefinethemodel,Iaddedsupportloopsarounditsmainhardedges(seeFigure7-14).YoucandothisusingtoolslikeLoopCut(CTRL-R),Subdivide(W▸Subdivide),andEdgeSlide(CTRL-E▸EdgeSlide),oryoucanusetheInsetFacesoperator,whichaddsanedgelooparoundtheselectedfaceswithaconstantthickness.Combiningtheseoperatorsletsyoubuildupsupportloopsaroundthekeyhardedgesofyourmodel.
Figure7-14.Usingsupportloopstotightentheshapeoftheretopologizedsculpt
Youcanaddembellishmentstotheretopologizedmeshinseveralways.Forexample,thepieceontheleftinFigure7-15wascreatedbyduplicating(SHIFT-D)someofthefacesoftheretopologizedmeshinEditmodeandmovingthemup(withsnappingturnedoff)tocreateanewpiece.Then,byextrudingthenewparttogiveitsomethicknessandaddingsomesupportloopsaroundtheedges,Icreatedaraisedareaonthesurfaceofthemodel.ThecircularelementontheheadinFigure7-15wasmadebycreatinganewcircle,projectingthecircleonto
thesurfaceofthemodelwithBlender’sSnappingtools,andthenturningoffsnappingandextrudingouttocreatearaisedarea.Toflattenthetopofit,Iscaledthecentralpartalongitsnormalsbychangingthetransformorientationforthe3DmanipulatorwidgettoNormalsandthenusingS▸Z▸Z▸0toscaletheselectionalongthesurfacenormalstozero,makingitperfectlyflat.
Figure7-15.Addingembellishmentsbycombiningretopologywithregularmodellingtechniques
Irepeatedthesameprocessfortheabdomen(seeFigure7-16)andthelegs(seeFigure7-17).Insomeareas,mysculpthadlumpsorareasthatdidn’tquitepolishwellenoughwhilesculpting,soIhadtotweakthingsabitonceretopologywasfinishedinordertogetnicecleanedges.
BecauseIsculptedonlyacoupleofvariationsforthedifferentlegpieces,Ihadaneasytimewhenretopologizing.Eachuniquepiecewasretopologizedonlyonce(asshowninFigure7-17)andthenduplicatedaslinkedduplicatestocreatethecopiesneededforthelegs.Asinthecaseofthebody,IalsousedaMirrormodifiertomirrorthelegpiecesacrosstheiraxisofsymmetry.
DuplicatingGroupsofObjectsBecauseIdidn’treallyneedtocopythelegstotheothersideofthebodyproperlyatthisstage,Iaddedallofthelegpiecestotheleftsideofthebodyasagroup(CTRL-GinObjectmode)andthencreatedanotherinstanceofthisgroup(SHIFT-A▸Add▸GroupInstance▸Nameofgroup).Theresultwasanoneditable,duplicateinstanceofalltheobjectsinthegroup.Ithenscaledthisgroupby–1onitsx-axistoflipittotheothersideofthebody.Later,IcouldusetheMakeDuplicatesRealoperator(CTRL-SHIFT-A)toconvertthisgrouptorealgeometry(stillaslinkedduplicatesoftheoriginalobjects),butfornow,thiswasaconvenientwaytopreviewtheentiremodelwithoutcreatingunnecessaryobjects(seeFigure7-18).
TipsforRetopologizingInsummary,herearesomegeneraltipstofollowwhenretopologizingyourmodels:
Modeltheimportantedgeloopsfirstandthenfillintherest.
Usesupportloopsorcreasingtotightenedges.
UseBlender’sretopologytoolstoaddextraembellishmentstoyourmodel.
Trytokeepanevenpolygondensity,unlessyouarespecificallyaddingmoredetailinacertainarea.
Payattentiontothesilhouetteofyourmodel.Usuallyyouwillbelookingattheareayouareretopologizingfaceon,sobesuretolookatitfromotheranglestoseethatitworks.
Trytoworkwithlargerpolyswherepossible.Don’tusemorethanyouhaveto!
Figure7-16.Retopologizingtheabdomen.Thepartinthemiddlewasseparatedfromthemainbodyoftheabdomentobreakuptheshapeoftheabdomenabit,givingitamoreinterestingappearance.
Figure7-17.Retopologizingthelegs.Forsomeareas,Ihadtoeithercleanuptheretopologizedmeshmanuallyorsimplymodelnewareas,suchastheundersideofthelegs,fromscratch.Someextra
embellishments,likerivetsandsoon,Iplacedbyhand.
Figure7-18.ThecombinedelementsoftheSpiderBotthatrequiredretopology,withthelegsinplace.Thelegsaremirroredtotheothersideofthebody.
HeadTopologyTheheadissuchacomplexsubjectthatitdeservessomespecialattentionhere.Whilethereisnoonetopologyforeveryconceivablehead,therearesomeimportantprinciplestoconsider.Mainly,whenretopologizingahead,youshouldconcentrateoncreatingfaceloopsaroundthekeyfeaturesoftheface,particularlythemouthandeyes,whichwillmakeiteasytodeformthefaceintofamiliarshapes(seeFigure7-19).Theseprinciplesapplywhetheryouareretopologizingasculptedheadormodelingonefromscratch.
Byconstructingtheimportantareasofthefacewithnicetopologyfirst,it’seasiertojointherestoftheheadtogether.Ingeneral,Ibeginwiththeeyesandworkdownfromthenoseintothemouth.Then,Iworkbackwardthroughthecheeks,forehead,andears.Lastly,Icovertherestoftheheadandondowntheneck.Byfirstbuildingoutwardfromthemostimportantandcomplexpartsofthehead,you’llhavetosortoutfewerproblemswiththetopologyintheareasthatmattermost.
Figure7-19.Thehead,withthemajorfaceloopshighlighted
EyesWhencreatingorretopologizingahead,thereshouldalmostalwaysbeacleanringoffaceloopsaroundtheeyes(seeFigure7-20).Thesefaceloopsshould
extendoutfromtheoutlineoftheeyelidtoencompassthebrows,theouterareaofthebridgeofthenose,andtheuppersurfaceofthecheekbones.Thisringwillmakeiteasytoclosetheeyesorraisetheeyebrowsorcheeks,anditmirrorstheunderlyinganatomyoftheface:Theorbicularisoculimusclesurroundingtheeyecirclestheeyeinexactlythesamefashionasthisringoffaceloops.
Figure7-20.Theeyes.Addingedgeloopsaroundtheeyesmakesthemmucheasiertoedit,pose,andrig.Notethetearductintheinnercorneroftheeye,wherethegapbetweentheupperandlowereyelidshasbeenbridged.Tocreatetheeyesocket,theinnermostlooparoundtheeyelidsissimplyextruded
backandthenoptionallyfilledintocloseupthehole.
MouthAswiththeeyes,theorbicularisorismuscleencirclesthemouthandisresponsibleforwideningandnarrowingit(seeFigure7-21).Tomakeiteasytoproducecommonmotionsofthemouth,we’llcreatearingofedgeloopsaroundthemouthinthesameway.Thisringwillalsomakeitsimpletodefinetheoutlineofthelipsanddeformthemeasily.
Nose/NasolabialFoldThecomplexfeaturesofthenosearethenostrilsanditstip.Byincorporatingfaceloopsthatrunaroundtheseareas,therestofthenosebecomesrelativelyeasytodefine.
Figure7-21.Themouth.Noteatthecornersofthemouththattheedgeloopsonthesurfaceofthelipsbunchupandflowaroundinsidethemouth.Trytokeepthesameedgeorfaceloopflowingaroundtheoutlineofboththeupperandlowerlips.Theeasiestwaytodothisistostartwiththisedgeloopand
workinward.
Thenasolabialfoldisanimportantfeatureofthenoseandismostobviousinsnarlingorolderfaces.Addingafaceloopthatrunsoverthebridgeofthenoseanddownthesidesofthemouth,connectingunderoratthechin,allowsustodefinethisarea(seeFigure7-22).Thebridgeofthenoseisformedsimplybybridgingacrossbetweentheloopsencirclingthetwoeyes.
Figure7-22.Thenose.Here,thefaceloopsrunningalongthenasolabialfoldandoverthebridgeofthenosearehighlightedinblue,andafacelooprunningaroundthenostrilsandthetipofthenoseis
highlightedingreen.Itisalsousefultocreatefaceloopsaroundtheinsideofthenostrils.
EarsEarsarehighlyvariablefrompersontoperson,buttheiroverallconstructionisreasonablyconstant.Becausetheearismainlycartilagewithnomusculatureorarticulation,itisaprettystaticfeatureoftheheadandthusagoodplacetohideawkwardtrianglesifnecessary.Bydefiningthehelixandantihelix(theouterandinnercurvedpartsoftheear,showninblueandgreenrespectivelyinFigure7-23)withedgeloopsthatrundownintotheearlobe,wecanmakeiteasytodefinetheear’soverallstructure.Theothermainfeatureoftheearistheearcanal.Inaddition,itissometimeshandywhenconstructingtheeartotrytohaveasingleedgeloopencirclingtheeartomakeiteasiertoattachtheeartothehead.Onewaytodothisistoconstructtheearasaseparatemeshinitiallyandthencreatealooparoundtheoutsidebeforeplacingtheearandconnectingitwiththehead.
Figure7-23.Theear
InReviewInthischapter,you’velearnedhowtoretopologizemesheswitharbitrarytopology,betheyhighpolysculptsoracollectionofseparateprimitives,tocreatesmooth,cleantopologythatsubdivideswell.We’vediscussedwaystouseBlender’sSnappingtoolstoretopologizemeshes,aswellasalternativemethods,suchastheBsurfacesadd-onandtheShrinkwrapmodifier.Wemovedontousingthesetoolstoretopologizethemesheswecreatedinearlierchapterswithnew,bettertopology.
InChapter8,we’llunwrapthisnewtopologytoprovideitwithtexturecoordinatesbeforebakingandpaintingtexturesforourfinalmodelsinChapter10andChapter11.Theimprovementsthatwe’vemadetoourmodelsinthischapterwillmakethatprocesseasierandwillalsoimproveourrendertimeswhenwereachChapter14.
Chapter8.UVUnwrapping
Inthischapter,we’llUVunwrapthemodelscreatedsofar(wherenecessary).UVunwrappingdescribestheprocessofcreatingasetof2Dcoordinatesforthefacesofamodel,whichwecanthenusetoapplytexturestothemodel.CreatingUVcoordinatesisakintocuttingupthesurfaceofyourmodel(alonglinescalledseams)andspreadingitoutflat(seeFigure8-1).Asyouknow,ameshinBlenderismadeupofverticesjoinedtogethertoformedgesandfaces.Eachvertexinamodelhasitsownsetofspatialcoordinatesinthethreespatialdimensionsofthe3DViewport:x,y,andz.Thesecoordinatesdetermineitspositionin3Dspace.Similarly,UVcoordinatesareaseparatesetof2Dcoordinatesforthepointsofamodelthatallowyoutomapa2Dimagetothesurfaceofyourmesh.
OtherKindsofTextureCoordinatesUVcoordinatesareonlyonewayofmappinganimagetoanobjectinBlender.Blenderalsohasanumberofproceduralcoordinatesthatyoucanusetoassigntexturesbyapplyingsomekindofprojectiontoyourmesh.Thesehavetheadvantageofbeingautomaticandareusefulforawiderangeofapplications,buttheylacktheprecisionofUVunwrapping,whichallowsyoutospecifyexactlywhichpointsonthemeshcorrespondtothepartsofanimage.
Figure8-1.UVunwrappingisakintotakinga3Dobjectandspreadingitoutflatona2Dsurface.Thisresultsinyourmeshhavingasetof2Dcoordinatesthatcanthenbeusedtomapa2Dimagetoyour
object.
EditingUVCoordinatesToeditUVcoordinates,weuseBlender’sUVImageeditoralongwiththe3DViewport.Ingeneral,whenworkingwithUVcoordinates,it’susefultoswitchtoBlender’sUVeditinglayoutusingthedrop-downmenuintheInfoeditorheader(seeFigure8-2).ThisbringsuptheUVImageeditorshownontheleftandthe3DViewportontheright.
It’shelpfultoaddaPropertieseditorbetweentheUVImageeditorandthe3DViewportbyrightclickingtheborderbetweenthemandchoosingSplitArea.WhenyousetthenewareaasaPropertieseditor,youcanaccesstheObjectDatatabforswitchingbetweendifferentUVcoordinatesetsandtheRendertabforaccessingTextureBakingcontrols.
TheUVGridWe’llusetheUVGridintheImageeditortodeterminewhichportionofatextureorimageisappliedtopartofamesh.Thegridhascoordinatesthatrunfrom0to1,withtheoriginatthebottomleft.Bydefault,thesecoordinatesaremultipliedbythesizeoftheimageyouselectinordertogiveanumberinpixels.Ifyouhavenoimageselected,Blenderwillassumethegridis256pixelsacrossandgivecoordinatesonthatscale.YoucanturnthisfeatureoffbypressingNto
bringupthePropertiesregionoftheUVImageeditorandcheckingNormalizedintheDisplaypanel,whichwillthengiveUVcoordinatesbetween0and1.TheUVImageeditorfollowsthesameconventionsasthe3DViewport:Youcanmove,rotate,andscaleanyselectedverticesusingthesamekeysasinthe3DViewport,andyoucanusetheXandYkeystoconstrainoperatorstothehorizontalandverticalaxesoftheUVgrid.Bydefault,ameshwillnothaveanyUVcoordinates,sotherewillbenothingtoselectuntilyouunwrapit.
Figure8-2.AslightlymodifiedUVImageeditorlayout.Youcansavethisasthedefaultlayoutbysettingupyourwindowslikethisinanew.blendfileandchoosingSaveUserSettingsfromtheFilemenu.
WhenyoumapanimagetoameshusingitsUVcoordinates,theimageisscaledtofilltheUVgrid,andeachpointofthemeshisthenmappedtothecorrespondingpointintheimage.BeyondtheedgesoftheUVgrid,theimageisrepeatedorextendedsothatUVcoordinatesoutsidethegridaremappedtopartoftheimageaswell.Thisallowsyoutorepeatatileabletexture(onethatcanberepeatedsidebysideandtoptobottomwithoutanydiscontinuity)overthesurfaceofyourmeshbyunwrappingthemeshtobemuchbiggerthantheUVgrid.Conversely,youcanunwrapawholemesh(orevenmultiplemeshes)sothatalltheUVcoordinatesfitwithintheUVgridandthenuseasingle(nontiling)imagetouniquelytextureeachpartoftheobject’ssurface.Both
optionsareshowninFigure8-3.
Figure8-3.TwooptionsforUVunwrapping.Top:Packingallofanobject’sfacesintotheUVgridtotextureeachpartuniquely.Bottom:Tilinganimageoveranobject’ssurface.
Whencreatingobjectswithfairlyrepetitiveorhomogenoustextures,suchasbrickwallsorsoil,tileabletexturescansaveyoualotoftime.Ontheotherhand,whencreatingcharactersandotheruniqueobjects,you’llneedtopackanobject’sUVsontoasinglegridinordertotextureeachpartdifferently.
UnwrappingToolsTostartunwrappingamodel,you’llneedtobeinEditmode(pressTABtoswitchintoitifyouaren’talreadythere).You’llprobablyalsowanttoswitchtoEdgeSelectmodeinthe3DViewportheader,astaggingedgeswithUVseamsis
easiestwhenyoucanselectedgesdirectly.Tobeginunwrappingyourobject,pressUinthe3DViewport,whichwillbringupseveraloperatorsforunwrappingyourobject,asshowninFigure8-2.Theseoperatorsareasfollows:
Unwrap.ThisisprobablythemostusefulUVunwrappingmethod.Blenderwilltrytounwrapyourmeshbyflatteningitasifitweremadefromstretchyfabric,whilealsotryingtominimizethedistortionthatthisflatteninginevitablycauses.(Inorderforthisprocesstoworkforaclosedmesh,you’llneedtomarksomeUVseamsonyourmesh.)
SmartUVProject.Thiswillautomaticallyprojectyourmeshbyfirstprojectingthelargestchunkpossiblefromoneangle,excludinginvisiblefacesoronesthatpointawayfromthatviewport.Itwillthenprojectprogressivelysmaller,moredifficultparts,splittingthemintodifferentUVislandsasitgoes.Thiseffectcanworkreasonablywellforsimplemeshes,butwhenusedwithmorecomplexshapes,itoftenproducesalotoflittleislandsthatcanbedifficulttoworkwith.
LightmapPack.ThisspecialUVunwrappingoptionforbakinglightingtotexturesprojectseachindividualpolygoninameshtoaseparaterectangularUVisland.TheLightmapPackoptionusesuptheUVcoordinatespaceveryefficiently,whichmakesitusefulforbakinglightingtexturesforgameenginesbutnotveryusefulforpracticaltexturing.
FollowActiveQuads.Thisfollowstheactivequad(theonehighlightedwhenyouhavemultiplefacesselectedinFaceSelectmode—usuallythemostrecentlyselectedone)andunwrapsthefacesradiatingoutfromitinanevengrid.Thisoptionworksparticularlywellformesheswithgrid-liketopology(thatis,nopoles),suchaspipes,cylinders,flat(ish)grids,andthelike.Itworksbestwhenyouunwraponequadfirstasaperfectrectanglewith90-degreecorners:1)UnwrapwithU▸Unwrap;2)selecteachedgeoftheunwrappedquadintheUVImageeditorandscaleitsoit’sperfectlyhorizontal/vertical;3)unwraptherestofthemeshbyselectingitwithCTRL-L,whichselectsanythingconnectedtoyourcurrentselection;4)usetheFollowActiveQuadsunwrapoperatortogetaniceevenunwrap.Thisoption,though,doesn’tworkwellformesheswithmorecomplextopology.
CubeProjection.Thisoptionprojectsthefacesofyourmeshasifonthesurfaceofacube.It’susefulforroughlycube-shapedobjects.
CylinderProjection.ThisoptionworkslikeCubeProjectionbutactsasifthe
meshiscylindrical.
SphereProjection.ThisoptionalsoworkslikeCubeProjectionbutactsasifthemeshisspherical.
ProjectfromView.Thisoptionprojectsyourmeshasitappearsinthe3DViewport.It’sparticularlyusefulforprojectingasmall,flatpartofyourmeshbeforepinningitandthenprojectingtherestusingtheUnwrapoperator.
ProjectfromView(Bounds).ThisoptionworkslikeProjectfromView,butafteritprojectsthemeshes,itstretchestheUVcoordinatestofillthewholeUV-coordinatespace.
Reset.ThisoptionstretcheseachfaceacrossthewholeUV-coordinatespace.
SeamsImaginetryingtoflattenoutabeachball.Evenonceyoudeflateit,youcan’tstretchitoutsothateachpartofthesurfaceisflatonthegroundwithoutmakingatleastonecuttotheball,andthemoreyoucarveitup,thelessyouhavetostretchanddistortitinordertoflattenitout.SomethingsimilaristruewhenusingtheUnwrapoperatortounwrapamesh.Inorderfortheoperatortowork,you’llneedtomarkedgesasseamswherethemeshwillsplit.Ideally,youshouldmarkasfewseamsaspossiblesothatyouwon’thavetopaintacrosstoomanyseamswhenitcomestotexturing,butyoualsoneedtomarkenoughsothatyourmeshwillnotbedistortedbytheUVunwrapping.DistortioninthiscasearisesfromBlenderhavingtowarpandstretchthegeometryinordertolayitoutflat.WhenyouusethedistortedUVstomapanimagetothe3Dobject,thetexturewilllookstretchedoutaswell.
TomarkUVseams,selectedgesinEditmodeanduseCTRL-E▸MarkSeamtomarktheedgeasaUVseam.Toquicklyselecttheshortestpathbetweentwoedges(agoodwaytoselectalongstringofedgesformarking),selectoneedge,thenpressCTRLandrightclicktheedgeyouwanttouseastheendpoint.YoucanalsopressALTandrightclicktoselectanentireedgeloopatonce,allowingyoutomarkmultipleedgesatthesametime.Shortcutslikethesewillmaketaggingmultipleedgesatoncemuchquicker.
Ingeneral,youshouldtrytohideyourUVseamsinareaswheretheywon’tcauseproblemsandwheretheywillminimizetheamountofstretchinginyour
unwrap.Valleysandcreasesinyourmesharegoodplacestohideseams,asisanyareathatwon’tgettoomuchattention.Trytomarkseamssymmetricallytomakeiteasiertounderstandyourunwrapandtoallowyoutocopyandpasteelementsofyourtexturinglater(ifyourunwrapissymmetrical,too).Finally,splityourmeshintosensibleislands(groupsoffacesboundedbyseams).Forexample,inthecaseoftheBatCreature,Isplitthetorso,wings,head,armsandlegs,andhandsandfeetintoseparatesections,asyoucanseeinFigure8-4.
Figure8-4.TheUVseamsontheBatCreatureareshownhereinwireframeview.Whilesomeseamsare(unavoidably)invisibleareas,suchasaroundtheoutsideedgeofthewings,mostarehiddeninlessconspicuousareas,liketheinsideofthelegsanddownthebackoftheearsandneck.Hidingyour
seamslikethismakescleaningupseamsintextureseasierlateron.
PinningVerticesUnwrappingyourmeshwiththeUnwrapoperatormaynotgiveyouexactlytheunwrapyouwant;forexample,oneareamightbescruncheduporhaveaproportionthat’snottoscale.Tofixthis,youcanpinverticesintheUVImageeditorsothattheywon’tmovewhenyoure-unwrapthemesh(shortcutEintheUVeditororUinthe3DViewport)byselectingavertexorverticesandpressingPtopinthem.(Pinnedverticeswillbehighlightedinred.)Nowwhenyoure-unwrap,Blenderwillkeepthepinnedverticesinplaceandstretchtherestoftheunwraptoallowforthis.Tounpinvertices,selectthemandpressALT-P.
Oneimportantreasontousepinningistoestablishasymmetricalunwrap.Todothis,unwrapyourmeshandthenselectastringofverticesrunningdownthemiddleofthemeshandalignthemintheUVImageeditorsothattheyareinastraightline(runningintheappropriatedirection).Aneasywaytodothisistoscalethemtozeroonthex-ory-axisandthenpinthem(P).NowpressEintheUVeditortounwrapagain.Thisgivesyouamoresymmetricalunwrap,asshowninFigure8-5.
Pinningcanalsobeusedtofixareasonlargemeshesthatunwrapontopofoneanother,asoftenhappenswithlong,tube-likemeshes,wheretheUVunwrapmaycoilaroundundesirably.Tofixthisproblem,pinonevertexfromeachendofthemeshsothattheverticessitfartherapartinUVspace,thenunwrapthemeshagain.
Finally,whenunwrappingameshwithalotofdifferentpieces,itcanhelptopinentireUVislandsasyoufinishwiththemsothatyoucanmoveontounwrappingotherpieceswithoutdisturbingtheonesyou’rehappywith.Blenderwillre-unwrapanythingyouhavevisibleintheUVImageeditorbydefaultwhenyoure-unwrap,sothisisagoodwaytokeepfinishedpartsofyourunwrapsafe.
PackingWhenunwrappingcharactersandotheruniqueobjects,it’softenhelpfultopackalloftheUVislandsforyourmeshintoasinglegrid.Todothisautomatically,
youcanusethePackoperator(CTRL-P),butyoucanusuallydoamoreefficientjobofpackingUVislandsyourselfsimplybymoving,scaling,androtatingthemlikepuzzlepieces.Tospeeduptheselectionofwholeislands,switchtoIslandSelectionmodeintheUVImageeditorusingthebuttonsintheheader.
Figure8-5.TogetasymmetricalunwraponthetorsooftheBatCreature,Ididanormalunwrapandthenpinnedtheverticesdownthecenterofthechestinaverticallineandunwrappedagain.Theresult
isasymmetricalUVislandthatwillbesimplertotexturelater.
WhenpackingUVislands,besuretokeepthescaleoftheislandssimilar.ToaveragethescaleofanyUVislandsyouhaveselected,useCTRL-Aorscaletheislandsmanually.It’smucheasier,though,toseewhetherislandsarescaled
correctlyonceyouhaveaUVtestgridassigned(seeTestingYourUVCoordinates).
AssigningUVTexturesTherearemanywaystodisplaytexturesonyourmodels.Forone,youcanuseBlenderGLSLmaterialstocreateadvancedmaterialswithTextureoptionsthatrespondtolightingandtransparency.Forsimplerapplications,though,suchaspreviewinghowasingleimagewillbemappedtoanunwrappedobject,youcanassignthatimagetoyourmodelintheUVImageeditor.Todoso,takethefollowingsteps:
1. SelecttheobjectandenterEditmode.
2. Selectallofthefacesandunwrapthemifyouhaven’tdonesoalready.
3. Selecttheimageyouwanttoassigntothemeshfromtheimagedrop-downmenuintheheaderoftheUVImageeditor.Alternatively,youcanopenanimagewithImage▸OpenImage,orcreateonewithImage▸NewImage.
4. Toseeyourimageinthe3DViewport,gototheDisplaypanelofthePropertiesregionandenableTexturedSolid.
TestingYourUVCoordinatesTomakesurethatyourUVunwrapworkswellandthatareasarenotbecomingtoodistorted,applyaUVtestgridtoseetheeffectsofyourunwraponyourmesh(seeFigure8-6).Todoso,followthestepsbelow:
1. IntheUVImageeditor,withyourobjectinEditmode,clickImage▸NewImagetoapplyanewimagetoyourmeshandchecktheUVTestGridoption.ThiswillgenerateatestgridpatternandassignittotheUVcoordinatesofyourmesh.
2. TurnonTexturedSolidinthedisplayoptionsofthePropertiesregioninthe3DViewport.Youshouldseeacheckerboardpatternappliedtoyourmesh.
Youshouldnowbeabletoeasilyseeproblemareasinyourunwrap,suchas
areaswithawkwardstretchingorpartsofthemeshthataretoobigortoosmall.YoucanthenfixtheseareasintheUVImageeditorandseethechangesinrealtimeinthe3DViewport.
UnwrappingtheBatCreatureAsyou’veseenintheprecedingdiscussion,IunwrappedtheBatCreatureandpackeditintoasingleUVtilebyfirsttaggingseamsandthenunwrappingwiththeUnwrapoperator(seeFigure8-7).Forthetorso,ImadetheunwrapmoresymmetricalbyselectingthelineofverticesthatrandownthemiddleofthefrontofthetorsointheUVImageeditor,scalingthemonthex-axistozero(S▸X▸0),pinningthem,andthenunwrappingagain(E).Next,Iaveragedthescaleofalloftheislands,packedthemintotheUVgrid,andscaleduptheheadslightlytogiveitmoretexturespacerelativetootherareas(becauseit’sthepartofthebodylikelytogetmoreattention).Finally,Iunwrappedthefingernailsandteethontothesamelayout,fittingthemintotheremaininggapsbetweentheotherislands.
Figure8-6.CheckingyourUVunwrapwithaUVtestgridimage.Thisgridwillhelpyoutoidentifyareasthathavenotunwrappedwell,aswellasonesthatareoutofscalewiththerestoftheunwrap.
Fortheeyes,Iunwrappedonlytheinnermeshsimplybypositioningthe3DViewporttolookattheeyestraightonandusingtheProjectfromView(Bounds)operator.Lateron,IwilltweaktheUVsoftheeyemeshtofitthetextureIwillpaintforit.SeeChapter11formoreonunwrappingandtexturingtheeyes.
UnwrappingtheJungleTempleTheJungleTemplehadmanyseparateelements,andratherthangothroughthemall,I’lljustcoverthemostdifficultones.(TheobjectsintheJungleTemplenotdiscussedbelowaresimplyunwrappedusingvariationsonthetechniquesdiscussedearlier.)
StoneBlocksTherewereanawfullotofstoneblocksintheJungleTemple,soIdidn’twanttohavetotextureeachindividually.Instead,Iwantedtobeabletounwrapthemallrelativelyquicklyandreusethesametexturesforeach.MyquickanddirtysolutionwastousetheSelectSharpoperatorinEditmodetoselectthesharpedgesoftheblocks(Select▸SharpEdgesfromthe3DViewportheader)andthenmarkthemasseams(seeFigure8-8).Next,IusedtheUnwrapoperatortounwrapalltheblocksatonce.ImanuallyremovedsomeseamsinareaslikethedamagedstoneandattheedgesofsomeblockswhereIwantedthetexturetowraparoundratherthanhavinganobviousseam.Ionlyplacedseamsmanuallyontheblocksinthescene’sforeground,andIunwrappedthesemanuallytomakesuretheyunwrappednicely.
Figure8-7.ThefinalUVlayoutfortheBatCreature’sbody
TreesInthecaseofthetrees,Iaddedseamsdowntheirbacks(thesidesfacingawayfromthecamera)andaroundthejoinsbetweenthetrunkandtheroots.IthenunwrappedthemusingUnwrap.Next,IselectedastringofverticesintheUVImageeditorthatrandownthemiddleoftherootortrunk,aligneditwiththeverticalaxis,andpinnedit.UnwrappingagaingavemenicelyalignedUVislands.
Thetechniquedescribedaboveisusefulwhenunwrappingsomethingliketreebarkthathasatexturewithastronggrainordirectionalpatternbecauseallofthepieceswillalignwiththedirectionofthegrain.IpackedbothtreesintothesameUVspace(seeFigure8-9)toallowmetotexturethembothatthesametimelateron.
Figure8-8.PlacingseamsautomaticallyfortheblocksintheJungleTemplescene.IselectedtheedgesofthestoneblockswithSelectSharpandthenmarkedthemasseamsandunwrappedthem.
Figure8-9.TheUVsforthetreeobjects.TheactiveobjectappearsaseditableUVislands,whileotherselected(butnotactive)objectsappeargrayintheUVImageeditor.
MultipleUVMapsYoucanaddmultipleUV-coordinatesetstoanobjectandeditthemindependently.Thisisgoodformakinguseofmultipletexturesincomplexmaterialsandwhentexturepainting.Whentexturepainting,youcanuseoneUVsettoneatlypackyourUVislandsforyourfinaltextureanduseanothertoassignseamlesstexturesorphotostoclonetextureinformationfrom.Insubsequentchapters,IwillsometimesrefertocreatingextraUVsetsforpurposeslikethese.
Forthetrees,IcreatedasecondUVcoordinatesettomatchupwithatileablebarktexture,savingthefirstUVsettouseforbakingambientocclusionandthefinaltexturemaps.Tocreatethissecondset,IopenedtheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditorandclickedthe+iconintheUVMapspaneltocreateanewUVset.YoucanchoosebetweenyourexistingUVsetsfromthispanelandeditwhicheverisactive.TounwrapthesecondUVsetformytree,IusedtheFollowActiveQuadsoperatorforthepartsofthetreeswithapproximatelycylindricaltopologyandunwrappedandpackedthemsothattheyfilledthewidthoftheUVgrid(seeFigure8-10).Later,thiswouldallowmetotileatexturemultipletimes
aroundandalongthelengthofthetrunkandrootswithoutcreatingtoomanyseamswherethetexturesdidn’tmatch.
Figure8-10.InthesecondUVsetforthetrees,IunwrappedtheUVislandsusingFollowActiveQuadsandthenscaledtofillthewidthoftheUVgrid.Later,thiswillbeusedforaligningtileabletextures
alongthelengthofthetreesandtheirroots.
SharingUVSpaceBetweenObjectsJustasyou’llusuallywanttocombineallofasingleobject’sUVislandsintheUVgrid,whenitcomestounwrappingmultipleobjectsfortexturing,youmaywantthemalltosharethesameUVspacesothattheycanallusethesametexture.Doingsowillsaveyoutimewhenpaintingtexturesandmemorywhenrendering.ToseetheUVcoordinatesofmultipleobjectsintheUVImageeditoratthesametime,selecttheobjectsandthenenterEditmodefortheoneyouwanttoedit.IntheUVImageeditor,turnonView▸DrawOtherObjects.TheUVcoordinatesfortheselectedobjectswillnowbevisibleingray(thoughonlythecurrentobjectwillbeeditable),allowingyoutoalignmultipleobjectsonthesameUVgrid(seeFigure8-11).
Figure8-11.UVcoordinatesforthevariousleafobjects.MostwereunwrappedtosharethesameUVcoordinates.
LeavesandGrassFlatmesheswithopenedgesareparticularlyeasytounwrapbecauseyoudon’thavetomarkanyseams.IsimplyusedUnwraponalltheleavesinmyscene,unwrappingthemalltosharethesameUVspace(seeFigure8-11).ThisexcludestheIvyGenleaves,whichwereautomaticallyunwrappedbytheIvyGenadd-onalready.Forthecylindricalelements,suchasthestemsofthegrass,Imarkedseamsasneeded,unwrappedoneface(makingsureitunwrappedasarectangle),andthenselectedtherestofthemesh(CTRL-L)andunwrappedusingFollowActiveQuads.
StatueForthestatuemesh,ImarkedseamsbyhandaroundallthemajorpartsandunwrappedusingtheUnwrapoperator.Figure8-12showstheresults.YoucouldtryusingSmartUnwrap,andyoumightgetwhatyouneedforameshlikethis,butunwrappingbyhandwillalwaysgiveyoumorecontrol.
TheRestoftheElementsTheotherelementsintheJungleTemplescenewereallprettystraightforwardandfollowedthesamestrategiesusedsofar.Someelements,likethewater,didn’tneedUVtexturesbecausetheywilluseentirelyproceduralmaterialsinstead.(Chapter9willdealwithcreatingproceduralmaterialsthatdon’trequire
textures,suchaswaterandglass.)
Figure8-12.ThestatueUVs,unwrappedandpackedintotheUVgrid
UnwrappingtheSpiderBotFortheSpiderBot,Ididmybesttosqueezethemodel’sentireUVunwrapontoasingletexture(seeFigure8-13),excludingafewpartsthatwouldreceiveonlyproceduralmaterials.Becausemuchofthemodelusedsimilarmaterials,itwaseasytoeditthewholetextureatonce.Bystartingwiththebigelements,likethebodyandthelegs,andthensqueezingthesmallerpartsintothegapsinbetween,IcouldproduceaveryefficientlypackedsetofUVs,ensuringthatimportantelementsgotthetexturerealestatetheyneeded.YoucanalwayscheckthatthedifferentpartsunwrapwiththerightscaleandwithoutstretchingusingaUV
gridtexture(seeFigure8-13).
ApplyingModifiersandDuplicatesInpreviouschapters,IusedmodifierstomodelandretopologizetheSpiderBot’sbodyandlegssymmetrically.Bydoingso,Ireducedtheamountofworkrequiredandduplicatedsomeofthepartsforthelegs.WhileIcouldhavekeptthelegpiecesasduplicates,itwasbettertoapplysomeofthemodifiersatthisstage,especiallyMirrormodifiers,becauseotherwisethetextureswouldbemappedtobothsidesoftheobjectssymmetrically.Thiswouldresultinsomeobvioussymmetrydownthemiddleoftheobjects;worse,ifIweretouseanytextorgraphicsinmytextures,theywouldappearonthemirroredsideofthemeshbackward!Forthisreason,IappliedtheMirrormodifiersassignedtomanyoftheSpiderBot’sconstituentobjects.
Unfortunately,Blenderwon’tallowyoutoapplymodifierstoobjectsthatsharetheirmeshdatawithotherobjects.Thismakesapplyingmodifierstothemodeldifficultwhen,asfortheSpiderBot,Ihaveusedlinkedduplicatestocopypartsofthemodel,likethelegs,whichnowhavemanyobjectsthatsharethesamemeshdata.Togetaroundthis,usetheMeshfromtheCurve/Meta/Surf/Textoperator(ALT-C),whichwillapplyanymodifierstoanobjectandconvertthemtopropergeometry.BecauseyouwanttoapplyonlytheMirrormodifier,nottheSubdivisionSurfacemodifier,removeallbuttheMirrormodifierfirstandthenusetheoperator.YouwillthenneedtoremovetheMirrormodifiersfromtheotherduplicatesbecausetheywillnowbeusingthealreadymirroredmeshdata.
Figure8-13.InthecaseoftheSpiderBotUVs,mostoftheunwrappingwasdonewithUnwrap.OnceIunwrappedit,IpackedalloftheUVcoordinatesforthemodeltooccupythesamespace.(Youonlyneedtounwrapeachduplicatepartonce.So,forexample,thepartsofthelegsdon’tallneedtobe
unwrappedseparately,aslongastheduplicatesallusethesamemeshdata.)
SharingUVSpaceEfficiently
Forcertainareas,IsharedtheUVspaceforsimilarparts(seeFigure8-14).Forexample,forthemechanicalelementsbeneaththelegs,IplacedalloftheUVislandsonapatchatthetop-rightcorneroftheUVgrid.Doingsowillcauseerrorswhenbakingtextures,butbypaintingagenerictextureovertheseareas,IcantexturemultiplepartsofthemodelwithoutusingasmuchUVspace.(Sincethesepartsarerelativelyhidden,thelackofuniquetexturesontheseareaswon’tmaketoomuchofadifference.)
Figure8-14.SomemechanicalelementsoftheSpiderBotwereunwrappedtosharethesameportionoftheUVgrid.Thesmallmechanicaljointsbelowthelegs(right)wereunwrappedtoasmallcornerofthe
UVgrid(left).
MakingsurethatallobjectsareassignedroughlythesameamountofUVspace
accordingtotheirsizeismoredifficultformultipleobjectsbecausetheAverageIslandsScaleoperator(CTRL-A)worksonlyonUVislandswithinamesh.However,byusingaUVgridtextureandenablingTexturedSolidinthe3DViewport,youcanjudgethescaleofanobject’sUVcoordinatesandadjustthemaccordingly.
InReviewThisconcludesunwrappingthemodelsIcreatedinearlierchapters.We’velookedathowtotagseamstounwrapmeshesandhowtorefinetheresultsofBlender’sunwrapping.We’vealsolearnedhowtopackUVcoordinatesformeshestogethertomakeitsimpletotexturemultipleobjectswithoneimage.InChapter9,we’llmoveontoaddingparticlesystemstosomeofourprojectstocreatefurandgrassbeforebakingandpaintingtexturesinChapter10andChapter11andcreatingmaterialsinChapter12.Intheselaterchapters,we’llapplyimagestotheUVcoordinateswecreatedinthischapterinordertobakeandpaintontexturesthatwecanthenuseastheinputsformaterials.
Chapter9.HairandParticleSystems
Blender’sparticlesystemsareapowerfultoolthatyoucanusetocreatebothstaticanddynamichairandanimatedparticleeffects.Theycanalsobeusedtopopulateyourscenewithinstancedobjectsinordertocreategrassandotherfoliage.Inthischapter,we’lluseBlender’shairparticlestocreatefurfortheBatCreatureandtocreategrassfortheJungleTemplescene.
Whenyouaddaparticlesystemtoanobject,thesystemisinitiallysetupasadynamiconethatspawnspointparticlesthatarethensimulatedusingBlender’sphysicsengine.Inthischapter,though,we’llmostlyusethe“hair”typeforparticlestocreatestrandsthatareemittedfromthesurfaceofyourmeshbydefault(seeFigure9-1).Thesestrandswillrespondtophysicsandcanbecombedoverthesurfaceofyourmodelandbeprocedurallymodifiedtolooklikehair,fur,grass,oravarietyofothermaterials.You’lllearnhowtomovefromthedefaultsystemshowninFigure9-1tocreatingrealistichairandfurthatwe’lladdmaterialstoinChapter12andthenrenderinChapter14.
ParticlesforHairInordertomakeBlender’sbasicparticlesystemresemblefurorhair,weneedtogiveitsomeguidance.First,wedeterminewhereandhowwewantthefurtogrow,afterwhichwecancombtheresultinghairformorecontroloverhowitlooks.Butratherthandothisforhundredsofthousandsofhairsonabody,we’lldefineafewhairsbyhandasparentparticlesandthenhaveBlenderfillintherestwithchildparticlesautomatically.ThesestagesarerepresentedinFigure9-2:First,theparticlesystemisadded1;then,thehairisrestrictedtosomeareaswithavertexgroup2;next,it’scombed3;andfinally,childparticlesareadded4.Youthenhaveabasicrender5.
ChoosinganObjecttoAddHairToOnequestiontothinkaboutwhencreatingthehairorfurforamodeliswhatmeshyouwanttoassigntheparticlesystemto,asthiscanbeapproachedinseveralways.Thesimplestoptionistojustaddaparticlesystemtothemeshyouhavemodeledandintendtotextureandrenderlater.However,thismeansthatyoucannolongeredityourmesh(atleastbeyondmovingvertices),aschangestothevertexorderofyourmodelwillcorruptthehair.
Figure9-1.ThestandardparticlesysteminBlenderwiththeparticlesystemtypesettohair
Figure9-2.Hairparticlesystemsatdifferentstages
InthecaseoftheBatCreature,thefinalrenderwillbedoneusingameshcreatedbyapplyingsomeofthemultiressubdivisiontothemodelandleaving
theresttobere-createdusingadisplacementmap.Becausethiswillrequirecreatinganewmesh,Icouldeitherwaituntilthatstagebeforecreatingthehairorcreatethehairsystemusingadifferentmesh,whichIwouldkeepinthe.blendfileforthefinalrenderlater.Thelatteroptionallowsmetoworkona“safe”mesh,whichIcanthenusetoworkonthefur—themeshwon’tchangeifImakefurtherchanges(withinreason)tothe“skin”modellater.Iwillusethismeshonlytoholdthehairforthecharacter,anditssurfacewillnotberendered.
CreatingaScalpAsimilarstrategycanbeusefulwhencreatingahaircutforacharacter.Whilewemightwishtomakeallkindsofchangestothemodelforahead,theshapeoftheskullislikelytoremainreasonablystatic.Inordertokeepthehairseparate,then,itisoftenusefultocreatea“scalp”objecttowhichthehaircanbeaddedbyduplicatingtheheadmeshanddeletinganypartsthataren’tneeded(seeFigure9-3).Theparticlesystemforthehaircanthenbeaddedtothisobject.
Figure9-3.Creatingascalptoholdtheparticlesystemforacharacter’shair.Thisallowsyoutokeepmodifyingthemodelfortheheadwithoutdisturbingthehair.Here,thetwoareshownsidebyside,but
generallytheywouldbeontopofoneanother.
FortheBatCreature,Icreatedanewmeshtoholdtheparticlesystembyduplicatingmysculptedhigh-resolutionmeshandapplyingtheMultiresmodifieratlevel1.Todothisonameshthathasshapekeys,usetheConverttoMeshoperator(ALT-C▸MeshfromCurve/Meta/Text).Thisappliesallmodifiersandshapekeystothemesh.
VertexGroupsforHairBydefault,particlesystemsemitparticlesfromalloverthesurfaceofanobject.Inordertorestricthairtospecificareasofamodelandcontrolthelengthandbehaviorofthehair,weusevertexgroups.Avertexgroupisasubsetoftheverticesinamesh,likethelegsofacharacteroraspecificpartofawall.YoucanassignverticestothesegroupseitherinEditmodeorWeightPaintmode.
Verticescanalsobepartiallyassignedtoagroup,withtheirweightingforthegroup(thatis,howstronglytheybelongtoit)givenanyvaluebetween0and1.Thisallowsforsmoothgradientsandblendingbetweenverticesthatareandarenotassignedtogroups.
Oncecreated,vertexgroupscanbeusedtocontroltheeffectsofmodifiers,tomakeiteasytoquicklyselectverticesinEditmode,andtoinfluenceparticlesystems.Byusingvertexgroups,wecan“paint”hairplacementinWeightPaintmodeandthenassignthevertexgrouptotheparticlesettingstotellBlendertocreateparticlesonlywherewewantthem.
WeightPaintingBlenderofferstwomethodsofeditingvertexgroups.ThefirstistomanuallyassignweightstoagroupinEditmode,usingthebuttonsintheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditorandthetoolsinthePropertiesregionofthe3DViewport(pressNtobringthisup).Thismethodisusefulfordefiningmoreprecisegroups,liketheonesweusedinChapter4andChapter6torestricttheeffectoftheDisplacemodifier.
Butifyourgoalistoproducesmoother,lessprecisegroupswithmorevariationandrandomness,Blender’sWeightPaintmodetools(showninFigure9-4)areabetteroption.EnteringWeightPaintmode(CTRL-TAB,orusethemodedrop-downmenuinthe3DViewportheader)allowsyoutopaintvertexweightsusing
brushes.
ThestandardbrushtoolsinWeightPaintmodeareasfollows:Mix.Replacesthecurrentweightingwiththeweightspecifiedbythebrush.Thisisthestandardbrushforpaintingvertexgroups.
Blur.Blursvertexweightsbetweenneighboringverticesandisusefulforsmoothingtransitions.
Add.Addstothevertices’weight.
Subtract.Subtractsfromthevertices’weight.Thisbrushisusefulasaneraser.
Multiply.Multipliesthevertices’currentweightbyaparticularvalue.Settheweightto0tousethisasaneraser;usehighervaluestoreducevertexweightswithoutcompletelyremovingverticesfromthecurrentgroup.
Lighten.Replacesthevertices’currentweightwiththeweightyouspecifyforthebrushifthenewweightisgreater.
Darken.Replacesthevertices’currentweightwiththeweightyouspecifyforthebrushifthenewweightisless.
Blender’sdefaultbrushesworkprettywell,soyouprobablywon’tneedtomakeyourown,thoughyoucandosoinmuchthesamewayasdescribedinChapter6.
Figure9-4.WeightPaintmode.Redareasrepresentverticesfullyassignedtothecurrentgroup,andblueareasrepresentverticesthatarenotassignedtothecurrentgroup.
HairDensityTocontrolwheretheBatCreature’shairwillgrow,IneededtopaintavertexgroupthatdefinedwhereIwantedhairandwhereIdidn’t.IbeganbyaddinganewvertexgroupthatI’llcallhairdensity.TheninWeightPaintmode(CTRL-TAB),IbeganassigningareasIwantedtobefurrytothegroupusingaMixtypebrush.IcouldremoveareasusingtheSubtractbrushandsmooththetransitionbetweenhairyandhairlessareaswiththeBlurbrush.(BecauseIameditingonlythehairdensityfornow,theboundariesofthevertexgroupwillstillhavelonghairs.Tomakethehairyregionsfadeoutintoshorterhairs,Iwillcreateasecondvertexgroupinaminutetocontrolthehairlength.)Figure9-4showsmyhairdensitygroup:Areasontheupperbodyandupperlegsarefullyassignedtothegroup,areaslikethearmsandlowerlegsareonlypartiallyassigned,andareaslikethewingsandfacethataretoremainhairlessarenotassignedatall.
Tocompletelyremovepartofameshfromavertexgroup,youcanusetheSubtractbrushinWeightPaintmode,butit’seasiertodothispreciselyinEdit
mode.Todoso,usetheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditortoeditvertexgroupsandmanuallyaddorremoveverticesbyselectingtheminEditmodeandpressingtheAssignorRemovebuttons.Forexample,fortheBatCreature,Imanuallyselectedthewingsandremovedthemfromthedensity(andlength)vertexgrouptobesurethewingswouldn’tgrowhair.
HairLengthThehair-lengthvertexgroup(seeFigure9-5)controlsthelengthofthehairbydefininghowlongthehaircreatedbyourparticlesystemwillgrow,relativetothemaximumlengthwechooseintheParticleSystemsettings.Thisgroupissimilartothehairdensitygroup,exceptthatIassignedthechestandpelvismuchmorethanotherareas,givingthemthelongesthair,andIblurredtheweightsmoresignificantlybetweenareastoproduceasmoothtransitioninhairlength.
Whenpaintingthelengthgroup,youcanpaintoutsidetheboundsofthehairdensitygroupwithoutfearbecausehairwillnotgrowoutsidethedensitygroup.Thisallowsyou,forexample,togrowlonghairrightuptotheedgeofthedensitygroup,ifyouwish.
Figure9-5.Thehair-lengthvertexgroup
AddingaParticleSystemHavingaddedthebasichairvertexgroups,Inextcreatedaparticlesystemto“grow”thehair.Todoso,IwenttotheParticlestabofthePropertieseditorandaddedanewparticlesystemusingthe+iconontheright.(YoucanaddadditionalparticlesystemstothesameobjectandswitchbetweenthemusingtheselectoratthetopoftheParticlestab.)Addinganewparticlesystembringsupawholeslewofpanels,liketheonesshownearlierinFigure9-1.Ibeganmodifyingsomeofthese.First,IchangedtheparticlesystemtypefromanemitterofdynamicparticlestoahairsystembychangingthetypesettingtoHair.Thischangeinitiallycausedthemeshtolooklikeacrazyhairball.Toturn
thehairparticlesystemintosomethinguseful,IusedthevertexgroupsIcreatedforhairlengthanddensitytorestrictthehairgrowth.Then,IassignedthesettingsfortheparticlesandcombedandcutthehairtomakeitlookthewayIwanted.Tomakegoingthroughthesestageseasier,I’llfirstdiscussthemainpanelsforparticlesystemswhencreatinghair-typeparticlesystems.ThesearediscussedbelowintheordertheyappearintheParticlestabofthePropertieseditor.
ParticleSystemPropertiesAtthetopoftheParticlestabinthePropertieseditor,you’llfindapanelshowingtheexistingparticlesystemsassignedtotheactiveobject.Belowthisareafewbasicoptionsthatdefinewhatsortofparticlesystemyouarecreating:Type(Hair/Emitter).SetthistoHairforcreatinghairandfur.TheEmittertypeisforcreatingdynamic,point-particlestems.
Advanced.Turnthisonforgreatercontroloverparticleemission.
Segments.Thisdetermineshowmanycontrolpointsareusedperstrandofhairinordertocontroltheshapeofthehair.Morecontrolpointsmeanyoucanincorporatemoretwistsandbendsintoyourproject.Forshorthairandfur,thedefaultvalueof5isfine,butforlongerhaircuts,considerturningthevalueup.
EmissionPanelThispanelcontrolshowmanyparticlesareemittedfromyourmeshandtheirdistribution.
Number.Determinesthenumberofparticlestheparticlesystemwillgenerate.Ifyouusechildparticlesinthesettings,thetotalnumberofparticleswillbethissettingmultipliedbythenumberofchildparticles.Keepthisinmindwhensettingupahairparticlesystembecauseforthesamefinalnumberofparticles,youcouldcreatelotsofparentsandfewerchildren,orfewerparentsandmorechildren.Ingeneral,youwanttohavetoeditasfewstrandsaspossible,whilemaintainingcontroloverthelookofthehairoverthesurfaceofthemesh.Sowhenaddinghairtoasimplehead,Blender’sdefaultof1,000mightbealittlehigh,butforlargerareas(forexample,whencoveringawholecreatureinfur),youmightwanttoincreasethisvalue.FortheBatCreature,Ichoseavalueof
2,000.
EmitFrom(Verts/Faces/Volume).Determineswherehairparticlesareemittedfrom,suchasfromtheverticesofthemesh,scatteredoveritsfaces,orfrominsidethevolumeofaclosedmesh.
Random.Emitsparticlesrandomly,ignoringtheorderinwhichyoucreatedthefacesofyourmesh.LeavethissettoRandomforhair.
EvenDistribution.Scalesthenumberofparticlesemittedfromeachfaceaccordingtotheface’sarea.Leavethischecked,orlargefaceswillappearsparselypopulatedwithhairwhencomparedtosmallerfaces.
Jittered/Random,ParticlesPerFace,andJitteringAmount.Thesesettingscontrolhowtheemissionlocationsforparticlesaregenerated.Thedefaultvaluesalmostalwaysworkwell.
VelocityPanelThesettingsintheVelocitypanelbasicallydeterminehowlongyourhairswillbeandinwhatdirectionthey’llpoint.Therandomandnormalvaluesaremostimportanthere.Normalvaluescausehairtopointstraightoutfromthesurface,whilerandomvaluesmakethehairpointinrandomdirections.Combiningthetwowillallowyoutopointthehairgenerallyawayfromtheheadwiththenormalvalue,whilekeepingalittleroughnesswiththerandomvalue.Theothersettingsinthispanelcanbeusefulifyouwantthehairtopointinaspecificdirection(suchasstraightup,usingtheZvalue).
RotationTheRotationpanelisn’tparticularlyimportantwhenworkingwithstrand-particlehair,butifyousettherendertypefortheparticlesystemtoObjectorGroup,youcanusethesettingsheretoaddrandomrotationtotheobjectsastheyaregenerated.ThisfeatureisagreatwaytopreventparticlesystemsthatusetheObjectrendertypefromlookingtoorepetitivebymakingitmoredifficulttorecognizerepeatedobjects.
Render
Thispanelcontainssettingsforhowyourparticleswillberenderedinthefinalimage.Thesesettings,listedbelow,willinteractwiththematerialweapplytotheparticleslateroninChapter12.
Material.Thisdetermineswhatmaterialslot(intheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditor)thehairparticleswilluse.Forexample,ifyourfirstmaterialslotfortheobjectistheskinmaterialforyourmodel,youcouldsetthisto2andusethesecondslottodefinethehairmaterial.
Emitter.Whenthissettingischecked,boththehairanditsemittermeshwillrender;whenunchecked,onlythehairitselfwillrender.Thissettingisusefultodisableifyouareusinganobjectotherthanyour“skin”objecttogeneratehairorifyou’regeneratingobjectswithaparticlesystemandyouwanttorenderonlythoseinstancedobjects.
Parents.Ifyouareusingchildparticles,thissettingwillcausetheparentparticlestoberenderedalongwiththechildren.
None/Path/Object/Group.Thissettingdetermineswhichrenderablegeometrytheparticlesystemwilluseforparticlegeneration.ThedefaultsettingofPathisusedtocreateparticlehair,butaparticlesystemcanalsobeusedtocreateotherkindsofgeometry.SettingthistoObjectwillturneachhairparticleintoaduplicateoftheobjectchosenintheboxthatappears,andsettingittoGroupwillchooseobjectsfromagroupandduplicatetheminthesameway.Theseoptionsareusefulformakinggrassorforpopulatingasurfacewithextradetails,likerocksordebris.TheNoneoptionwillcauseparticlesnottoberendered.
Forhair,choosethePathoption,whichbringsupthefollowingadditionalsettingsthatdeterminehowparticlehairwillberendered:StrandRender.ThisusesBlender’scustomstrandprimitivetorenderhairandfurinawaythatproducesmuchfasterresults.Thedownsidetothisrenderingmethodisthatit’snotcompatiblewithray-tracedshadows,soyouwillneedtousespotlampswithbuffershadowsinstead.
AdaptiveRenderer.Thisoptionforrenderinghairiscompatiblewithraytracingandoptimizesthehairgeometry,simplifyingbendsinthehairsothatlong,straightsectionsuselessgeometrythanmorecomplex,curvedpartsofstrands.Thiskeepsthetotalamountofgeometryusedforhairtoaminimumandthuscanspeeduprenders.
Degrees.Thestrandrendererrendershairsinasequenceofstraightsections,andthisvaluedetermineshowmanydegreestheunderlyingcurvemustbendthroughinordertocreateanewsection.Smallervalueswillresultinsmoother-lookinghairbutwilltakelongertorenderastheywillgeneratemoresections.
B-Spline.ThismethodusesaBézier-likecurvetorenderhairstrands,resultinginmuchsmoothercurvesbutwithsomelossofdetailintheshapeofyoureditedhairasthecurveissmoothedout.
Steps.Thismethoddetermineshowmanysectionsintotalaregeneratedforthehaircurve,expressedasthenumberoftimesthehairissubdivided.Forexample,avalueof3willmakethehairtwiceassmooth(twiceasmanysections)as2,andavalueof4willmakethehaircurvetwiceassmoothagain.
DisplayThispanelworksliketheRenderpanelbutdefineshowyourparticlesappearinthe3DViewport.Turningthesesettingsdowncanoftenspeedupthe3DViewportwhenworkingwithcomplexparticlesystems,whileturningthemupcangiveyouabetterfeelforwhatyourrenderedparticleswillactuallylooklike.
None/Rendered/Path.Theseoptionsallowyoutodeterminehowparticlesappearinthe3DViewport.SettingthistoRenderedwillusethedisplaytypeusedfortherender.Nonepreventstheparticlesystembeingdrawnatallinthe3DViewport,andPathdrawsparticlesaspathsregardlessoftherendertype.
Display(Percentage).Thisoptionsetstheproportionofthetotalnumberofhairsvisibleinthe3DViewport.Lowersettingswillreducethestrainonyourmachinewhenworkingwithcomplexhairsystems.
Size,Velocity,Number.Theseoptionswilldrawthecorrespondingdatumforeachparticleonscreennexttothatparticledatum(thatis,theparticle’ssize,velocity,orIDnumber).
Color(Material/Velocity/Acceleration/None).Thisoptionismorerelevantforemitterparticlesystems.LeaveitsettoMaterialforhairparticles.
Steps.Thisoptiondetermineshowmanysubdivisionsareusedtodrawthehairinthe3DViewport(asintherenderoptions).Setthishigherifyouneedtoworkoncomplexhairstylesorlowerifyouneedamoreresponsive3DViewport.
ChildrenHere,wegettothemostpowerfulaspectofparticlesystems.Childparticlesworkbytreatingeachoriginalparentparticlecreatedbytheparticlesystemasaguideforcreatingfurtherparticles.Notonlydoesthisletyoudefinerelativelyfewparticlesandthencreateagreatmanymore,butitalsoallowsyoutoaddnovelfeatures,likeclumping,twisting,andevenbraiding,tothehairaroundtheparentparticleguides,makingyourhairlookmorevariedandinteresting.
None/Simple/Interpolated.Simpleparticlesareabasicoptionthatcreatesabasicbundleofchildparticlesaroundeachoriginalparent,allofwhichfollowthesamepathastheirparent.Simplechildrenaren’tattachedtothemeshsurface,andtheydon’tusevertex-groupinputstoinfluencehowtheyaregenerated.Otherthaninbasichairsystems,simplechildrendon’tusuallylookasgoodasinterpolatedchildren.Thisisbecauseinterpolatedchildrenaregeneratedfromthesurfaceofthemeshjustlikeparenthairs,andthentheyinterpolatetheirpathsfromthevariousparentparticlesaroundthem.Interpolatedchildrengenerallygivenicerresults,soassumeforthischapterthatweareusinginterpolatedchildparticles.
Display.Determineshowmanychildparticlestocreateanddisplayinthe3DViewport.
Render.Determineshowmanychildparticlestocreateatrendertime.
Seed.Letsyouchoosetherandomseedforuseingeneratingchildparticles.Ifyouhaveafewchildparticlesthatyoureallydon’tlike,trychangingthisvalue.
VirtualParents.Createsextravirtualparentparticlesbeforegeneratingchildren,whichgivesthechildrenmoretargetstoclumptoorkinkaround,makingthehairlookmorevaried.
Clump.Causeschildhairstoclumptogetheraroundtheirparents,makingthehairlookmattedorspiky.Negativevaluescausehairstopuffouttowardtheendsinstead.Theshapevaluedetermineshowfarupthehairsstarttoclump.
Length.Determineshowlongthechildparticlesgrowasaproportionoftheparentparticlelength.Thethresholdvaluebelowthissettingallowssomeparticlestoreachthefulllength,whileothersarecutdowntotheshortervaluespecifiedbytheLengthsetting.
PartingControls.TheseoptionsonlyappearifVirtualParentsissetto0.
Turninguptheparting(cap)amountforceschildparticlestopickasidewheninterpolatingbetweenparentsthatpointindifferentdirections.Asyoumightimagine,thisisusefulforpartinghair(thoughaswewillseelater,thereareotherways).Theminandmaxvaluesdeterminetherangeofanglesordistancesbetweenparenthairsthatchildparticleswillpartover.
Roughness.Youcanapplythreekindsofroughnesstothechildhairs.TheUniformRoughsettingroughensupthehairdependingonlocation,affectingallhairsinalocalareainthesameway.Thesizevaluedeterminesthescaleoftheseperturbations.TheEndpointRoughsettingrandomizestheendpointsofthehairs,pushingthemfartherapart(muchliketheoppositeoftheClumpsetting).TheRandomRoughsettingroughensthehairsindependently,withthesizevaluedeterminingthescaleofperturbationsandthethresholdvaluedeterminingwhatproportionofhairsareleftunaffectedbythisroughening.(Randomroughnessisgoodforaddingstrayhairsorformakinghairlookfrizzy.)Kink(Nothing/Curl/Radial/Wave/Braid).Theseoptions(showninFigure9-6)addsecondarypatternstothewaythechildhairsfollowtheparents.Curlcausesthehairtoformcurls,Radialmakesthehairsmoveperiodicallycloserandfartherapart,Waveaddswavestothehair,andBraidmakesthemformathreestrandedbraid.Thesettingsbelowthesechoicesdeterminetheamplitudeandfrequencyofthissecondarypattern,aswellashowitisaffectedbyclumpinganddistributedalongthehairsusingtheshapevalue.Theflatnessvaluecausesthehairstoflattentogetherwhentakingonthesesecondaryshapes.
Figure9-6.Differentkinksettingsappliedtothechildrenofasingleparentparticle.Lefttoright:NoKink(butwithClumpturnedonsothatthestrandscometoapoint),Curl,Radial,Wave,andBraid.
VertexGroupsInthispanel,youcanassignvariousvertexgroupstocontrolthesettingsoverthesurfaceofamesh.Thispaneliswhereweapplythevertexgroupswecreatedearlierinordertocontrolthedensityandlengthofourinitialparenthairsbeforecombingandcuttingthem(seeFigure9-7).
Figure9-7.Usingvertexgroupstocontrolhairlengthanddensity.Youcanaddvertexgroupsfortheotherpropertieslateron,butthisisallweneedfornow.
Usingvertexgroupstocontrolparticlesystemsaffectsboththeinitialgenerationofparentparticlesandthelaterdistributionofchildparticles.However,onceyoustarteditingtheparentparticlesinParticlemode,youcanaddorremoveparticlesandeditthemindependentlyofthepropertiesdefinedbyvertexgroupsusingtheParticlemodebrushes,asdiscussedinthenextsection.
ParticleModeHavingsetupabasichairsystem,youcanedititinParticlemode(seeFigure9-8),usingavarietyoftoolsthatletyougrow,comb,cut,andsmoothyourhairorfur,aswellasaddordeletehairs.
YoucanswitchtoParticlemodefromthemodedrop-downmenuintheheaderofthe3DViewport.OnceinParticlemode,thehairparticlesinthecurrentlyselectedparticlesystembecomeeditable.(Atthesametime,youwillnolongerbeabletoedittheParticleEmissionsettingsinthePropertieseditor,unlessyou
clickFreeEditatthetopoftheParticleSettingstabtoscrapyoureditedparticlesandstartagain.)SimilartoSculptmode,ParticlemodebringsupalistofbrushesintheToolShelfontheleftofthe3DViewport,alongwithsomeoptionsforhowthesebrushesaffectyourparticles.
ShapingYourHairInParticlemode,IbeganshapingandstylingthehairfortheBatCreatureusingBlender’sparticlebrushes.IfirstusedtheCombtooltoflattenthehairandgetittoflowalongwiththecontoursofthebody(seeFigure9-8),addingsomepeaksandscruffyareasaswell.Bydefault,whenyoucombhairinParticlemode,it’sdeflectedbytheemittermesh,makingiteasytocombitalongthemesh’ssurface.(YoucanturnthisoffusingtheDeflectEmitteroptionfromtheToolShelf,ifyouwish.)Ifthehairinanareagetsabittooflat,usethePufftooltofluffitbackup.(ThePufftoolcausesthehairstorepeloneanotherandgenerallyspreadout.)
Figure9-8.CombingfurinParticlemode
Tocontrolthelengthofthehairstrands,theLengthandCuttoolsarethemostuseful.TheLengthtoolallowsyoutogroworshrinkhairstoadjusttheirlength,whiletheCuttoolcutsthembackawayfromthebrushasyoumakestrokeswith
it.TheCuttoolwillalsocompletelyremoveahairifyoucutitrightdowntothebase,sothisisausefultechniqueforgettingridofawkwardhairsthatarecausingyourchildparticlestobehavestrangely.(Ifit’sdifficulttoseethebaseofastrand,tryswitchingtowireframeviewandzoomingin.)YoucanalsoaddextrahairsusingtheAddbrush,whichcreatesnewhairswhereveryoustroke.TurningontheInterpolateoption(usuallyadvisable)causesnewhairstofollowthedirectionofsurroundingonesthatalreadyexist,whichcomesinhandywhenaddingextrahairstoanareayouhavealreadycombed.Forexample,withtheBatCreature,Iaddedsomeextrahairstotheearsandaroundthefeetandhandstobetterdefinetheflowofthehairaroundtheseareas.
StylingTipsBesurewhenstylingtorotatethemodelfrequentlytoseeitfromdifferentangles.Asyourotateit,thinkaboutthesilhouetteyouarecarvingoutaswellasthedirectionthehairispointingandusetheCuttooltotrimstrayhairsthatdisruptthesilhouette.Ifyoucutanyhairstooshort,youcanusetheLengthbrushtogrowhairbackout.
YoucanselectandmanipulateindividualormultiplehairsasyouwouldinEditmode,usingtherightmousebuttontoselectandtheG,S,andRkeystograb,rotate,andscalestrands.YoucanalsoswitchbetweendifferentselectionmethodsinParticlemode,selectingeitherthewholehairorindividualpointsalongitorjustchoosingtocombandcuttheoverallpath.Thisisanalogoustobeingabletochoosebetweenselectingvertices,edges,orfacesinEditmode.Selectinghairstrandscanbeusefulfordealingwithtrickyareas,asthebrushtoolswillworkonlyonselectedstrands,allowingyoutoselectspecificparticlehairsthatarecausingissuesandcomborcuttheminisolation.
AnotherusefultrickistopressLtoselecthairsunderthecursor.HolddownLandwavethemouseoveranareatoselectafewhairsatrandom.Then,combthemindependently.Thisworkswellforrougheninguphairandaddingvolume.
ChildParticlesOnceyouhavethebasichairstyleroughlyinplace,turnonChildParticlesintheParticlestabtoseewhateffectithasonthelookofyourhair.SetthechildtypetoInterpolatedandsettheDisplaynumberofparticlestoabout50.(The
Rendernumbercanbealothigher,butkeepinmindhowthiswillaffectthetotalnumberofhairsandthusyourrendertimes.)FortheBatCreature,IsetVirtualParentsto0.3andClumpto0.5,andIaddedaverysmallamountofRandom,Endpoint,andUniformRoughness(around0.001to0.01foreach,asthesearesensitivesettings).Turningupthevirtualparentsgivesthechildparticlesmoreparentstrandstoclumparoundandpreventsthehairfromlookingtoopatchy.Addingsomeroughnessmakesitlooklessneatandsmooth.
IalsoaddedsomevariationtotheparticlelengthusingaLengthsettingof0.5,andIsetthethresholdvalueto0.15toproducehairofdifferentlengthsandtogiveamorenaturallooktothefur(seeFigure9-9).
NOTEReturningtoParticlemodewillhideyourchildparticlesbydefault,butyoucanturnthemoninthedrawoptionsinthe3DViewportToolShelfbycheckingtheChildrenoption.
Whenworkingonhairsystems,itcanbeusefultorenderoccasionally,astheshadingofhairsinthe3DViewportcanlookflatandambiguous.YoumaywanttoskiptoChapter12foradiscussionofmaterialsforhairandthencreateaquickrendersetupforusewhileyouareworkingonhair(seeFigure9-10).SeeChapter13forhowtolightthesceneandChapter14formoreonrendering.
Figure9-9.ParticlesettingsfortheBatCreature
Figure9-10.ThefurfortheBatCreature.Whilethe3DViewportgivesagoodestimateofwhatthehairisdoing,arenderwillreallyshowyouwhatareasneedattention.Here,Isettheskinofmycharactertoblacktoseethehaironitsownandrendereditwithasimplethree-pointlightsetup.(SeeChapter12to
learnhowtosetupmaterialsandChapter13forlighting.)
PeachFuzzIalsodecidedtoaddasecondparticlesystemtomyBatCreaturetoincorporatesomeshorthairthatcoveredmoreofthebody,likethehead,ears,andsomeof
thewings.Imadethisinexactlythesamewayasthefirstsystem.Istartedbyaddinganothernewparticlesystemtothesameobjectasthefirst,thistimewithamuchshorterlength.Then,Icreatedavertexgrouptolimitthishairtothebody,head,andthebeginningsofthewings.Ididn’tneedalengthvertexgroupthistime,asthehairwasallveryshort.Next,Icombedthehairtofollowthecontoursofthebodyandaddedchildparticlestoincreasethehairdensity.TheresultingparticlesystemcanbeseeninFigure9-11.
Figure9-11.ThePeachFuzzparticlesystemfortheBatCreatureaddsfinehairscoveringmostofthe
body.
ComplexHaircutsThehairfortheBatCreaturewasprettysimple,solet’slookatacharacterwithamorecomplexhairdo.ThecharacterinFigure9-12usesseveraldifferentparticlesystems,eachofwhichcoversdifferentareasoftheoverallhairstyle.Eachsystemisrestrictedtoitsownareabyaseparatevertexgroup,allowingittobeeditedseparately.
Creatinghairthiswaymakesiteasiertoiteratethroughdifferentstylesandcreatemorecomplexhairbecauseyoucaneditindividualaspectswithoutworryingabouttheireffectonothers.
Figure9-13showsacharacterthatmakesfulluseofthisstrategywithdifferenthairparticlesystemsthatallusedifferentsettings.Forexample,thebraidsinthebeardaresingleparentstrandsthatusetheBraidKinksettingforchildren,whileothersystemsusedifferentkinksettings.Thistechniqueisoftenusefulwhencreatingahairstylewithapartingofsomekindbecausesplittingthehairintotwoparticlesystemsmakesitmucheasiertocomboutwardfromthepartingoneitherside.
Figure9-12.UsingdifferentparticlesystemswithuniqueDensityvertexgroupsallowsmorecontroloverthelookofeach.Here,Ihavecreatedseparatevertexgroupsforthehair,goatee,eyebrows,and
stubble.
Figure9-13.Multipleparticlehairsystemscombinetocreatethefulleffect.Here,fivedifferenthairsystemsareusedtocreatethefinalhairstyleonthebottomright.Eachcanbecombedandhaveits
settingsadjustedseparately,allowingconsiderablymorecontrol.
ControllingParticleswithTexturesWhilesofarwehavefocusedonusingvertexgroupstocontrolparticlehairproperties,Blendercanalsousetextureinputtocontrolaspectsofparticlesystemsinthesamewaythatweusevertexes.Touseatexturethisway,firstassignaparticlesystemtoyourmesh,switchtotheTexturestabofthePropertieseditor,andclicktheParticleTexturesicon(seeFigure9-14).Nowyoucanaddtexturesandusethemforthesameinputsasyouwouldvertexgroups,includingthedensityandlengthofhairforhairparticles,aswellasclump,kink,androughvalues.(Valuessuchastimeandvelocityareusedfordynamicpointparticlesystems.)Bydefault,whitewillbemappedto1.0,andblackto0.0forthesevalues.
ControllingparticlesystemswithtexturesallowsyoutouseBlender’s
proceduraltexturestoaddvariationtohowahairorfursystemlooks.Forexample,byusingacloudtexturetoaffecttheroughvalueofthefurfortheBatCreature,Icouldquicklyaddsomerandomizedroughnesstothecreature’shair,withouthavingtoeditvertexgroupsmanually.
NOTETexturescanalsobeusedtoaffectthelookofparticlesthroughBlender’smaterials,asyou’lllearninChapter12.
OtherUsesforParticleSystemsInadditiontomodelinghairandfur,Blender’sparticlesystemsareusefulfornumerousothertasks.Forexample,fortheJungleTemple,Iusedaparticlesystemtocreatepatchesofgrassontheground,usingtheGrouprendertypetoduplicateafewdifferentgrassobjectsmanytimes.
GrassfortheJungleTempleWhileIplacedmostoftheplantsintheJungleTemplescenebyhand,Iusedaparticlesystemtogeneratesomegrassaroundmyscene.Whilehairstrandsontheirowncanlookalotlikegrasswiththerightmaterials,Ichosetocreatemodelsfortheindividualbladesofgrass.Then,Iusedaparticlesystemtoscatterthemaroundthescene,asshowninFigure9-15.
Figure9-14.Usingatexturetocontrolhairparticles.Here,aproceduralVoronoitexturehasbeenusedtoaffectparticlelength.Youcanusebothproceduralandimagetexturestoaffectparticleproperties.
Figure9-15.Simplegrassmodels.Thesearealljustplanesandcylindersthataresubdivided,stretched,andgrabbedwithproportionaleditingtoformthemintothestemsandleavesofthegrass.Eachisa
separateobjectwithitsoriginatthebaseoftheplant.
Figure9-16.Thedensityvertexgroupformygrassparticlesystem,shownherewithgrassgrowingontheassignedareas
CreatingaGrassParticleSystemTocreategrassthisway,Ineededsomemodelsfordifferentbladesorclumpsofgrassandthenaparticlesystem(addedtomygroundmesh)thatwouldduplicateandscatterthesemodelsaroundthescene.First,Icreatedafewdifferentgrass
models(seeFigure9-15)andaddedthemallintoasinglegroup(CTRL-G).Next,IaddedanewparticlesystemtothegroundmeshinmyJungleTempleandcreatedavertexgroupforthegrassdensityandlength(asIdidforthehair)toplacethegrassinjustafewkeyareas(seeFigure9-16).Then,IsettherendertypefortheparticlesystemtoGroupandchosemygrassgroupasthegrouptouse(theDupliGroupsetting).Finally,IenabledtheUseCountoptiontodeterminehoweachmemberofthegroupwasduplicatedsothatthesmallgrassmodelsrepeatedmoreoftenthanthelargerones(seeFigure9-17).
Togivethegrassduplicatessomerandomrotation,Iusedtherotationproperties(seeFigure9-17).BysettingtherotationaxistoNormalandtherandomvaluesto0.15fortherotationaxisand1.0fortherotationphase,eachgrasselementgetsabitofrandomrotation,makingitlookmoreunique(seeFigure9-18).SimilarvariationcanbeachievedforthescaleoftheobjectswiththeRandomSizesettingintheparticlesystemsphysicsproperties(seeFigure9-17).
ObjectRotationandParticleSystemsItshouldbenotedthatinorderforthegrassparticlesystemtoworkcorrectly,thegrassmeshesneedtoberotatedsothatthestemsofthegrasspointalongBlender’sy-axis.Thisisbecause,althoughthez-axisistreatedasthe“up”directioninBlender’sglobalcoordinates,forparticlesystems,they-axisofanobjectpointsalongthelengthofthestrand.
TheeasiestwaytorotatethegrassobjectscorrectlyistoselecttheminObjectmodeand(assumingyouinitiallymodeledthempointingupwardwithrespecttoeverythingelseinthescene)pressR▸Xtorotatetheobjectsaroundtheglobalx-axisandenter–90degreestospecifytheamountofrotation.Thisshouldleaveyourgrasspointingalongthey-axisofthescene.PressCTRL-AandselectRotationtoapplythisrotationtotheobjects’geometry.
Figure9-17.Theparticlesettingsforthegrasssystem.Togivedifferentorientationsandsizestotheduplicatedblades,IusedtherotationsettingsandtheSizeandRandomsizeoptions.IusedtheUse
Countoptiontorepeatsomeobjectsinthegroupmoreoftenthanothers.
Figure9-18.ThegrassparticlesysteminthefinalJungleTemplescene
HairandFurTipsHerearesomefinaltipsforworkingwithhairparticlesystems.
Splitupcomplextasks.Forcomplexhaircuts,splitthehairintodifferentsystemsthatyoucancombandcutseparately.Usedifferentsettingstogettheeffectyouneed.
Keepaneyeonparticlecounts.Asanexample,humanhairhasanapproximatedensityofafewhundredhairspersquarecentimeter,butyoudon’talwaysneedtoreachthisvalue.Whenrenderingyourhair,tryvariousnumbersofchildrentoseewhatlooksbest.
Experiment.Hairistoughtogetright.Sometimestheonlywayistotryanumberofdifferentsettingstoseewhatworksbest.Gettingaquickrenderofyourhairwilloftenprovideusefulinsight.
Materialsmakeadifference.Chapter12featuressomematerialsgearedspecificallyforparticlehair.Ifyou’retearingyourhairoutwonderingwhyyourfurdoesn’tlookright,itmightnotbetheparticlesystem’sfault.Makesureyouhaveagoodmaterialonyourhairsystemtohelpitlookitsbest.
InReviewInthischapter,we’velookedatwaystocreateparticlehairandfursystemsanddiscoveredotherusesforBlender’shairparticles,suchasforprocedurallyscatteringobjects,aswedidforgrass.Inlaterchapters,we’llreturntohairandfur,aswediscusswhatmaterialstoapplytocreatenicelookinghair(seeChapter12),howtolightstrandparticles(seeChapter13),andhowtogetthebestresultswhenrenderinghair(seeChapter14)byrenderingitasaseparaterenderlayer.
Chapter10.TextureBaking
Havingmodeled,sculpted,retopologized,andUVunwrappedourmodels,we’renowreadytocreatetexturesandmaterialsforthemandthenmoveontolightingandrendering.Inthischapter,we’llfocusonbakingtextures—creatingproceduraltexturesusingthegeometry,lighting,andmaterialsofobjectsinourscene.Forexample,we’llbakethenormalsofahigh-polysculptedmeshintoatexturemaporbaketheshadowsthatameshreceivesinthecracksandgroovesofitssurfaceintoatexturetomimicdirtanddust.Textureslikethesecanthenbeusedtoaidintexturingandcreatingmaterialslater.
Inthischapter,we’lldiscussthevarioustypesofproceduraltexturemapsthatBlenderisabletobake,theiruses,andhowtobakethem.InChapter11,we’llmoveontocombiningthesebakedtextureswithhandpaintingandothertechniquesinGIMPandBlender,cleaningthemupandcombiningthemwithothertexturesources,suchasphotos.Then,inChapter12,we’llcoverhowtoplugallthesekindsofmapsintoBlender’smaterialssystemtocreaterealisticmaterialsforrenderingourmodelswith.
ImagesandTexturesFirst,alittleterminology:Thetermsimageandtextureareoftenusedinterchangeably.Inmostcircumstances,thisisfine,butIshalltrytoavoidconfusionherebyexplainingmyterminology.Animage,forourpurposes,isapicture,perhapsintheformofanimagefile,likea.jpgor.tifffileorafilegeneratedwithinBlender’sUVImageeditorwithnospecificfiletypeassignedtoityet.
AtextureinBlendercanbeanykindofinputusedtoaffectthelookofamaterialappliedtoanobject.Atexturecanbeanimage,butatexturemayalsobeprocedurallygeneratedortakenfromavideo,pointclouddata,orsomethingevenmoreobscure.Butbecausewefrequentlyuseimagesastheinputfortextures,it’softenconvenienttoreferto“animageusedtoaffectamaterial’s
diffusecolor”asadiffusetextureforshort.
Ingeneral,whenIrefertobakingtextures,Imeananimageusedasatexture.Asthiswouldrapidlybecometedioustoread,I’llofteninsteadusethetermtexturemoreloosely—particularlyastheprocessofbakingimagesissofrequentlyreferredtoastexturebaking.
Thetermmapwhenusedinthecontextoftextures(suchastexturemap,diffusemap,anddisplacementmap)referstoanimageusedforaUVunwrappedobject—oneinwhicheachpointontheobjectcanbemappedtoapointontheimage.
Inthisbook,Ioftentalkaboutassigninganimageortexturetoanobject.Assigninganimagetoanobjectisdifferentfromassigningatexture.
AssigninganImageWhenIassignanimagetoanobject,Ilinkthatimagewiththeobject’sactiveUVcoordinateset.ThiscausestheimagetobedisplayedontheobjectwhenusingtheTexturedSolidshadingoptioninthe3DViewport(foundunderDisplayinthe3DViewportPropertiesregion).Italsomeansthatwhenbakingimages,thiswillbetheimagethatisbakedto.
Toassignanimagetoanobject’sUVcoordinates,selecttheobjectinthe3DViewportandpressTABtoenterEditmode.HitAtoselectall,thenintheUVImageeditor(I’massumingherethattheobjecthasalreadybeenunwrapped),usethedropdownmenuintheEditorsheadertoselectanimagetoassigntotheactiveUVset.
Tocreateanewimageandassignthatinstead,useImage▸NewImagetocreateanewimagetobaketowiththesizeandpropertiesyouspecify.
AssigningTexturesTexturesareassignedtomaterials,whicharethenassignedtoobjectsorpartsofobjects.Texturesareusedtoaffecthowanobjectwillberenderedandalsoasinputsforsomemodifiers.Toassignamaterialtoanobject,gototheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditortochooseamaterialfromthedropdownmenuatthetopofthetaborcreateanewmaterialwiththe+Newbutton.YoucanthenassigntexturestothismaterialintheTexturestabinthesameway.
Texture-BakingControlsTobakeatexture(technically,animage—fromhereonIwillusethetwotermslessrigorously)inBlender,usetheBakepanelintheRendertabofthePropertieseditor(showninFigure10-1).ThiscontainsallofBlender’ssettingsandtoolsforbakingtexturemaps,includingthefollowing:
Bake.Thisbuttonbakesimagesforthecurrentlyselectedobjects,usingthebakesettingsyou’vedefined.
Bakemode.Thesesettingsareusedtosetwhatkindofmapyouarebaking.
Clear.Thisoptionclearsthetextureandreplacesitwithblackbeforebaking.
Margin.ThisoptionextendsthebakedtexturesoutbeyondtheedgesoftheUVislandsbythenumberofpixelsyousettopreventseamsshowingonthemesh.
SelectedtoActive.Thisoptionenablesbakingfromonemeshtoanother.
DistanceandBias.ThesesettingsdeterminehowfarBlenderwilllookforthesurfaceoftheothermeshwhenbakingfromSelectedtoActive.
Inordertobakeatexture,Blenderneedstwoinputs:
AmeshwithUVcoordinatesthatyouwanttobaketexturesfor.Thismustbeselectedastheactiveobject,andtheUVcoordinatesyouwanttobaketomustbetheactiveset.
Animagetobakethetextureto,assignedtotheobject’sactiveUVcoordinateset.
Withtheseinputsinplace,clickBakeintheBakepaneltohaveBlenderrenderthetexture.BlendershouldrenderthemaptypedictatedbytheBakeModesetting(seeFigure10-1)andtakethefollowingintoaccountwhenbaking:
Selectedobjects.BlenderwillbaketexturesforanyselectedobjectsthathaveUVcoordinateswithanimageassignedtothem.Youcanbakemultipletexturesatonce,aswellasbakingmultipleobjects.
Otherobjectsoncurrentlyvisiblelayers.Unselectedobjectswillnotbebaked,butwhenbakinglightingorothermapsthatareaffectedbytheselectedobject’ssurroundings,Blenderwilltakeintoaccounttheotherobjects(meshes,lights,andsoon)thatareonthecurrentlyvisiblelayers.Tobakethelightingfor
anobjectinisolation,placeittemporarilyonitsownlayer,alongwiththelightsyouwanttoaffectit.
Figure10-1.Texture-bakingcontrolswhileworkingintheUVeditinglayoutwecreatedinChapter8.TheUVeditinglayoutisusefulbecauseitallowsustoaccessourbakingcontrolsthroughthe
Propertieseditor,thebakedimagesthroughtheUVImageeditor,andtheobjectsinourscenethroughthe3DViewport,allinonelayout.
NOTEBakingiscurrentlysupportedonlywhenyouusetheBlenderInternalrenderer.Ifyoudon’tseeanybakingoptions,makesurethatyouhaveBlenderInternalselectedasyourrenderenginefromtheInfoEditorheader(seeFigure10-1).
TextureMapTypesYoucanbakeseveraldifferentmaptypes,someofwhicharemoreimportantthanothers.Here’swhatBlenderhastooffer:
FullRender.Thisdoesafullrender,includingtexturesandlightingofyoursurface.Theresultingtextureisexactlyhowyourmodelwilllookinyourfinalrender,mappedtotheobject’sUVcoordinates.
AmbientOcclusion.Thisrendersambientocclusionfortheobject,takingintoaccountanyothervisible,renderableobjectsonthecurrentlyactivelayers.Ambientocclusionisaselfshadowingeffectthatcreatesdarkareasinthecornersandcrevicesofobjects.It’susefulbothformimickingtheeffectofmorecomplexlighting,aswellasforcreatingaroughmapofareaswheredirtanddustarelikelytoaccumulate.Thiskindofmapisoftenveryusefulwhencreatingtexturesandmaterials(seeFigure10-2).
Shadow.Thisrenderstheshadowsfromlightsinthesceneintoamap.
Normals.Thistakesthenormalvectoroftheobject’ssurfaceateachpointandrecordsitasanRGBvalue.Thisisdoneinavarietyofways,dependingonthenormalspaceoptionyouchoose.Differentnormalspacesrecordthenormalsofthemeshrelativetodifferentcoordinatesystems.Forexample,theCameraoptionrecordsthemrelativetothecamera;World,accordingtoworldspace;Object,accordingtotheobject’slocalcoordinates;andTangent,accordingtothesurfacenormalofthebakedobjectitself.
Figure10-2.Anambientocclusionmap,bakedandappliedtothemeshasatexture(theeyesherehavebeenleftblack)
Ofthese,Tangentisprobablythemostimportant;itletsyoubakethenormalsofonemeshtothesurfaceofanotherbyenablingtheSelectedtoActivesetting,selectingyoursourcemesh(ormeshes)andthetarget,andthenbaking.Thisrendersthenormalsofthesourcemeshrelativetotheselectedtargetmesh.Thismapcanthenbeusedtodistortthesurfacenormalsofthemeshwhenitisrendered,givingtheimpression(whenthemapisappliedaspartoftheobject’smaterial)ofhavingalotofdetailinthesurfacewheninfacttheunderlyinggeometrycanbemuchsimpler.(SeeFigure10-3foranexampleofthiseffect.)Tangentspacenormalmapsareparticularlyusefulbecausethenormalsarerecordedrelativetothesurfaceofthemeshitself,sotheyworkevenwhenthemeshisdistortedfromitsoriginalshapebymodifiersorfurtherediting,solongastheUVcoordinatesremainthesame.
Textures.Thisbakesthediffusecolorofanymaterialsandcolorsappliedtothemesh.ThiscanbeusefulforbakingproceduralcolorsandtexturesintoaUVmap.
Displacement.Thisconvertsthedistancebetweentwomeshesintoablack-and-whiteimage.Blackrepresentsnegativedisplacement,mid-grayrepresentszerodisplacement,andwhiterepresentspositivedisplacement.UsetheSelectedtoActiveoptiontobakefromasourcemesh(ormeshes)totheactivemesh.
TheDisplacementmapisgenerallyusedasanalternativetonormalmaps,andthismapcanthenbeusedastheinputfortheDisplacemodifierortheDisplacesettingofamaterialtodeformameshintotheshapeofthesourcemesh(seeFigure10-3).Alternatively,abakeddisplacementmapcanbeusedasabumpmapforamaterial.(Bumpmapsworklikenormalmaps,givingtheimpressionofsurfacedetailbyalteringtheshadingofthesurface,buttheyrequireonlyblackandwhiteinput.)
Normalmapsareaveryefficientwaytogivetheimpressionofdetail,buttheydon’taffectthesilhouetteofthemeshorthecastingofshadowsbecausenorealgeometryisdisplaced.Displacementmappingcreatesrealdetailbydeformingthemeshbutrequiresyoutosubdividethemeshtoprovidesufficientgeometrytodeform.InFigure10-3,agroupofsphereshasbeenbakedtoanormalmap(8bit)andadisplacementmap(32bit).Thesemapshavethenbeenappliedtoaplaneandacylinder.Thenormalmappedobjectscapturealotoftheshadingwithmuchlowerpolycounts,buttheydon’taffecttheactualshapeofthemesh
orcastshadows.Thedisplacement-mappedobjectsaremuchmorerealistic,buttheyhavetobesubdividedinordertocaptureallthedetails.
Figure10-3.Normalmappingvs.displacementmapping
Alpha.Thisbakesthealphatransparencyofthemeshtoatexture.It’susefulforbakingproceduralvaluestoanimagetexture.
Emission.Thisbakestheemissioncolorandamountofamaterialintoatexture.Aswiththetexturemap,thiscanbeusefulinbakingproceduralemissioncolorsintoanimagetexture.
MirrorColors.Thisbakesthecolorofray-tracedreflectionsforamaterialinto
atexture.It’susefulforbakingproceduralvaluestoanimagetexture.
MirrorIntensity.Thisbakestheamountofray-tracedreflectionforamaterialintoatextureandisusefulforbakingproceduralvaluestoanimagetexture.
SpecularColors.Thisbakesthecolorofspecularreflectionsofamaterialintoatextureandisusefulforbakingproceduralvaluestoanimagetexture.
SpecularIntensity.Thisbakestheamountofspecularreflectionofamaterialintoatexture.It’susefulforbakingproceduralvaluestoanimagetexture.
Eachkindoftexturemaphasapurposefromtimetotime,butinthischapter,we’llfocusonambientocclusion,texture,normal,anddisplacementmapsmostoften.Ofthetexturemaps,thesemapsarethemostusefulforusewithpaintedtexturesandforrenderingdetailedfinalmodels.
BakingTexturesfortheBatCreatureInthecaseoftheBatCreature,myaimwastocreatetexturesfortheskinandtobakeadisplacementmapforrenderingthefinalmodelwithaDisplacemodifierinordertocaptureallthedetailsIsculptedearlier.InthissectionI’lldiscusshowIbakedmapsforambientocclusionanddisplacementtohelpwiththis.I’llalsocoverbakinganormalmapasanalternativetodisplacementmaps,onethatrendersalotmorequicklythoughatthecostofsomeaccuracyinrepresentingthefinedetails.
BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMeshBecauseIcontinuedsculptingontheretopologizedmesh,Icouldjustrenderthefinalmeshdirectly.Butthisisn’talwaysdesirable,becausetheMultiresmodifiercansometimesgetcorruptedanddisplayingitseffectsinthe3DViewportcanbeslowandunwieldy.Abettersolutionwouldbetobakeadisplacementmapusingeitherthehigh-polysculpt,whichcanthenbeappliedaspartofamaterial,ortheSubdivisionSurfaceandDisplacemodifierstoreconstitutethehigh-polydetailsofthemeshonlywhenitisrendered,leavingitsimpleandquicktoworkoninthe3DViewport.
TobakethedisplacementfortheBatCreature,Ifirstselectedthebodyofthecreature(thehigh-polysculpt),duplicatedit,andthenappliedtheMultires
modifieratlevel3.ThisisthemeshI’lluseasthefinalbodymeshforrendering.(I’lladdthehairthatIcreatedinChapter9tothefinalsceneasaseparateobject.)Thiscapturesmostofthedetailalready,butI’lluseadisplacementmaptocapturethehighestresolutiondetail.
NextIneededtoaddaSubdivisionSurfacemodifiertomatchthelevelofsubdivisionbetweenthetoplevelofthemultiresmeshandthenew,soon-to-bedisplacedmesh.Iaddedthemodifierandsetthenumberofsubdivisionsto2.
Then,inEditmode,Iselectedthewholemesh,andintheUVImageeditor,Iaddedanewimageforthedisplacementmaptobebakedto.Thisimageneededtobea32-bitfloatimageinordertocaptureallofthedetailsofthedisplacementwithoutcreatingartifacts.Isetitssizeto4096×4096pixels,morethanenoughtocaptureallthedetailsofthesculpt.Iselectedtheoriginalmultiresmeshandmynewfinalmesh.AsshowninFigure10-4,ImadesurethatSelectedtoActivewasenabledandNormalizewasunchecked,andIsettheMarginsettingto4togivea4-pixelborderaroundtheUVislands,reducingthechanceofartifactsaroundUVseams.(Theothersettingswereleftattheirdefaults.)
AtthispointIwasreadytobakemytexture,soIclickedBakeintheBakepanelandsetBlendertoworkbakingmytexture.Thisbakedthedisplacementbetweenmyhigh-polysculptandmysubdividedfinalmeshintoadisplacementmapholdingallofthedetailofthehigh-polysculpt.Oncefinished,Isavedthisasa32-bitOpenEXRimagetopreservealltheinformationpresentinthedisplacementmapbypressingF3whileintheUVImageeditorandsettingtheformat(inthebottomleftofthefilebrowsereditor)toEXR(seeFigure10-5).YoucanchooseFloat(Full)touse32-bitvalues.SettingtheCodectoZIPwillkeepthefilesizeabitsmaller.
BitDepthandTexturesI’vetouchedonbitdepthbriefly,butnowI’llexplainitabitfurther.Bitdepthreferstothenumberofbits(thatis,thelengthofanumberinbinary)thatisusedtostorethered,green,blue,andalpha(RGBA)valuesforeachpixelinanimage.Themorebitsusedtostoreeachnumber,themoredistinctlevelsthereare,andthegreatertherangeandsubtletyofcolorsandbrightnessesthatcanbestoredinanimage.
Mostimageformats(suchas.jpgand.png)use8-bitcolor,whichisfinefor
simplydisplayingpicturesonscreenorevenforstoringsimplediffusetextures.Butifyouplanonperformingmorecomplexmanipulationsonyourimages,suchasusingthemfordisplacementmapsoralteringtheircolorsandexposure,you’llstarttoseeartifactsappear.
Forsuchdemandingusecases,youcanusehigherbitdepths(either16or32bit)forimages,whichgiveyouagreaterrangeofvaluestoworkwith.Usinghigherbitdepthswillpreventuglyartifactsfromappearinginyourrendersanddisplacedmeshes.TheOpenEXR(.exr)formatisagoodchoiceforsavinghigh-bit-depthimages.Forlow-bit-depthimages,IgenerallyusetheTarga(.tga)format.
Figure10-4.SettingsforbakingthedisplacementmapfortheBatCreature
Figure10-5.Savingthedisplacementmapasa32-bitOpenEXRimage
Duringthebakingoftexturemaps,mosttypesoftexturescanbesavedin8-bitformats.Thatsaid,displacementmapsshouldalmostalwaysbesavedas32-bitimagestoavoidsteppingartifactswhenapplyingthemtoyourmodels.SteppingartifactscanbeseeninFigure10-6;theinputforaDisplacementmodifierhasbeenbakedinBlenderandsavedasbothan8-bit.tgafile(appliedusingadisplacementmodifier,center)anda32-bitOpenEXRimage(right).Thecenterimageshowstheartifactsthatcanresultfromusingadisplacementtexturewithinsufficientbitdepth.
Figure10-6.Displacementmapsusuallyneedtobesavedinahigh-bit-depthimageformatbecauselowerbitdepthsdon’tstoreenoughinformationandcanresultinsteppingartifacts.(Heretheeffecthasbeenexaggeratedsignificantly.)Left:Acloudtexture,theoriginalsourceofourdisplacementmap.Center:Usingan8-bitdisplacementmap,showingstepping.Right:Usinga32-bitdisplacementmap,
nostepping.
ApplyingtheDisplacementMapTomakesurethatthedisplacementmapworkedcorrectly(andtoapplyittoourmodelforuseinourfinalrenders),wecanapplyittoourduplicatedmodelusingtheDisplacementmodifier.HavingaddedaSubdivisionSurfacemodifiertotheduplicatedbodyobject,wehavethegeometryweneed,sowecansimplyaddaDisplacementmodifiertotheobjectaswell.
Toassignthedisplacementmap,weusetheimagewebakedasinputforatexture;thistexturecanthenbeassignedastheinputforthedisplacementmodifier.(Here,I’musingthemorerigorousdefinitionsthatIdiscussedatthebeginningofthischapter.)
Theeasiestwaytocreateandmodifyatextureblockistoaddamaterialtothemodel,ifyouhaven’talready(wecreatedaMatCapmaterialinChapter6thatwenolongerrequire;wecaneitherusethisorcreateanewone),andthenaddanewtexturetothismaterialusingtheTexturestabofthePropertieseditorbyclickingthe+Newbuttonwithanemptytextureslotselected.GivethetextureausefulnamelikeBody_Displacement,thensetthetypeofthistexturetoImageorMovie.IntheImagepanelthatappears,openyourdisplacementmap.
NowreturntotheModifierstaband,intheDisplacementmodifier,usethetexturedropdownmenutoselectthetextureyoujustcreated.LeaveDirectionsettoNormalandsetTextureCoordinatestoUV.Astrengthof1.0shouldgivethecorrectamountofdisplacement.AdjustingtheViewSubdivisionLevels
settingontheSubdivisionSurfacemodifierwillletyouseemoreorlessofthedetailgeneratedbythedisplacementmap.
BakingNormalMapsWhilewewon’tuseoneforourfinalrenders,normalmapsareausefulandquick-to-renderalternativetodisplacementmaps.Theyarefrequentlyusedingameenginesbecausetheyarefastenoughtouseinreal-timeapplications.TheycanalsobeusedwiththeBlenderInternalrenderertogivetheimpressionofextradetailwithoutrequiringsuchdensegeometry.
Theprocessofbakinganormalmapisverysimilartobakingadisplacementmap.First,youassignanewblankimagetoyourduplicatedmesh(itdoesn’tneedtobe32bit).Then,selectthesculptfirstandthentheduplicate.Wedon’tneedtoapplyaSubdivisionSurfacemodifiertotheduplicatethistimebecausethesilhouetteofourcharacterisbroadlyfineandnormalmappingdoesn’trequireextrageometry(itdoesn’tphysicallydisplacethemesh).Next,fromtheRendertabofthePropertieseditor,settheBakemodetoNormalsandNormalSpacetoTangent,enableSelectedtoActive,andclickBake(seeFigure10-7).
Theresultingmapwillbeabluishtexture,withothercolorsdenotingareasofthesculptthatfaceindifferentdirectionsrelativetothenormalsoftheunsubdividedduplicatemesh.Thistexturemaylaterbeappliedaspartoftheobject’smaterialtogivetheeffectofmimickingthesurfaceformsofthesculptedmesh(seeFigure10-8).SeeAddingaNormalMaptolearnhowtoapplynormalmapsaspartofamaterial.
BakingAmbientOcclusionInadditiontothedisplacementmap,wealsowanttobakeourambientocclusionmapfromourhigh-polysculptontothefinalmesh.Thisprocessissimplerthanproducingthedisplacementmap:
1. Selectthesculptandthenthefinalmesh.SettheBakemodetoAmbientOcclusion.
2. SelectNormalizetoensurethattheambientocclusionmapusesthewholerangebetweenblackandwhitetostoretheocclusion.
3. Togetthebest-qualityambientocclusionmap,adjustBlender’sworldlightingsettingsintheWorldtabofthePropertieseditor,whichcontainsallthesettingsforambientocclusionandenvironmentlighting(seeFigure10-9).(SeeChapter13formoreonthesesettings.)EnableAmbientOcclusion(settoMultiply)fromtheAmbientOcclusionpanel.
4. IntheGatherpanel,turntheAttenuationDistancedownto0.2andenableFalloffandsetitto1.0.Thiscausesonlyclose-togethergeometrytocauseshadowingandspeedsuprendering.
5. Setthesamplesto24toreducethenoiseintheresults.
Havingsavedadisplacementmapexternally,youcansimplybakeoverthedisplacementmapimage,rememberingtosaveitassomethingdifferentoncetheambientocclusionmapisbaked.ClickBakeandlettheambientocclusionmaprender(seeFigure10-10).
Figure10-7.Bakinganormalmap.NormalSpaceissettoTangent,andthenormalsarebakedfromthesculptedmeshtoourfinalmodel—thistimewithoutsubdivision.Someartifactsarepresentinthebake,
butthesecanbecorrectedlaterinGIMP(seeChapter11).
Figure10-8.Thenormalmapappliedaspartofthematerial,previewedinthe3DViewportusingGLSLshading.Theartifactsfromthebakecanbeseenonthewingasblackareas,butthiscanbefixedlater
inGIMPsimplybypaintingoverthem.
Figure10-9.Ambientocclusionsettingsforbakingambientocclusionmaps.
Figure10-10.Thebakedambientocclusionmap.Thiscontainssomeartifactsfrombakingthatwe’llremovelaterbyhand.
Tomakesurethattheambientocclusionmapcameoutokay,turnonTexturedSolidintheDisplaypanelofthePropertiesregioninthe3DViewport.Thisdisplaysthetextureassignedtothemeshonthemodel,allowingyoutoseetheeffectoftheambientocclusionmap.Whenyou’rehappywiththebake,saveitasa.tgaimage.(Youdon’tneedtouseahigh-bit-depthformatthistime,astheambientocclusionmapwillworkfinewith8-bitcolor.)Theremaybeoneortwoartifacts,butyoucanpainttheseoutlaterinGIMPonceyoubegintexturing.
BakingTexturesfortheSpiderBotFortheSpiderBotproject,Ididn’tneedtobakedisplacementornormalmaps;thepointofretopologyinthiscasewastoeliminatetheroughnessfromthe
sculptsandendupwiththesmoothformstheretopologizedmodelnowhas.Themodelwouldstillbenefitfromanambientocclusionmap,though,whichwillbeusefulduringthetexturingprocess.Tosavetimewhenpaintingcolorsforthetextures,itwillalsohelptoassignsomebasicmaterialswithdifferentcolorstothepartsofthemodelandthenbakethesecolorsintoanimagetoserveasaguidewhenpaintingtextures.
BakingMapsforMultipleObjectsInChapter8,IpackedtheUVcoordinatesformostoftheSpiderBotmodelontoasingleUVgridsothatI’drequirefewertextureimageslateron.NextIneededtobakethemapsforalloftheobjectstogether.Todothis,firstmakesuretheyallhavethesameimageassignedtotheirUVcoordinates.Ifso,youcouldsimplyselectalloftheobjectsfortheSpiderBotthatsharethesameUVcoordinatesandclickBaketobakealloftheselectedobjectsatonce.
Butwhatifyouwanttobeselectiveaboutwhichpartsofthemodelarevisiblewhenbakingdifferentobjects?Orifyouwishtobeabletocorrectpartswithoutrebakingtheentiremodel?Bydefault,BlenderwillclearthetextureeverytimeyouclickBake,preventingyoufrombakingmultipletimeswithdifferentobjectsselected.Topreventthis,turnofftheClearsettingintheBakepanel,andBlenderwillreplaceonlythepartsoftheimageassignedtotheselectedobjects.Thiswillallowyoutobakeobjectsoneatatime,ingroups,orallatonce,addingtothetexturemapaswegoalong.
Thisselectivetechniquecomesinhandyforpieceslikethelegs.Becausesomeofthelegcomponentsoverlapslightly,iftheywerebakedtogether,theoverlappingareaswouldcomeoutblackwhenwebakeourambientocclusionmap.Andifweweretolaterre-posethelegs,theseblackregionsmightshowthrough.
Toavoidbakinginshadowsfromoverlappingobjectsthatmaynotalwaysbethere,useBlender’slayers.Blenderbakesobjectsonlyonthecurrentlyvisiblelayers,sowecanisolatethepartswewanttoincludeeachtimeonasinglelayerandthenbakethem.Todoso,takethefollowingsteps:
1. SelecttheobjectsyouwishtobakeandpressMtobringupamenuthatallowsyoutopickwhichlayerstheobjectshouldbevisibleon.
2. Selectanewemptylayer(checkthelayersiconsinthe3DViewportheadertoseewhichonesareoccupied)andpressENTERtoputtheobjectonthatlayer.
3. Jumptotheselectedlayerinthe3DViewport,eitherwiththeselectorintheheaderorusingthekeyboardshortcuts(1through0onthekeyboardforlayers1to10,ALT-1throughALT-0forlayers11through20).
Figure10-11.BakingtheambientocclusionmapfortheheadandbodysegmentsoftheSpiderBot.Onlyselectedobjectsarebaked,andonlyobjectsonlayersthatarecurrentlyvisibleare
takenintoaccountbythebakingprocess.
4. Nowselectthemeshandbaketheambientocclusionmapforthatobjectalone,asshowninFigure10-11.
Thisselectiveprocessallowsyoutoprogressthrougheachobjectinthemodel,bakingtheambientocclusionasyouseefit,whetherforasinglecomponentorforsmallgroups.Forexample,fortheheadsectionoftheSpiderBot,Ibakedtheantennaandextrapartsoftheheadalongwiththeheadmeshandkeptthewiresatthebackofthehead/bodysegmentonthesamelayerwhilebaking(thoughIbakedtheseseparately).Ibakedthelegsasindividualpieces,isolatingeachtypeoflegpartonitsownlayerbeforebaking.ThefinalbakeafterprogressingoverthewholemodelisshowninFigure10-12.
ForareaslikethejointsontheundersideoftheSpiderBot’sbody,whichsharethesameUVspace,Icouldn’tbakeaproperUVmap.Instead,IjustfilledthatareawithwhiteinGIMPafterIsavedtheimage.(SeethetoprightcorneroftheambientocclusionmapinFigure10-12.)
Figure10-12.ThefinalbakedambientocclusiontexturefortheSpiderBot
BakingDiffuseColorsandTexturesInordertogetaroughfeelforthecolorsIwantedtheSpiderBottohaveandtobaketheseintoamaptoserveasaguideforthetexturepaintingprocess,Ineededtocreatesomebasicmaterialsandassignthemtothedifferentpartsofmymodel.Thesematerialsdidn’tneedtobecomplex;infact,Ineededonlytoadjustthediffusecolorsetting.(I’lldiscussmorecomplexmaterialsinChapter12.)
Tocreateafewbasicmaterials:
1. GototheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditor(withanobjectselected)andclickthe+Newbuttontocreateanewmaterial.
2. ClickthenameMaterialtorenameitsomethingmoreuseful,likeBasic_Fill_01,andthensetthediffusecolortoamid-graycolor.
3. Createmorematerialsbyduplicatingthisfirstone(clickthe+iconnexttothematerial’sname)andsetthesetodifferentcolors.
Whenworkingwiththenewmaterials,Ibeganbychoosingthreecolors:oneprincipalcolorformostofthemodel,asecondarycolor,andahighlightcolorforsmalldetails.IthenstartedassigningthesematerialstothedifferentobjectsthatmadeuptheSpiderBotusingtheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditor,thoughit’seveneasiertoaccomplishusinganadd-oncalledMaterialUtils.
MaterialUtilsAdd-OnTheMaterialUtilsadd-onisaquickwaytomodifymaterialsassignedtoyourmodels.It’sparticularlyusefulforworkingwithscenesthatusealotofmaterialsoroneswithmultipleobjectsthatsharethesamematerials.
Toenabletheadd-on,openBlender’sUserPreferencesEditor(youcanbringthisupbygoingtoFile▸UserPreferences)andunderAdd-Ons,searchforandenableMaterialUtils.Thisaddsanewkeyboardshortcut(Q),whichbringsupamenuthatyoucanuseineitherObjectorEditmodetoassignmaterialstomeshes(seeFigure10-13).InObjectmode,theadd-onallowsyoutoassignmaterialstoanentireobject(ortomultipleobjectsifmorethanoneisselected),whileinEditmode,itwillassignamaterialonlytothepartofthemeshyouhaveselected.
Figure10-13.AssigningmaterialswiththeMaterialUtilsadd-on(Q)greatlyspeedsupaddingmaterialstoyourscene,particularlyforsceneswithalotofobjects.
FortheSpiderBot,IquicklyappliedthesamematerialtoeveryobjectinthemodelbyselectingthemallwithAandthenusingMaterialUtils(Q)toassignoneofmybasicmaterialstoallofthem.Then,Ibeganselectingindividualpieces(andalsodroppingintoEditmodewithTABtoselectpartsofmeshes,asinFigure10-13)andassigningothermaterialsfromthethreeIcreated.Myoverallgoalwastokeeponemaincolor,onesecondarycolor,andahighlightcolorforsmallorinterestingpartsofthemodel.Forcertainobjects,likethewiresandeyes,Icreateduniquematerialsbyfirstmakingtheexistingmaterialdatablockforthatobjectunique(byclickingthenumbernexttothematerialsnameatthetopoftheMaterialstab)andthenadjustingitasnecessary.Afterassigningmaterials,Ibeganchangingthediffusecolorsofmymaterialsinsearchofacombinationthatworked,asshowninFigure10-14.
BakingaTextureMapHavingestablishedmycolorscheme,Iwasabletobakethecolorstoatexturemap.Usingatexturetodefinethecoloroftheobjects,ratherthandifferentmaterials,allowedmetousefewermaterialstorendermymodelandsimplified
theprocessoftweakingmaterialslateron.
Tobakethetexturemap,IreturnedtotheBakepaneloftheRendertabinthePropertieseditor,settheBakemodetoTexture,andthenclickedBake.ThisbakedthecolorsofthevariousmaterialsIassignedintoasingletexture(seeFigure10-15).Becausethereisnointeractionbetweenthemeshestoconsiderthistime(astherewaswhenrenderingambientocclusion),Icanbakethemeshesallatoncebyselectingthemallbeforebaking.
It’sworthpointingoutherethatyoucanbakemorecomplexmaterialcolorsandtexturesaswell.Forexample,youcanbakeimagetexturesintotheUVunwrappedtextureforanobjectorbakeproceduralmaterialsintoimages.Figure10-16showstheresultofaddingaproceduralwoodtexturetooneoftheflatmaterialsfortheSpiderBotbeforebaking,whichgivesitazebra-stripedpattern.
TexturingtheJungleTempleInthecaseoftheJungleTemple,mostofmytexturesweretileabletosomedegree,ortheywererepeatedonmeshesinmultiplelocations.Thismeantthatbakingmapsforthingslikeambientocclusionwouldbelesseffectivebecauseamapbakedforameshinonelocationmaynothavequitetherighteffectwhenrepeatedinanother.Intheend,theonlymeshIbakedmapsforwasthestatue(seeFigure10-17),forwhichIcreatedanambientocclusionmapfortheobjectbyitself.Ididthisbyputtingthestatueonitsownlayerwhilebaking,justasIdidforthepartsoftheSpiderBotmodelabove.
Figure10-14.AfteriteratingthroughdifferentcolorideasfortheSpiderBot,Ieventuallysettledonawhite,gray,andgreenversion.
Figure10-15.Bakingsimplematerialsintoatexturemap
Figure10-16.Bakingazebra-stripedpatternintothetexturefortheSpiderBotusingaproceduralwoodtexture
Figure10-17.BakingtheambientocclusionmapforthestatueintheJungleTemplescene
GeneralTipsforBakingMapsBakinglargertextureswillallowyoutocapturemoredetailbutwillalsotakemoretime.Whendecidingwhatsizetexturestobake,considerhowmuchdetailyourmodelhasandhowmuchwillbepresentinthebakebeforehandinordertooptimizetheresolutionofthetextureyouuse.
Ingeneral,agoodruleofthumbtofollowfordisplacementmapsisthatthesizeofthemapinpixelsneednotbemuchbiggerthanthepolycountofthemesh.Soifyouarebakingabouta1Mpolysculpt,a1024×1024pixelmapwillprobablysuffice.Forothertexturemaps,considerthesizethatanobjectwillappearinthefinalrender.Ifanobjectwillappearonlyafewhundredpixelshighinthefinalrender,itstexturemapshouldbeaboutthesamesize.Ontheotherhand,ifanobjectappearsclose-upatahighresolution,thenbiggertextureswillbeneeded.
Inthecaseofparticularlysimpletextures,liketheflatcolorswebakedfortheSpiderBot,youcanmaketheimagemuchsmallerwhilebakingandscaleitupinanimageeditingprogramlikeGIMPlater(makingsuretoincreasethemarginsettingtopreventseams).
Whencreatingimagestobaketo,setbitdepthsappropriately.Displacement
mapsrequire32-bitimages,whileothertexturetypestypicallyonlyrequire8-bit(or16-bitifyouplantomanipulatethemheavily).Blendercanbakeeither8-or32-bitimages,butrememberthebitdepthyouendupwithisalsodeterminedbythefileformatyousaveto.UseOpenEXRforhigh-bit-depthimagesand.tgaor.pngfilesfor8-bitimages.Additionally,rememberthatGIMPcanonlyedit8-bitimages(fornow,thatis—futureversionsarelikelytoincorporatesupportforhigh-bit-depthimages),soifyouplanonpaintingtexturesinGIMP,theextradepthisoflittlehelp.
Whenbakingambientocclusionorlighting,considerisolatingthepiecesyouarebakingononelayertogetmorecontrolovertheresults.Andfinally,itcanbehelpfultochangetheworldsettings(orsettingsforlampsifyou’rebakinglighting)toachievehigher-qualitybakedtextures.(SeeChapter13formoreonworldandlightingsettings.)
InReviewInthischapter,we’vediscussedbakingtexturesintoimagesusingBlender’sbakingtoolsandthekindsofmapsBlenderwillallowyoutobake.Iusedthesetechniquestobakemapsformyvariousprojects:FortheBatCreature,Ibakeddisplacementandambientocclusionmaps,andfortheSpiderBot,Ibakedambientocclusionandsomeblockcolorstoaidwithtexturinglater.WhileIdidn’tneedtodoalotoftexturebakingfortheJungleTemplescene,Ididcreateanambientocclusionmapforthestatue.
Inthenextchapter,we’llcombinethetextureswe’vebakedwithotherwaysofcreatingtextures,frompaintingandcloningtexturesdirectlyinBlendertopaintinginGIMPandcombiningphototexturestosynthesizenewones.
Chapter11.TexturePainting
Inthepreviouschapter,weusedBlendertogeneratetexturesautomatically;inthischapter,we’llshiftourfocustocreatingtexturesbyhand.Usingamixofhandpainting,workingwithphototextures,andutilizingthetextureswecreatedinChapter10,we’llbringcolorandtexturetotheobjectsinourscenes.We’llalsocovercreatingsuchimagesasspecular,hardness,andalphamaps,whichwe’lluseinChapter12toinfluenceotheraspectsofthematerialswemake,suchastheirshininess,smoothness,andtransparency.We’lllookatcreatingbothtileabletexturesthatcanbeusedonmultipleobjectsanduniquetexturesthatareUVmappedtospecificobjectsusingamixofbothBlenderandGIMP.
Let’sbeginwithalookatthetoolsavailable.
TexturinginBlenderInBlender,wecanpaintin2D,usingtheUVImageeditor,andwecanpaintdirectlyonobjectsin3D,usingTexturePaintmodeinthe3DViewport.Thisgivesusagreatdegreeofflexibilityinhowwepaintourmodels.ThebrushesworkacrossboththeUVImageeditorandTexturePaintmode,makingtexturingwithBlenderstraightforwardandconsistent.
OnceyouselectameshthathasbeenunwrappedandassignedanimageintheUVImageeditor,youcanswitchtoTexturePaintmodeinthe3DViewport.(Usethemodedropdownmenuintheheader,asshowninFigure11-1.)Bydefault,you’llseethetextureonyourmeshandbeabletopaintonitusingBlender’stexturebrushes.
Blenderoffersseveralbrushtypesthatyoucanusetopainttexturesonyourmodel:
Draw,Brush,andTexdraw.Theseallofferthesamebasicfunctionality,allowingyoutopaintdirectlyonyourmeshwiththecolorspecifiedbythecolorpicker.
Clone.ThisbrushallowsyoutoclonetextureinformationfromonepartofyourmodeltoanotherorfromoneUVcoordinatesettoanother.WiththeCloneoptionturnedoffintheProjectPaintsettings(seeProjectPaint),thebrushwilltakethetextureinformationlyingunderthe3DViewportcursorandcopyittowhereyoupaint,allowingyoutoclonefromonepartofthemodeltoanotherwithinthesametexture.WiththeCloneoptionturnedonintheProjectPaintsettings,thebrushwillinsteadclonetextureinformationfromthesamepartofthemeshbutfromthetextureassignedtoadifferentUVcoordinateset(theonechosenintheProjectPaintsettings).
Figure11-1.TexturePaintmodeinBlender.Here,I’veusedthemodifiedUVUnwrappingLayoutcreatedinChapter8.Thislayoutallowsmetopainttexturesinthe3DViewport(right),toseeandedittheresultingimageintheUVImageeditor(left),andtoeditmaterialsandsettingsintheProperties
editor.
Smear.Thiswillsmearyourtextureinthedirectionofthebrushstroke.Itcanbeusedtoblendcolorsandtosmudgeoutmistakes.
Soften.Thisblursthetextureunderyourstroke,reducingnoiseandfinedetails.
ThesebrushtypescanbeduplicatedandmodifiedjustlikeBlender’ssculptbrushes,allowingyoutocreateavarietyofbrushestailoredtoyourneeds.Also,asinSculptmode,youcanapplytexturestoyourbrushusingtheTexturepanel
oftheToolOptionsregion.Thetextureyouapplywillthenmultiplywithyourbrushstrokeswhileyoupaint.
ProjectPaintBlenderhastwowaystopainttexturesinTexturePaintmode.Theolder,legacymethod,whileuseful,hassignificantlimitations.ThenewerProjectPaintmethodoffersamoreadvancedsetoftools,includingonesthatallowyoutomaskandclonetexturesusingotherUVcoordinatesandimagesandtopaintonlyonsurfacesvisiblefromyourviewpoint.Whenenabled,ProjectPaintgivesyoutheoptionsshowninFigure11-2.IdiscusstheseoptionsbelowintheorderinwhichtheyappearontheProjectPaintpanel.
Figure11-2.TheProjectPaintpanelhasavarietyofoptionsforcontrollinghowBlender’stexturebrusheswork.
Occlude.Thispreventspainting“through”themeshontosurfacesbehindvisibleones.
Cull.Thispreventspaintingonfacesthatfaceawayfromyou.
Normal.Thisblendsoutthestrengthofyourstrokesdependingonwhethertheyarefacingyou(aswithCull,butwithasmoothfade-out).YoucancontrolthelimitsofthisfadeoutusingtheAnglesettingtotherightofthecheckbox.
NOTETheaboveoptionsareonbydefault,butitcanbeusefultoturnthemofftoquicklypaintlargepartsofyourmodelwithasinglestroke.
Stencil.Thisallowsyoutouseanimagemappedtotheobject’sUVcoordinates(whichcanbeadifferentsetfromtheoneyouarepaintingon)tomasktheeffectofyourbrushstrokes.Thissettingcanbeusedtorestricttheareayouareworkingonortosimplifyaddingtexturetoyourmodel,asyou’llseelaterinthischapter.Totherightofthestencilcheckbox,youcanselectwhichUVcoordinateset(andthuswhichimage)touseformaskingandwhethertoinvertthemask.
Clone.ThisallowsyoutoclonetextureinformationfromoneUVmaptoanother.(YourbrushstrokeswillclonetotheimageassignedtotheactiveUVsetfromtheoneselectedinthedropdownmenunexttothecheckboxforthisoption.)Thissettingletsyou,forexample,projectyourmodelontoaphotowithoneUVcoordinatesetandthenclonethattoanother,moreneatlylaidoutUVmapforfurthertexturing.(We’llusethisoptionlaterfortheJungleTemple.)
Bleed.ThisdeterminestheamountBlenderbleedstexturesoutwardfromtheedgesoftheUVislandswhenyoupaintoveraseam.Thispreventsseamsfromappearinginyourtexture,similartotheMarginsettingfortexturebaking.
QuickEdit.Thisisveryusefulwhentexturing,particularlyforcleaningupseamsandtexturingtrickyareaswhereyoumightwanttheextratoolsavailabletoyouina2DpaintingprogramlikeGIMP.QuickEdittakesasnapshotofyourmodelfromthecurrentviewpointandopensitintheimageeditorofyourchoosing.(Tochooseyourimageeditor,opentheFiletabofBlender’suserpreferencesunderImageEditor;then,simplysetthepathtoGIMPorwhateverimageeditoryouwishtouse.)Youcanthenpaintyourtextureintheimage-editingprogramandsaveit.ClickingApplyinBlenderwillprojectthattexturefromtheviewpointitwasoriginallytakenfrom.(Youdon’tneedtoworryabout
movingthecamera;Blenderwillrememberthatsetting.)Laterinthischapter,we’llcoverusingthisfeaturetofixseams.
ApplyCameraImage.LikeQuickEdit,thisprojectsanimagefromthecamera’scurrentviewpoint.ItwillbringupadropdownmenuofanyimagesyouhavealreadyopenedinBlenderforyoutochoosefrom,andit’llthenprojectyourchosentextureontoyourmodel.
SaveAllEdited.ThissavesanytexturesthatyouhaveeditedwhileworkinginTexturePaintmode,thoughtheymusthavealreadybeensavedoncemanuallyorBlenderwillnotknowwheretosavethem.Generally,it’sbettertoremembertosavemanuallyanywaysothatyoucankeeptrackofwhichtexturesyouhaveworkedonalready.
PaintingintheUVImageEditorYoucanalsopainttexturesinBlender’sUVImageeditor.Todoso,clickthepaintbrushiconintheheaderoftheUVImageeditorregion.YoucanthenpaintonthecurrentimageintheUVImageeditorusingthesamebrushesasinthe3DViewport.Byusingthe3DViewportandUVImageeditorsidebyside(asinFigure11-1),yougainalotofcontrolwhenpaintingtextures.
NOTELaterwe’llrendersomeoftheprojectsinthisbookusingBlender’sCyclesrenderer,butwhiletexturepainting,it’seasiertoleavetherenderersettoBlenderInternal.ThisisbecauseCyclescancauseBlendertobehavealittlestrangelywhentexturingobjectswithmultipleUVcoordinatesets.
TexturinginGIMPWhilewecanpaintin2DinBlender,GIMPoffersamuchwiderarrayofpaintingtools,suchasselections,masks,layers,andfilters.ThisvarietyoftoolsmakesGIMP(oranotherimageeditor,suchasPhotoshop)indispensableforworkingontextures.Inparticular,theabilitytoworkwithlayersmakesitmucheasiertocreatetexturesasnondestructivelyaspossible,buildinguponelayerandthenaddingdetailsinanewlayeroverthetop.
Theabilitytoworkinlayersalsoallowsyoutocombinebakedtextureswithyourhand-paintedtextureseasily.Forexample,youcanaddanambientocclusiontextureoveranotherlayerofyourtexturemaptoaddshadowing.GIMPalsohasamoreadvancedbrushsystem,makingiteasiertopaintdetailedtextures.(IcoveredthebasicsofpaintinginGIMPinChapter2,sowe’llcoveronlythemoretexturing-specificaspectsofGIMPinthischapter.)
CreatingBrushesforTexturinginGIMPGIMP’sbrushesareeasytoeditandarecapableofcreatingawidevarietyoflooks.Whentexturing,itcanoftenbeusefultocreatecustombrushesthataidinquicklybuildinguptexture.Inparticular,whenusedasclonebrushesoraspaintbrushes,brusheswithaspeckledorgrungylookareoftenusefulinblendingbetweendifferentcolorsandtextures.
Forexample,let’screateagrungy-lookingbrushthatwillcomeinhandywhentexturingtheJungleTemple.ItseffectcanbeseenontherightofFigure11-5.Tocreateit,westartwithaphototexturefromCGTextures(http://cgtextures.com/)andthenrefineitintoabrushthatcanbeexportedasadefaultGIMPbrush,whichcanbeusedagainandagainfortexturingorpaintinginGIMP.
GIMPbrushesareimagefilesthatareusedtocontroltheshapeofabrush.RGB(color)imagesareusedasis(morelikeastampthanabrush)andwillnotinheritthebrushcolor.Black-and-whiteimagesinterpretblackastheshapeofthebrushandwhiteastransparent,andtheytaketheircolorfromthecoloryouhaveselectedinGIMP’scolorpicker.TocreateaGIMPbrush,allwehavetodoiscreateablack-and-whiteimageandsaveitinoneofGIMP’sbrushformats(.gbror.gih—I’lldiscussthedifferencebetweentheseinasecond).
1. StartwithaphotoofsomepaintsplatterfromCGTextures(seeFigure11-3)andchooseColors▸Desaturatetoconverttheimagetoblackandwhite,selectingtheLuminosityoptionfordesaturatingtheimageinordertogivemorevariationinbrightness.
Figure11-3.Theimagewe’llbeusingasourbrushtexture
2. Next,identifyasquareareathatmightmakeagoodbrushandselectthatareawiththeRectangularSelecttool(R;pressandholdSHIFTwhiledraggingtomakeasquareselection).Copythisarea(CTRL-C)andpasteitasanewimage(CTRL-SHIFT-V),whichyou’llsoonsaveasanewbrush.
3. Whileyou’vealreadydesaturatedtheimage,it’sstillencodedusingRGBcolors,soswitchtousingblackandwhitevalueswithImage▸Mode▸Grayscale.
4. Next,makeafewtweakstothenewimage,paintingoutsomeofthesplatterthatclipstheedgeofthecanvas.Thetextureisnowreadytosave,asshowninFigure11-4.
Figure11-4.Aportionofthephoto,copiedandpastedintoanewimageandtweakedalittlearoundtheedges
AddingVariationtoaBrushYoucouldstophereandexportthebrushasa.gbrbrushfile,butwhenusedasabrush,itwouldsimplyrepeatthisoneimageoverandover.Togivethebrushmorevariation,repeatthestepsabove,addingmorelayerstothebrushimage,andthensaveitasananimated.gihGIMPbrush.Thisbrushwilluseadifferentlayerofthebrushimageeachtimeitpaintspartofthestroke,makingthestrokelookmorevaried.Todothis,takethefollowingsteps:
1. Selectmoreregionsoftheoriginalimageandcopyandpastethemasnewlayersintothebrushimage(CTRL-V,thenclickNewLayerinGIMP’slayersdialog).Afterdoingthisafewtimes,you’llhavefivedifferentlayerswithdifferentsplattersonthem.
2. Exportthisasa.gihbrushfiletoGIMP’sbrushesfolder[1](selectFile▸Export,setthefiletypeto.gih,andthenclickSave).
3. GIMPshouldgiveyouadialogthatletsyoudefinehowyourbrushissetup.Youcanstickwiththedefaultsifyouhaveplacedeach“frame”ofyourbrushonadifferentlayer;justbesuretochangethebrush’sdescriptionto
somethinghelpfulandcheckthattheCellssettingisthesameasthenumberoflayersinyourimage.Ifyouwish,youcanadjustthedefaultoffsetofthebrushorthedistancebetweeneachbrushmarkplacedonthecanvaswhenyoumakeastroke.Forheavy,painterlybrushes,chooseasmallvalue,butforthisgrungy-lookingbrush,awiderspacingismoreappropriate—sayaround40.
4. Withthesesettingsinplace,clickExport.NowifyouclickRefreshBrushesatthebottomrightoftheBrushesdialog,youshouldbeabletoselectthenewbrushandstarttestingitout.ItseffectsatthemomentareshownontheleftinFigure11-5.
5. You’vecreatedananimatedbrushwithafewdifferentshapes,butnoticethattheyrepeatquitefrequently(leftimageofFigure11-5).Tofixthis,youcantweakGIMP’sbrushdynamicstovarythebrushsomemorealongthelengthofthestroke.
NOTEThisassumesthatyouhaveapressure-sensitivepentablet(highlyrecommended)forpainting.Ifyoudon’thaveone,youcanstillusethebrushdynamicssettings,suchasVelocity,Fade,andRandom,toaddeffectstoyourbrushstrokes.Butobviouslypenpressuredoesnotapplytomouseclicks.
6. TotweakGIMP’sbrushdynamics,opentheBrushDynamicsdialog(Windows▸DockableDialogs▸PaintDynamicsandclickNewDynamics,thesecondicononthebottomleftofthedialog).ThisopensthePaintDynamicseditor(seeFigure11-6),whereyoucanusethemappingmatrix(thelargegridofcheckboxes)tosetthebrush’sbehavior.Thetoprowofthemappingmatrixlistsallsortsofinputsthatcanbeusedtodrivethebrush’sbehavior,andtheleftsideofthematrixliststhebrushsettingstheseinputscanbeusedtoaffect.SetPressuretoaffectthebrush’sopacityandRandomtoaffectthesizeandrotationofeachbrushmark.Withthesedynamicsinplace,younowgetanicerandom,grungy-lookingbrushstrokethatyoucanuseforallsortsoftextures(seeFigure11-5,rightline).
Figure11-5.Left:OurnewbrushwithGIMP’sdefaultbrushdynamics.Right:ThesamebrushwithGIMP’sbrushdynamicssettorandomizethesizeandrotationofthebrush.
Figure11-6.ThePaintDynamicseditor,shownherewithsettingsforthedynamicsofmygrungybrush.Checkingaboxinthemappingmatrixmakesthevariableinthecorrespondingcolumnaffectthebrush
propertyinthecorrespondingrow.
TexturingtheBatCreatureIwantedtexturestomaketheBatCreaturelooklikeacreatureofthenight:patchy,purplishskinanddiscolorednails,withsomeextrawrinkles,freckles,andveinstoaddsomedetailsontopofthoseIsculpted.Tocreatethem,Ibuiltupmytexturesinstages,firstblockinginbasiccolorsandthensmoothingandrefiningthembeforeaddingthedetails.
IstartedbypaintingsomeflatcolorsinBlender’sTexturePaintmode.IthensavedmyworkandopeneditinGIMPforfinertexturing—forexample,IcombinedmypaintedtexturemapwiththeambientocclusionmapIbakedinChapter10.IthenusedGIMPtomanipulateandsupplementthediffusetexturetocreatespecularandhardnesstextures.
Tobeginblockinginmycolors,IdroppedintoEditmodeandassignedanew
blankimagetothemeshfortheBatCreature(themeshusedforbakingtexturesinChapter10,notthehigh-ressculptedmesh).TheNewTexturedialogletsuschooseacolortofillthenewimage,soIsetittoamutedpinkishpurple—asortofunhealthyskincolorthatmightbefitadenizenofthenight.
Next,IestablishedanoverallpaletteofcolorsformytextureintheUVImageeditor,selectinganunusedspacenotmappedtoanypartofthemesh(seeFigure11-7).Ichoseadarkerpurpleforuseinshadowedareas,liketheareaundertheeyes;alighteryellowishcolorforbonyareas;adark,saturatedredforveinsandareaswithalotofbloodflow;andadarkerandlighterversionoftheoriginalbasecolortoactasshadowsandhighlights.(We’renotpaintinglightingintoourtexture;I’mtalkingonlyaboutlighteranddarkerskincolorationindifferentareas.)Ialsochosealightcontrastingcolortoactasahighlightinsomeareas.IpaintedalittleofeachontomyimagesothatIcouldcolorpickfromthemforuselater,eitherintheUVImageeditororwhenpaintinginthe3DViewport.
Figure11-7.ChoosingsomeinitialcolorstopainttheBatCreature’sskinmakesiteasytoreturntothesamecolorsagainandtomaintainaconsistentcolorpalette.
MaterialsandUISetupforPaintingWheninTexturePaintmode,Blenderwillbydefaultshowthetextureyouarepaintingonappliedtoyourmeshinthe3Dview,withBlender’sdefaultsolidshading.Aswithsculpting,however,wecanuseBlender’sGLSLShadingmodetodisplaythetextureindifferentwaysbyaddingsimplelightstothescene(seeChapter13formoreonlighting)andasimplematerialtothemesh(seeChapter12formoreonmaterials).
FortheBatCreature,Iaddedasimplematerialtothebatobject,whichInamedBody_TexturePaint.IntheTexturestabofthePropertieseditor,Iaddedanewtexturetothismaterial,setitstypetoImage,selectedmypaintedimagethatIhadalreadyassignedtotheobject’sUVs,andsetthemappingtypeforthetexturetoUV.
AddingaLightTomaketheobjectvisibleinGLSLShadingmode,weneedtoaddalight,soinObjectmode,IcreatedanewHemilamptolightmyobject.SwitchingintoTexturedViewportmode(makesurethatshadingissettoGLSLintheDisplaypanelofthePropertiesregion),IcouldseethatthislittheBatCreaturefromaboveonly,soIduplicatedthelampandrotatedit180degreestolighttheobjectfrombelow.Next,Idecreasedtheintensityofthenewduplicatetoaround0.3intheLamp’sObjectDatatabinordertoleavealittledifferencebetweenthelightingfromaboveandbelowthecharacter.Ialsoturnedoffthespecularcomponentforthelamps(seeFigure11-8)sothatmymeshwouldn’tlookshiny.
Figure11-8.AddingsimplelightingandmaterialstomaketexturepaintinginGLSLmodeeasier.Here,
I’veaddedacoupleHemilampsandturnedonGLSLshading.
NOTEIfyoufindpaintinginBlenderbecomingunresponsive,createalower-resmeshtopaintonbyduplicatingthesculptedmeshandapplyingtheMultiresmodifieratalowerlevel.Becausethislower-resmeshsharesthesameUVcoordinates,youcanpaintonitandapplythetexturestothehigher-resolutionmodellater.
LayingOutBasicTexturesinBlenderIcouldnowstartlayingoutsomebasictexturesonmymodel.UsingtheStandardbrushinTexturePaintmode,IsampledfrommypaletteofcolorsintheUVImageeditorandthenpaintedonmymodelinthe3DViewport.
Ibeganbyusinganatomicalfeaturesasaguideforcolors,makingbonyareaslighterandyellower;recessedareas,liketheeyes,darkandpurple;andthebackdarker.Imadeareaswithalotofbloodfloworthinskin,likethewingsandears,redderandslightlyhighlightedsomeofthemusclesonthetorsoandlegswithlightercolors.IworkedwithOccludeturnedoninProjectPaint,butNormalandCullturnedoff,asthesesettingsallowyoutopaintsmoothlyonthemeshevenatside-onangles.Atthisstage,theaimisonlytoestablisharoughideaofthecolorsyouwant.
SwitchingtoGIMPWithmybasiccolorslaidout,Ineededmoreadvancedpaintingtoolstostartblendingcolorsandaddingdetails.Thus,itwastimetomovetoGIMP.IsavedmytextureinBlenderasa.tgaimage(pressF3intheUVImageeditortosavetheactiveimage).IthenloadedthesavedimageinGIMPandbegancleaningupandsmoothingoutthecolorsIhadpaintedinBlender,fixingartifactsandfillinginawkwardareas.ThisprocessisbestdonewiththePaintbrushtool,usingarelativelylarge,soft-edgedbrushtosimplycolorpick(useCTRL-clicktodothiswithoutswitchingawayfromthePaintbrushtool)fromexistingcolorsandblendareastogether(seeFigure11-9).(AnotherwaytoblendcolorsistousetheSmudgetoolandagrungy-lookingbrush,liketheonewecreatedearlierinthischapter,toblendbackandforthbetweentwoareas,mixingtheircolors.)
Toadddetailtomytexture,IincorporatedtheambientocclusionmapIbakedinChapter10.UsingFile▸OpenasLayers,Iopenedmybakedambientocclusionmapasanewlayerontopofmypaintedtexture.
Icleanedupthislayerabit,asIhaddonefortheroughdiffusecolor.Forcleaningpurposes,IusedGIMP’sbrushesandcolorpicking,blendingareasthatdidn’tlookrightwiththePainttoolorusingtheClonetooltofillinareaswhilepreservingtexture.
LayerModesandOpacityInitially,ourambientocclusionmapisimportedasanormallayerontopofthetexture,completelyreplacingit.Torectifythis,wecanuseGIMP’slayer-blendingmodestofindamoreappropriatewaytoblendthetwo.
GIMP’sLayersdialogshowseachlayerinyourimage(seeFigure11-10,withtheAmbientOcclusionlayerselectedanditsblendmodesettoMultiply).Atthetopofthedialog,adropdownmenuletsyouchoosetheSelectedLayersblendingmode.Differentblendingmodeshavedifferenteffects:Normallaysoneovertheother,Multiplymultipliesthevaluesofeachpixelinthetwolayerstogether,andAddaddsthemtogether.TheOverlaymodecausesthelayertobrightenordarkenthelayersbelowit,dependingonitsvalue—darkvaluesmakeareasdarker,lightvaluesmakethemlighter,andmid-grayhasnoeffect.Experimentwithavarietyoflayermodeswhencombiningimagestofindtheonethatworksbest.Tocombinetheambientocclusionmapwithmypaintedcolors,IsetthemodetoMultiply.
Figure11-9.CleaningupourtextureinGIMP:partoftheroughlypaintedtexturecreatedinBlender(left);afterblendingtogetherandpaintingareasinGIMP(right)
Figure11-10.GIMP’sLayersdialog.Atthetop,ModeandOpacitysetthelayer-blendingmodeandopacity.Beneaththeseselectionsareoptionstolockthecolorandalphaoflayers.Eachlayerhas
optionstotoggleitsvisibilityandlinklayers(sothattheystayalignedwhenmoved,scaled,orrotated).
Youcancontrolhowmuchonelayerblendswithanotherwiththelayer’sOpacitysetting(seeFigure11-10).BecausemyAmbientOcclusionlayerdarkenedtheunderlyingtexturequitealot,Ireduceditsopacitytoabout40percent.TheresultoftheambientocclusionlayeratthisopacityisshownatthetopleftofFigure11-11.
AdjustingColorsGIMPhasavarietyoftoolsformanipulatingthecolorsofanimage,bothfromitswidearrayoffiltersandfromtheColorsmenu.Forexample,youcanadjusttheexposureofanimage—itshueandsaturation—andthebrightnessofeachchannelusingcurvesorsliders,amongawealthofotheroptions.
Atthemoment,ourtexturefortheBatCreaturelooksrathergraybecausetheblack-and-whiteambientocclusiontextureismultipliedontop.Tofixthis,wecanadjustthecurvesontheAmbientOcclusionlayertointroducesomemorered,makingtheshadowsmoresaturatedandredder.Todoso,takethefollowingsteps:
1. ChooseColors▸CurveswiththeAmbientOcclusionlayerselected,whichbringsuptheCurvesdialog.
Figure11-11.Incorporatingtheambientocclusionmapintoourtexture.Topleft:Theambientocclusiontexturemultipliedovertheroughdiffusetextureat40percentopacity,beforeanyalteration.Bottom:AdjustingthecolorsoftheambientocclusionmapwiththeCurvestool,tomakeitredder.Topright:Thereddenedambientocclusionmapmultipliedoverthediffuse
textureat40percentopacity.
2. Thisletsyoumodifythevaluesofeachchannel(red,green,blue,andalpha)inanimageusingacurvefunction.
3. Toaddredtothedarkerportionsoftheimage,selecttheredchannelfromtheChanneldropdownmenu,grabthebottomleftpointofthecurve,anddragitupward(seeFigure11-11,bottom).
4. ClickOKtoapplythecurves,andtheambientocclusionmapnowgivesnicesaturatedcrevicesandshadowedareastotheskin(seeFigure11-11,topright).
SavingandExportingBacktoBlenderThetextureisn’tfinishedyet,butit’simportanttosaveoften,anddoingsocanbeausefulwaytoseehowourcurrentwork-in-progresstexturelooksinBlenderonthemodel.GIMPdistinguishesbetweensaving(CTRL-S)initsnative.xcfformat,whichpreserveslayersandotherinformation,andexportingimagestootherformats,suchas.jpgor.tga(CTRL-E).WeneedtodobothsothatwehavetheGIMPfilewithallitslayersavailableforfurthereditingaswellasanimagethatwecanuseinBlender.
First,Isavedmyimageasa.xcffile,andthenIexporteditasa.tgaimage.ToopenthisimageinBlender,IselectedmyBatCreatureobject,switchedtoEditmode,andintheUVImageeditor,usedImage▸ReplaceImagetoswaptheold,roughlypaintedtextureforthenewone.(Remembertodothisforthematerial,too—thoughifyouusedthesameimageforthetextureasyouappliedtothemesh,itshouldupdateautomatically.)Youshouldthenseeyourupdatedtextureonyourmesh.YoucouldnowstartpaintinginBlenderagain,butIoptedtostayinGIMPforthemoment.
AddingDetailsBackinGIMP,withourambientocclusionnowworkingwellalongsideourpaintedtexture,wecanstartaddingmoredetails.Iusedamixofhandpaintingandphotographictextures.
Tostart,it’shandytobuildupsometextureusingphotos,followedbyadjustingandsupplementingtheexistingtexturewithsomehandpainting.Tothatend,Igrabbedsomeelephant-skinphotosfromCGTextures,withsomewrinklesandskintexturethatcomplementedmytexturenicely.IopenedthemaslayersinmytextureimagefileandscaledthemsothatthescaleofthewrinklesinthetextureroughlymatchedthoseoftheBatCreature.
IusedtheMovetooltospreadoutthetexturesonmyimage,knowingthattheirpreciseplacementwouldn’tbeimportantforthetimebeing.Ithencreatedanewlayer(SHIFT-CTRL-NorLayer▸NewLayer)andsetitsblendingmodetoOverlay.Next,bydraggingthelayer’siconintheLayersdialogupordown,IplaceditbetweenmyoriginalcolortextureandmyAmbientOcclusionlayerinthelayersstack.
UsingtheClonetool(C),Ifirstsettheclonesource(CTRL-click)tooneoftheskintextures,makingsureitwasselectedintheLayersdialogfirst.Then,Iswitchedtomynewlayerandbegancloningtheskintextureinvariousareas(seeFigure11-12).Ifrequentlyswitchedbetweenthedifferentskintexturestofindareasthatwouldsuitthedifferentpartsofmycreature’sskin.IalsousedtheFlip(SHIFT-F)andRotate(SHIFT-R)toolstoflipandrotatetheskinimagestoseewhethertheyworkedbetterindifferentorientationsbeforecloning.Togetatareashiddenbytheskinimages,ItoggledtheirvisibilityusingtheeyeiconintheLayersdialogorsimplymovedthemtoonesidewiththeMovetool.
Withafirstlayerofdetailbuiltupfromphotoimages,Ihidthephototexturesandstartedworkingonsomehand-painteddetails(seeFigure11-13).First,IaddedsomeveinstothewingsonanewlayerusingthePaintbrushtoolandasoft-edgedbrush.Next(onanothernewlayer),Iaddedsomespotstotheskininareasliketheshoulders,temples,andbackinbothdarkerandlightercolors.TheGrungebrushIusedearlierworkswellforthiswiththespacing(foundintheBrushesdialog)turneduphigher,asdoesasimple,small,hard-edgedbrushforpaintingspecificspots.Keepingdifferentkindsofdetailsondifferentlayersmakesiteasytomixandcombinethemindifferentwaysandcomesinhandywhencreatingspecularandotherkindsofmaps.
NailsandTeethThenailsandteethoftheBatCreatureareincludedinthesameUVmapasthebody.Forthenails,Ipaintedadarkpurplishcolorwithsomebrighteryellowishhighlights.Fortheteeth,Iusedayellowcolorwithsomebrownnearwheretheteethwouldmeetthegums,asshowninFigure11-14.
Figure11-12.CloningintexturefromphotographswiththeClonetool.Iaddedthephotographasanewlayer;then,onyetanothernewlayer(settoOverlay),Iclonedfromthephototocreatesomeskin
detailformytexture.
Figure11-13.Someclose-upsofhand-painteddetails
Figure11-14.Thenailsandteeth
FixingSeamsWithmytexturefortheskinniceanddetailed,IheadedbacktoBlendertocheckthatitworkedokayandthenstartedfixinganyseamsinthetexture.Todothis,IexportedmyskintexturefromGIMPandreplacedtheoldskintextureinBlenderwiththenewexportedversion.
TherewereboundtobesomeartifactsinthetexturealongUVseams,whereIhadpaintedovertheedgesofaUVislandinGIMP.Tofixthese,useBlender’sQuickEditfeature:
1. Tofixaseamononepartofyourmodel,navigatethe3Dviewtoananglewheretheseamisclearlyvisible.
2. Tomakesurethatnoshadingisvisibleonscreen,settheviewpointdisplaymodetoGLSLandsetthematerialtoShadelessintheMaterialstabofthe
Propertieseditor.
3. InTexturePaintmode,settheQuickEditresolutionto1024andclickQuickEditfromtheToolShelf(seeFigure11-152).ThisopensascreenshotofthatviewinGIMP,whichwecanthenstartpaintingover.
4. Forbestresults,scaleupthescreenshotinGIMP,usingImage▸ImageSize,andsetthenewsizeto2048.Then,createanewtransparentlayeronwhichwewillfixtheseam(thereasonforthiswillbecomeclearshortly).
5. UsingtheClonetool,startcloningfromthelayerbelowtocovertheseam;theGrungebrushshapeworkswellforthis.(TurningonSampleMergedinthetooloptionswillletyousamplefromalllayerswhenyousetthesource,ratherthanhavingtoswitchlayersfirst.)
6. Withtheseampaintedout,disabletheoriginallayer,leavingonlythenewlypaintedlayerthatcoverstheseam.UseCTRL-EtoexporttheimageandsaveovertheoriginalexportedimagefromBlender.
7. BackinBlender,clickApplytoapplythepainted-overimagetoyourtexture(seeFigure11-154).Becauseyousavedonlytheareasoftheimagethatcoveredtheseam,onlytheseareasarereplaced.Repeatthisprocessforanyfurtherseamsonyourmodelandthensavethenewfixedtextureasanewimage.
ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImagesThisprocessfixedmyseams,butbecauseIfixedthetextureinBlender,Ihadonlyasingle-layerimageasaresult.Togetbacktoalayeredformat,IopenedthecorrectedimageinGIMPasanewlayerinmytexturefile,ontopofmyotherlayers.Iwantedtobeabletokeepmyoldlayersvisiblewherepossible,soIneededtomaskthislayertoshowthroughonlyinthoseareaswhereIfixedtheseams.Toaccomplishthis,dothefollowing:
1. Setthenewfixedlayer’sblendmodetoDifferenceintheLayersdialog.Theresultofthisblendmodeisthedifferencebetweenthecolorsonthislayerandthepixelsbelow,meaningthatdifferentareaslookbrightandunchangedareasremainblack.Overall,itmaylookverydarkatthe
momentbecausethedifferencesareslight,butyou’llfixthatshortly.Youcanusetheresultasthebasisforamaskthatshowsonlythefixedpartsofthenewlayer.
2. RightclickonthetoplayerintheLayersdialogandselectNewLayerfromVisible.Thiscreatesanewlayerthatisacompositeofallthelayersbelow,mergedintoone.Inourcase,thisisthedifferencebetweenthefixedlayerandtheoriginallayeredimage.UsingtheLevelstool(Colors▸Levels),youcanincreasethevaluesofthislayertocreatesomethingwecanuseasamask.TheLevelstooltakesthecurrentlayerastheinputandusesthesettingsyouprovidetoadjustthevaluesofthelayer.Yousimplywanttotakeanypixelsthataren’t100percentblack—areaswherethefixedimagediffersfromtheoriginal—andmakethemwhite.Todothis,settheright-handendpointoftheinputgradientsothatit’sclosetotheleft-handendbydraggingittotheleft(seeFigure11-16)andclickOK.
3. Theresultsmaylookslightlynoisyandhavesomeodd-lookingcolors,butthecolorsdon’tmatterbecausewe’llbeusingonlythebrightnessofthislayerasamask.Tosmooththingsoutabit,usetheGaussianBlurfilter(Filters▸Blur▸GaussianBlur)toblurthelayerbyabout10pixels.
4. Next,copythisnewmergedlayeranduseitasamaskforthefixedtexture.PressCTRL-AtoselectallandCTRL-Ctocopythelayertotheclipboard.
Figure11-15.ExportingascreenshottopaintoverinGIMPwithQuickEdit:theareawithaseaminBlender1;theviewexportedfromBlendertoGIMPwithQuickEditandpaintedoveronanewlayer2;thenewlayeronitsown,whichwillbesavedovertheoriginalexport3;and
theexportedimageappliedtothetexture,backinBlender,usingtheApplyoperator4
Figure11-16.AlteringthevaluesofalayerwiththeLevelstool.Notehowthehandlesfortheinputlevelshavebeenbunchedupattheleftsideofthegraphtoincreasethebrightnessofall
butthedarkestvaluestowhite.
5. Disablethemergedlayer’svisibilityintheLayersdialogandsettheBlendmodeforthefixedlayerbacktoNormal.Then,toaddalayermasktothefixedlayer,rightclickonitandchooseAddLayerMask.ChoosewhiteasthecolorofthelayermaskandthenclickAddtocreateit.
6. PressCTRL-Vtopasteinthemaskwecreatedfromthemergedlayerasa“floating”layer—oneyoucancontinueworkingonandmovingaroundbeforeanchoringitandapplyingittothelayeryoupasteditinto.Sincewedon’tneedtomakeanychangestoit,pressCTRL-Htoanchorit.
Ourfixedimageisnowmaskedsothatonlytheareasthatdifferfromtheoriginaltextureshowoverthelayersbelow.Thismoreorlesscompletesthecreationofourdiffusetexture(seeFigure11-17),sosavetheimageasan.xcffileandexportanew.tgaimageofthediffusetexture.
LayerMasksAlayermaskisablack-and-whiteimagethatdetermineshowalayerinGIMPmixeswiththelayerbelowit.Whiteareasareapplied100percentiftheoverallopacityofthelayerisalso100percent(otherwisethetwoaremultipliedtogether),blackareasarecompletelymaskedout,andvaluesinbetweenblendbetweenthetwoextremes.
Whenyouaddamasktoalayer(aswedidabove),itappearstotherightofthatlayer’sthumbnailintheLayersdialog.Toeditthenewlayermask,clickitsthumbnail,andyoucanpaintonitjustasyouwouldonanormallayer(exceptthatitallowsonlyblackandwhitevalues,sotoolsandfiltersthatworkwithRGBcolorsarenotavailable).
Clickthethumbnailforthelayertogobacktopaintingnormally(thethumbnailoftheactivelayerormaskisoutlinedinwhite).YoucanapplytheeffectofalayermaskbyrightclickingthelayerintheLayersdialogandchoosingApplyLayerMask.Thiswillapplythemasktothelayeritself,makingmaskedareastransparent.
CreatingSpecularandHardnessTexturesWithourdiffusetexturepaintedandtheseamsclearedup,it’stimetocreateourspecularandhardnesstextures.Thespeculartexturedefinesthecolorandintensityofourcreature’sspecularreflections:Darkareaswilllookmatte,andbrightareaswilllookshiny.Thehardnessmapdetermineshowsoftthehighlightsare:Lowvaluescreatesoft,spreadoutreflections,andhighvaluescreatesmaller,moreintensehighlights.
Tocreatethesetextures,wecanduplicateandmodifythelayersofthediffusemap.We’llworkinthesameGIMP.xcffiletocreatethesetextures,whichwillgiveusreadyaccesstothelayerswe’vealreadycreated.
LayerGroupsTomakeiteasiertomanagecreatingspecularandhardnesstextures,Iusedlayergroupstoorganizemylayers.LayergroupsallowyoutogrouplayersandexpandandcollapsethosegroupsintheLayersdialog,makingitsimplertokeepthingsorganized.Tocreatealayergroup,rightclickonalayerintheLayersdialog,andchooseNewLayerGrouporclickthefoldericonatthebottomofthedialog.Youcanthendragotherlayersontothegrouplayertoassignthemtothegroup.ToorganizemytexturesfortheBatCreature,Icreatedthreelayergroups:oneforthediffusetexture,oneformyspeculartexture,andoneforhardness(seeFigure11-18).
Figure11-17.Thefinisheddiffusetexture
Figure11-18.OrganizinglayerswithLayerGroups
SpecularMapForthespecularmap,Ifirstcreatedanewlayerfromthevisiblelayers(Layer▸NewLayerfromVisible)andplaceditinthelayergroupformyspecularmap.Iinvertedthecolorsofthetexture(Colors▸Invert)andthentweakedthelevels(Colors▸Levels)togivethelayersomemorecontrast.Next,IchangedthecolorofthelayerusingColors▸HueandSaturationandshiftedtheHueslidertogiveitamorebluishtint(seeFigure11-19at3).Althoughthisalreadygaveaprettygoodspeculartexture,togetmorevariation,IduplicatedthelayersIcreatedearlierforthediffusemapwithspecklesandspotsonthemandplacedtheminthelayergroupforthespecularmap,adjustingtheircolorsappropriately.
Next,Istartedtweakingsomeareastogettherightlevelofspecularity.Forexample,Iwantedthelipsandtheareaaroundtheeyetolookmoistandshiny,andIwantedthetorsoandarmstolookmorematteanddry.Icouldhavestartedpaintingoverusingabasicbrush,butdoingsowouldhavelostalotofthetextureI’dalreadyworkedtocreate.Instead,IwasabletopreservesometexturebyusingadifferentBrushmode.TheBrushmodecanbesetfromtheToolOptionsdialog.Brushmodeshavethesameoptions(normal,multiply,addition,andsoon)thatBlendmodesforlayershave.AgoodwaytotweakthevaluesinanimagewithoutlosingdetailistousethepaintbrushwiththeBrushmodesettoOverlayandtouseblacktodarkenareasandwhitetobrightenthem.
Incertainareas,Iwantedtokeepsometexturewhilegettingridofverydarkorlightvalues,andheretheLightenOnlyandDarkenOnlybrushmodescameinhandy.IusedDarkenOnlyandamidvaluecolortogetridofoverlybrightareaswithoutlosingdarkerelementsofthetexture,andviceversa.Figure11-20showsthefinishedspeculartexture.
HardnessMapTocreatethehardnesstexture,IfirstmadeaNewFromVisiblelayerfromthediffusetexture.(Youcanturnoffthevisibilityofthespeculartexturelayergrouptomakethediffusetexturevisibleagain.)Next,Iinvertedthelayer,adjustedthelevels,andbegantweakingbyhandwiththePainttool,justasIdidabove.Becausethehardnesstexturebenefitsfrommorevariation,Icreatedanewlayer
andpaintedinmorespecklesoverthebody(bothlighteranddarkerones).Figure11-20alsoshowsthefinishedhardnesstexture.
TexturingtheEyesWithmostofthetexturingdone,Imovedontotexturingtheeyes.ForthisImadeanewimage,whichIpaintedbyhandbytakingthefollowingsteps:
1. Createanewimagethatis1024×1024pixelsinsize(File▸NewImage).Then,togetaguideforthemiddleoftheeye,createtwoguidelinesthroughthemiddleoftheimage,horizontallyandvertically.Todothis,clickImage▸Guides▸NewGuidebyPercent.Tocreateguidelinesforplacingthepupil,repeatthisoncefortheverticalguideandonceforthehorizontalone,eachat50percentoftheimage’sheightorwidth.
2. Fillthefirstlayerwithayellowishcolorandthencreateanewlayerfortheiris.Togetthecorrectshape,usetheEllipseSelectiontool(E)andclickanddragfromthecenteroftheimagetodrawoutacircle.HoldingdownCTRLmakestheselectionexpandfromthecenter,andholdingSHIFTconstrainstheselectiontobecircular.
Figure11-19.Creatingthespecularmapbytweakingthediffusemap:diffusemap1;invertcolors2;adjustlevels,hue,andsaturation3;andpaintextradetails4.
Figure11-20.Thefinishedspeculartexture(left)andhardnesstexture(right)
3. Drawoutacircularoutlinefortheoutsideoftheirisandthensubtractthepupilshapefromthemiddleoftheirisselection(holddownCTRLbeforeclickinganddragging).Thistime,Icreatedanellipticalshapetogivetheeyeanevillook.
4. Feather(Select▸Feather,20Pixels)theselectiontogivetheirisamoregradualtransitionintotherestoftheeye.Then,converttheselectionintoalayermaskbyrightclickingonthelayerintheLayersdialog,selectingAddLayerMask,andunderInitializeLayerTo,choosingSelection.Thiscreatesalayermaskwithyourselectionthatallowsyoutopaintonthelayeritself(selectitintheLayersdialogfirst)withoutlosingtheshapeoftheiris(seeFigure11-21).
5. FilltheiriswithblackusingtheFilltoolandthenusethePainttoolandalarge,softbrushtoaddcolor.Ibeganwithabrightorangeandthenaddedelementsofred,green,andpurpletobuildupdifferentcolors(uselowpressureifyouhaveatablet,orsetthebrushopacitylow).Ilefttheedgesoftheirisblack.
6. Nowaddcoloraroundtheoutsideoftheeye(thesclera)onthelayerbelowtheiris.Ipaintedalighteryellowhereandmixeditwithadarker,
reddishbrown.Ialsofilledthepupilwithblackonthislayer.MyeyetexturenowlookedlikeFigure11-21.Isavedthistextureasa.tgafile.
NOTEBecauseIdecidedtochangetheshapeofthepupilslightlyinmytexture,Ialsotweakedtheshapeofthepupilonmymodelbyselectingthepupil’sverticesandscalingthemuponthez-axis.IslightlyadjustedtheUVmap,too(seeFigure11-22).
Figure11-21.Themaskfortheiris,createdusingtheEllipticalSelecttools(left)andtheeyetexture(right)
Figure11-22.Adjustingthepupiltofitthetexture.Left:TheadjustedUVcoordinates.Right:TheeyeinEditmodewiththetextureapplied.
TexturingtheJungleTempleThetexturesfortheJungleTemplescenerequiredadifferentapproach.Thisprojecthasanumberofobjectsthatrequireverysimilartextures,sotexturingeachoneindividuallywouldbetimeconsumingandunnecessary.Instead,Ichosetousetileable,seamlesstexturestocovermuchofmysceneandtosupplementthesewithdetailsinkeyplaces.Tileabletexturesallowasingletexturetobeusedacrossmultiplemodels.
Hardnessvs.RoughnessFortheBatCreature,oneofthetexturetypesIcreatedwasahardnesstexture,whichwillbeusedtodefinewhichareasofmymaterialshavesharp,smallspecularreflectionsandwhichpartshaveblurry,morespreadoutspecularreflections.Todefinetheseareas,thetextureismappedtothehardnessvalueofthematerial’sspecularshader.Darkareasofthetexturethenresultinsoft,blurryspecularreflections,andbrightareasresultinsharp,hardspecularreflections.
However,thisisonlythecasewhenrenderinginBlenderInternal.WhenrenderingwithCycles,materialsarecreateddifferently(aswewillseeinChapter12).Andinsteadofahardnessvalue,specularshadersnowhavesomethingcalledaroughnessvalue.Thisworksintheoppositewaytoahardnessvalue,butdefinesroughlythesamething.Foraroughnesstexture,brightareasdenotesoft,blurryreflections,anddarkareasdenotesharpreflections.Keepthisinmindwhencreatingyourtextures.
CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMPTocreateaseamlesstexture,theedgesoftheimagemustalignwithoneanother,andthefeaturesoftheimagemustcontinuesmoothlyacrosstheboundary.Ithelpstomakesurethatthetexturedoesn’thavefeaturesthatrepeattooobviouslywhentiled(large,distinctivefeaturesareeasilynoticedwhentheyrepeatoften).Wealsowanttomaketheimagesquaresothatwewon’thavetoscaleanobject’sUVcoordinateswhenapplyingtheseamlesstexture.
Tocreateaseamlessrocktextureforthestoneblocksofthewallsandfloors,IbeganwitharocktexturefromCGTextures.First,IincreasedthesizeoftheimagetomakeitsquarewithImage▸CanvasSize.Next,IusedLayer▸Add
AlphaChanneltogivethelayeratransparentbackground,whichwe’llfillshortly,andLayer▸LayertoImageSizetomatchthesizeofthelayertotheimage.
Nowwehavetofillintheremainderoftheimageandmakeitsedgesalignwitheachother.Todothis,IusedtheOffsettoolandtheResynthesizefilter.First,Ioffsettheimageby50percentonthex-andy-axes(Layers▸Transform▸Offset),choosingthex/2y/2optionandclickingOffset.Thisshiftedtheimageandrepeatedit,placingtheedgesagainstoneanother,asshowninFigure11-23at2.Thenewedgesnowmatchedupbecausetheywereinthemiddleoftheimagepreviously.
Tofixtheareaswheretheedgesmet,IusedGIMP’sResynthesizefeaturetofillselectedareasseamlessly.Tocreateaselection,IusedGIMP’sQuickMaskfeature(CTRL-Q)topaintmyselectiondirectlywithGIMP’spainttools.Areaspaintedwhiteareselected,whileareaspaintedblackareunselected.WhileworkinginQuickMaskmode,animagewillbehighlightedinred,butselectedareaswillappearasnormal.IpressedCTRL-Qtoenablequickmaskingandroughlypaintedawhitestripedowntheseamswheretheimageedgesmet,andfilledinthegapleftinthemiddle.Then,IpressedCTRL-Qagaintoconvertmyquickmasktoaselection.
Next,IusedFilters▸Map▸Resynthesizetofilltheselectedarea.IturnedonMakeHorizontallyTileableandMakeVerticallyTileable,andkeptthetexturesourceasthecurrentlayer.Afterrunningthefilter,Ioffsettheimageagainbyadifferentamount(athirdineachdirection)andresynthesizedanyremainingproblemareas.TheresultisthetextureshownontherightofFigure11-23at4.Thistexturewillnowtileseamlessly.
TestingtheTextureTotestthetexture,createaduplicateoftheimageinGIMP(CTRL-D)andscaleitwaydown(forexample,to512×512).Then,useFilters▸Map▸Tiletocreateatiledversionofthetexture.Ifanyareasshowobviousrepeats,removethembygoingbacktothefull-sizetextureandselectingandresynthesizinganytroublespots.Onceyou’rehappywithhowthetexturetiles,saveitasa.tgafile.
TotestyourtextureinBlender,selectanobjectandthenassigntheimagetoitintheUVTextureeditor.SwitchtoTexturedViewportshadingandsetthe
shadingtypetoMultitextureinthedisplaypanelofthePropertiesregionsothatyoucanseetheimageassignedtotheobject.YoumayneedtoscaletheUVsupordownortweakthetextureabittogetthebestresults.
CreatingAdditionalTexturesIrepeatedtheprocessforproducingaseamlesstexturetocreateasecondrocktexture,abarktextureforthetrees,andadirttexturefortheground,asyoucanseeinFigure11-24.IalsocreatedspecularmapsusingthesametechniquestomodifyandsupplementthediffusemapsthatIusedfortheBatCreature.Forthebarktexture,Ididn’tmakethetexturesquaresinceIwouldbewrappingitaroundthetrunkofthetree.Instead,Ioptedforanarrow,talltexture.Thisresultsinamoreefficientuseoftexturespace,asthetexturewillrepeatoftenalongthelengthofthetreewhileonlyoncearoundthecircumferenceofthetrunk.
Tomakedifferenttextures—likethetworocktextures—workbettertogether,youcanuseGIMP’sHue-SaturationandCurvestools.Byadjustingthehueandsaturationofanimage,youcanmaketheoverallcolorationofonetexturemoresimilartotheother,andbyusingtheCurvestool,youcanbrightenordarkentheimagetomaketherangeofvaluesofthetwotexturesmoresimilar.Forexample,thetworocktexturesinFigure11-24initiallyhadquitedifferentcolorsandlevelsofbrightness,butIadjustedthemtomakethemlookmoresimilar.Thismakesitmucheasiertoblendthesetwotextureslateronwhencreatingfurthertexturesandmaterials.
TexturingtheGroundandTreesTocreatetexturesforthegroundandthetreesinmyscene,ImadeheavyuseofBlender’sProjectPainttoolstomixtogethertheseamlesstexturesIcreatedinGIMP.ThisapproachallowedmetoquicklybuildupmoreuniquetexturesbyusingthegenerictileabletextureIhadalreadycreatedasastartingpoint.
Figure11-23.Makinganimageseamless:Increasethecanvassizetomakeitsquare1;offsettheimage2;fillintheblanksandfixtheseamswiththeResynthesizefilter3;andre-offsettocheckthetextureand
resynthesizeanyproblemareas4.
GroundTextureWhileInowhadaseamlesstexturefortheground,itwasn’tparticularlyuniqueortailoredtothescene.Tocreateamoreinterestinggroundtexture,Ichosetoprojecttheexistingseamlesstexturetoauniqueunwrappedoneandthentoembellishitwithsomeextradetails.Toaccomplishthis,takethefollowingsteps:
Figure11-24.SeamlesstexturesfortheJungleTemplescene,fromlefttoright:dirt,tworocktextures,andabarktexture.Thetoptexturesarediffusemapsandthebottomtexturesarespecularmaps.
1. CreateasecondsetofUVcoordinates,unwrappingthefloormeshtofillthenewUVspaceaswellaspossible.Then,addanewblankimagetothenewUVset.
2. UsetheClonetooltoclonetheseamlesstexture.IsettheseamlesssoiltextureastheimagefortheoldUVcoordinatesandthenselectedmynewset.
3. InTexturePaintmode,usetheClonebrushtoclonetheseamlesstextureontoyournewunwrap.(MakesurethatyoualsohaveCloneturnedonintheProjectPaintoptionsandthattheoldUVmapissetasthesourceforthecloning.)
4. Tomixinasecondtexture,replacetheoldUVcoordinatesetsimagewithadifferentsoiltextureandrepeatthecloningprocessagain,thistimeaddingonlysomesmallpatches.
5. Finally,repeattheprocessusingamossyrocktexturetoaddsomestonypatchestotheground.Thefinaltextureisalotmoredistinctiveanddiverse,asshowninFigure11-25.
TreeTexturesTomodifythetextureforthetrees,Ibeganwithaseamlessbarktextureandthenblendedinmossyandmuddyelementstomakethetexturemoreinteresting(seeFigure11-26).Thistime,however,IprojectedthefirstseamlesstextureinBlenderandthensavedtheimageandswitchedtoGIMPtoaddelementsfromotherphotographs.Thisletmeusedifferentbrushestoclonetogetherbitsofdifferentimagesandsplitmytextureintolayerswhileworking.Ithencreatedspecularandroughnessmapsforthetreefromthediffusemap.
TexturingtheStatueForthestatueintheJungleTemplescene,Iwantedthemorehiddenpartstolookmossyandovergrownandtheexposedpartstobebarerock.Toaccomplishthis,Icouldhaveclonedinthemossyareasbyhand,butinstead,IchosetousetheambientocclusionmapIbakedearlier,whichisalreadydarkerinthecrevices,asamask.
TodothisinBlender,IduplicatedtheUVcoordinatesetforthestatueandassignedtheambientocclusiontexturetoit.Then,IusedthisUVsetasamasklayerforcloningamossytextureoverarocktexture,asfollows:
Figure11-25.Projectingseamlesstexturestoauniquetexturemapinordertocombinethemandcreatesomethingunique.Here,I’musingtheClonebrushtoclonefromaseamlesstexturetomyuniqueUV
map.
Figure11-26.Texturingthetrees.IbeganwithaseamlessbarktextureandthenblendedinothertexturesinGIMP.
1. DuplicatetheoriginalUVmaptwicebyclickingthe+iconintheUVCoordinatespaneloftheObjectDatatabinthePropertieseditor.Renameeachsetsothatyou’llknowwhichiswhich.Asthenamesformysets,IchosePaintformyfinalpaintedtexture,Maskformymaskimage,andCube.IwouldusetheCubeUVsetforprojectingmyseamlesstextures,soIreunwrappedthestatueinEditmodeusingtheCubeProjectoptiontogiveanunwrapwithniceconsistencybetweenpartsofthemodel.
2. AssignyourseamlessrocktexturetotheCubeUVset,scalingittosuitthedetailsintherock.Then,switchtoyourPaintUVsetandusetheClonetool(makesureCloneisturnedonintheProjectPaintpanel)toclonetherocktexturefromtheCubeprojectUVsettothepaintedtexture.
3. Tomixinthesecondtexture,usetheProjectPaintStenciloption.SwitchtoEditmodeandassignyourambientocclusionmaptotheMaskUVsetbyselectingtheMaskUVsetintheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor.Then,assignadifferentrocktexturetotheCubeUVset,butthis
timeuseamoss-coveredrocktexture.
4. NowreturntotexturepaintingonthePaintlayer(againselectingitinthePropertieseditortomakeittheactiveUVset).SwitchonStencilintheProjectPaintpanel,choosingyourmaskUVsetfromthedropdownmenubesideit.Then,withtheClonebrush,paintthesecondrocktextureovertheoriginalone.Theeffectofthebrushisautomaticallymaskedaccordingtotheambientocclusionmap,allowingyoutoeasilypaintonlyontheexposedareas,asshowninFigure11-27.
Aftersavingtheresultingimageasa.tgafile,IusedtheambientocclusionmapinGIMPtolightentheexposedareasofthetexturebyopeningthepaintedtextureandaddingtheambientocclusionmapoverthetop(usingOpenasLayer).Settingtheambientocclusionmap’sblendmodetoOverlayandreducingitsopacitysubtlylightenedtheexposedareasofthestatueanddarkenedthecrevices,asshowninFigure11-28.
Figure11-27.UsingtheProjectPaintMasksettingtomasktheeffectoftheClonebrushallowedmetomixtexturesaccordingtoanambientocclusionmap.
Figure11-28.ThestatuetextureopenedinGIMPwithanambientocclusionmapoverlaidontop
TexturingtoCameraWhenitcametotherocksandsoilintheforegroundoftheJungleTemplescene,tileabletextureswouldn’tgivequitethelevelofcontrolIwanted.Forthispartofmyscene,Ioptedtopaintthetexturesforthegroundandrocksastheyappearedfromthecameraviewpoint.Todothis,takethefollowingsteps:
1. Puttheforegroundrocksandsoilonthesamelayer(useMtomoveobjectstoadifferentlayerandPinEditmodetoparttheselectionfromthecurrentobjectifnecessary).
2. SwitchtoTexturedview(withtheshadingsettoSingletextureinthepropertiesregion)andassignyourseamlesstexturestotheUVsofyourobjects.
3. UsetheRenderActiveViewportbutton(thecameraicon)inthe3DViewportheadertorenderthecurrentviewtoanimage(seeFigure11-29).Then,savethisasa.tgaimage.(Inordertobeabletomixmyrocktexturestogether,Iassignedmysecondrocktexturetothestonesandsavedasecondviewportrender.)
4. OpentheseinthesamedocumentinGIMP(openthefirstnormallyandthenopenthesecondusingOpenasLayers).Next,beginblendingthetwobyaddinganewlayermasktothetoplayerandpaintinginblackareastoletthelayerbelowshowthrough.
5. Then,tosoftentheboundariesbetweenthemudandrock,createanewlayerandmixthemtogetherslightlyusingtheClonetoolandyourGrungebrush(seeFigure11-30),savingtheimageasa.tgafile.
Lateron,thistexturewillbeprojectedfromthecameraandusedaspartofthematerialfortheforegroundobjects.
Figure11-29.Renderingtheviewtoanimage
TexturingtheLeavesFortheleavesintheJungleTemplescene,Iwantedtocreatethreetextures:oneforthecoloroftheleaves,oneforthespecularmap,andonefortheirtransparency.Iwouldusethetransparency(alpha)maptomakethepartsofthemeshthatarenotactuallypartofaleaftransparent,thusgivingtheleavesdetailedoutlineswithoutusinggeometry.ThisisdoublyimportantfortheleavesIgeneratedwithIvyGen,asthesearejustflatplanes.
CollectingtheLeafImagesIbeganbycollectingleafimagesthatwereroughlytheshapeIwanted.Then,IopenedtheminGIMPandselectedtheroughoutlineoftheleafwiththeScissorstool,placingpointsaroundtheedgeoftheleaftotraceitsoutlineautomatically.
IcouldthenrefinethisusingQuickMaskingandthePaintbrushtoolwithahard-edgedbrush,paintingwithblackorwhitetoremoveoraddpartsoftheleafselection.Iusedtheleafselectionasalayermask(Layers▸Mask▸AddLayerMaskandchoosingSelection)tomaskoutthebackgroundoftheleafimage.
Figure11-30.Editingthetexturesprojectedfromthecameraview.Ifilledinthebackgroundtopreventitfromcreatingartifactsneartheimageboundarywherethetexturewrapsaroundatthebottom.Then,I
blendedthetexturesontheobjectsintheforeground.
AlphaMapThenextstepwastocreatethealpha,color,andspecularimages.Tocreatethealphatexture,Iclickedthelayermask,pressedCTRL-Atoselectall,andpressedCTRL-Ctocopythemasktotheclipboard.Then,IclickedNewLayerandpastedinthemask,nowvisibleasanormallayer.Figure11-31showsthefinishedalphamap.
DiffuseMapForthediffusemap,Iaddedauniformcolorbackgroundandgotridofanyspecularhighlightsinthephototomakeitmoresuitabletouseasatexture.Forthebackground,Icreatedanewlayerandfilleditwithagreentomatchtheleafcolorsothatwhenthematerialblendedintotransparency,therewouldbenocolorchangearoundtheedges.Iduplicatedtheleafimagelayerandplaceditontopofthisbackground.
Figure11-31.Thetexturesforasingleleaf,fromlefttoright:diffuse,specular,andalpha.ThesetexturesareusedonmyIvyGenmesh.
Toremovethespecularhighlights,IusedtheDodge/Burntool(SHIFT-D)settoburn(holdCTRLorchangethesettingsintheBrushToolspalette)withalarge,softbrush.Ibrushedlightlyoverthehighlightstodimthem(usealightpressureifyou’reusingapressure-sensitivetablet,orsimplysettheExposuresettingoftheDodge/Burntooldownlowifyou’reusingamouse).Tofixanyareasthatbecomeoversaturated,IusedthePaintbrushtoolwithacolorfromagoodpartofthetexture.Then,IsettheblendmodeofthebrushtoSaturationandpainted
overanyoversaturatedareastobringtheminlinewiththerestofthetexture.(Figure11-31,left,showsthediffusetexture.)
SpecularMapForthespecularcolor,IduplicatedmymaskedleafimageandusedtheHue-Saturationtooltodesaturateitabit.Then,Ishiftedthespecularcolorslightlytowardyellow.Ialsopaintedinsomehighlightsonsmoothareasoftheleafandthenblurredthetextureslightly.YoucanseethespeculartextureinFigure11-31(center).
Thiscompletedthetexturesneededforasingleleaf,soIsavedeachasa.tgaimageandthensavedan.xcffilewithmylayers.IusedthissingleleafasmytexturefortheleavesgeneratedbyIvyGen.Fortherestoftheleavesinmyscene,IwantedtocombineasmanyaspossibleintooneimagesothatIwouldn’thavetomanagetoomanytextures.SoIrepeatedthecutting-outprocessforasmanyleafimagesasIneeded,skippingthespeculartexturesforthetimebeing.Later,Icombinedalltheseleavesontoasinglemapsoitwouldbeeasiertodothespecularmapafterward.
CombiningLeavesontoaSingleTextureFormostofthefoliageinmyscene,IpackedalloftheleavesontothesameUVmap.(InChapter10,Ibakedacolormapfromthematerialcoloroftheleavestoserveasaguide.)Tomakeiteasiertoassembleallmyleavesintoonetexture,IappliedthelayermasksthatIhadcreatedearliertothediffuselayerofeachleaftexture.IthensavedeachoftheseleavesasimagesandopenedthemaslayersontopoftheguideimageIbakedinChapter10.
Next,Istartedarrangingtheleavestofitthemap,usingtheMove,Scale,andRotatetools.Aftergettingaleafroughlyinplace,IusedtheIWarptool(Filters▸Distort▸IWarp)towarptheleavestomoreaccuratelyfittheshapesIneeded(seeFigure11-32).IWarpallowsyoutomovepixelsaroundyourselectionfluidlyinordertoreshapeareasofanimage.Fortheleaves,IusedtheMoveDeformmodeinIWarptofittheoutlineoftheleavestotheshapesIneeded.Irepeatedthis,duplicatingsomeoftheleavestocovereachspacethatneededaleaftexture.Fortheunwrappedstems,Iclonedfromthebiggerleavestofillinthewholeregionwitharoughgreentexture.ThediffusetextureforalltheleavescombinedintoasingletextureisshowninFigure11-33.Ithencreated
thespecularmapformygrouped-togetherleavesthesamewayIdidfortheindividualleaf.
Figure11-32.UsingtheIWarpfiltertowarptheshapeofaleaf
Figure11-33.Imergedthetexturesforseveralofmyleavesontoasingleimagetokeepthenumberoftexturesinmyscenedown.
Togetanalphatextureagain,IsimplymergedtheleaftexturesintoonelayerandthenrightclickedthelayerintheLayerseditorandchoseAlphatoSelection.Then,Icreatedanewblacklayerandfilledtheselectionwithwhitetogetmyalphaimage.Finally,Iexportedeachofmydiffuse,specular,andalphapassesas.tgaimagesandsavedtheGIMP.xcffile,too.ThecombinedleaftexturescanbeseeninFigure11-31.ThiscompletedalmostallofthetexturesfortheJungleTemple.Icreatedanyremainingonesinmuchthesamewayasthosedescribedalready.
TexturingtheSpiderBotTexturingtheSpiderBotwasabitsimplerthantexturingwasfortheothertwo
imagesbecausethisprojectrelieslargelyonproceduralmaterials.ImadeaUVtexturethatcoveredthebodyinordertotakesomeofthehassleoutofcreatingdifferentmaterialslaterandtoallowmetoaddsomedetailtothemodel.
CreatingThreeTexturesIbeganwithmybakedcolormapinGIMPandscaleditupto4096×4096pixels.Then,Iopenedmybakedambientocclusionmapasalayer,scaledittofit,andsetitsblendmodetoMultiplyat40percentopacityinordertoaddsomesubtleshadowingtothetexture.
Ineededtomakethreetextures:diffuse,roughness,andspecular.BecauseIwantedthebody’sgreenareastobeshiny,Imadethegreenareamuchdarkerforthediffusetextureandbrightgreenforthespeculartexture.Forthebody’swhiteareas,Ididtheopposite:darkgrayonthespecularmaptomakeitlessshinyandlightonthediffuse.
Fortheroughnessmap,Imadethegreenareas(ofthediffusemap)darktogivesharp,glossyreflections,andImadethewhiteareasbrighttogivesofterhighlights.YoucanseethethreetexturesinFigure11-34.Tokeepmytexturesorganized,Icreatedseparatelayergroupsforeachofthediffuse,specular,androughnessmaps,justasIdidfortheBatCreature.
AddingDecalsTomakethingsabitmoreinteresting,IdecidedtoaddsomedecalstotheSpiderBot.Tomakedecals,Idrewafewsimpledesignsusing2DcurvesinBlenderandrenderedtheseinblackandwhite.Then,IopenedtheseaslayersovermyexistingtexturefileinGIMP.
Figure11-34.TexturesfortheSpiderBot,fromlefttoright:diffuse,specular,androughness.Iincorporatedsomedecalsintothetexturestomakethemmoreinteresting,makingsuretoaddthemto
theroughnessandspecularmapsaswell.
Tomakethebackgroundofthedecalstransparent,IusedColors▸ColortoAlphaandselectedthebackgroundcolorasthecolortoremove.Iselectedindividualdecalsandspreadthemoutoverthebodybyselectingthemandthenscaling,moving,androtatingthemintoplace.(ItcanbeeasiertodothisifyousplitupeachdecalontoitsownlayerbyselectingitandpressingCTRL-SHIFT-LtofloattheselectionandCTRL-SHIFT-Ntoconvertittoalayer.Then,youcanscaleandrotateitindependentlyoftheotherdecals.Onceit’sinplace,youcanmergethedetailsbackontothesamelayer.)
Togetabetterfeelfortheplacementofyourdecals,youcanmarkinroughlywhereyouwanttheminBlender’sTexturePaintmode.Then,savetheimageasaguidetouseinGIMP.OnceIhadthedecalslaidout,Isettheiropacityto60percentforthediffusemap.
Tomakethedecalsstandout,Iworkedthemintothespecularandroughnessmapstoo.Iduplicatedmydecallayerfromthediffusemapandplacedcopiesinmylayergroupsforthespecularandroughnessmaps.Forthespecularmap,IusedColors▸Inverttomakethedecalswhite,whichwouldmakethemshinierontheeventualmaterial.Fortheroughnessmap,Imadethedecalsblackonceagaintogivethemsharpreflections(seeFigure11-34).
Withmytexturescomplete,IsavedaGIMP.xcffilewithallmylayergroupsandthenexported.tgafilesofmydiffuse,specular,androughnessmaps.
InReviewInthischapter,I’vecoveredusingbothBlenderandGIMPtocreatetextures,startingwithourbakedtexturesasafoundationandbuildinguplayersofdetailanddifferentimages.We’veusedBlender’sTexturePaintmode,clonedtexturesinbothBlenderandGIMP,andusedseamlesstexturesbothontheirownandasabasisforcreatingmoredistinctivetextures.
FortheBatCreature,Ibuiltupmytexturesmainlybyhand,blockinginsimplecolorsinBlenderandthenrefiningtheseinGIMP,paintinginextradetailsandsupplementingthemwithelementsfromphotographictextures,andthenjumpingbacktoBlendertoclearupseams.
FortheJungleTemple,Icreatedavarietyofseamlesstextures,whichformedafoundationforcreatingfurthertexturesforuniqueobjects.Bycreatingarangeoftileable,reusabletexturesfirst,Iachievedconsistenttexturesacrossmultipleelementsinthesceneandspedupthetexturingprocess.
FortheSpiderBot,Ifocusedoncreatingrelativelysimplediffuse,specular,androughnesstexturesthatIwilllaterusetocreatesomefairlycomplexmaterials.IusedmyambientocclusionmapandthesolidcolormapIgeneratedinChapter10asastartingpointandthencreatedandaddeddecalstoembellishthedesignoftheSpiderBotwithoutcrowdingintoomanydetails.
InChapter12,we’llcreatematerialsforusebybothBlender’sInternalrendererandthenewCyclesrenderer,usingthetexturescreatedinthischapterasinputs.We’lllookatthedifferentwaystoapplytextureswhenworkingwiththetworenderersandthesimilaritiesanddifferencesincreatingmaterialswiththetworenderenginesinmind.
[1]YoucanfindthislocationoraddanewlocationforbrushesfromGIMP’spreferences(File▸Preferences)underFolders▸Brushes.
Chapter12.Materials
InChapter10andChapter11,Icreatedtexturesthatspecifiedthediffusecolorsforthemodels,aswellasotherparameters,likereflectiveness,smoothness,andspecularcolors.Nowwe’lllookatcombiningtheseimagetextureswithproceduraltexturesandshaderstocreatematerialsforthescenesthatlookbothinterestingandconvincing.
ThischapterwillcoverhowBlender’smaterialsworkandhowtoincorporatetexturesintothesematerials.Let’slookfirst,though,atBlender’stwodefaultrenderenginesforrenderingimages,CyclesandtheBlenderInternalrenderer,astheywillsignificantlyimpacthowwesetupourmaterials.
RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCyclesTherenderengineishowBlendercreatesafinalimageusingalloftheinformationinyourscene—objects,materials,lights,andsettings.Blenderhastworenderengines.Theolderone,theBlenderInternalrenderengine,isaveryrobust(ifslightlyold-fashioned)rendererthatusesvarioustricksandtechniquestocreatethefinalrender,eschewingabsolutephysicalaccuracyforspeedandflexibility.However,thislackofphysicalaccuracydoesn’tmeanthatBlenderInternalcan’trenderrealistic-lookingimages.Itcanquicklyrendersceneswithavarietyofcomplexmaterialstocreateafinallookanywherebetweenahighlyrealisticaestheticandaverynonphoto-realisticandstylizedone.ThismakesBlenderInternalahighlyflexiblerenderer,wellsuitedtoanimation.
CyclesisBlender’snewrenderengine,whichisstillinactivedevelopment.Unliketheinternalengine,itfocusesoncreatingmorerealisticsimulationsoflightandusesmorephysicallycorrectmodelsformaterialsandlights.Asaresult,itcandeliververyrealisticimages,includingeffectsthataredifficulttoachieveinBlenderInternal,suchasthecomplexrefractionoflightinglassandothertransparentobjects,multiplereflectionsoflightbouncingaroundascene,andthephysicallycorrectemissionoflightfromobjects.Thetradeoffisthat(at
leastasofthiswriting)Cyclesrendersscenes—eventhosewithsimplelighting—moreslowlythanBlenderInternal.AndbecauseCyclesisinactivedevelopment,itlackscertainimportantfeatures,likesubsurfacescattering(seeSubsurfaceScatteringformoreinformation)andtheabilitytorenderhairandfur.
I’llusebothrenderersinthisbook.WhichrendererIchooseforeachprojecthasasignificantimpactonhowIdefinemymaterials,becausethesetworenderenginesworkindifferentwaysandrequirematerialstobesetupdifferently.FortheBatCreature,I’lluseBlenderInternaltorenderrealisticskinwithsubsurfacescattering,aswellasthefur.AndfortheSpiderBot,thougheitherrendererwoulddo,I’lluseCyclestocreatesomeniceglossy,reflectivematerials.FortheJungleTempleproject,I’lluseCyclestoallowmetoexperimentwithlightingandgetdirectfeedback,thankstoCycles’interactiverenderpreview(discussedinTheCyclesRenderPreview).
Beforeexaminingthedifferencesincreatingmaterialsforthetwodifferentrenderengines,let’stakeabrieflookatafewgeneralprinciplesthatwillcomeupaswediscussmaterials.Theseprinciplescentermainlyonthevariouswaysasurfacecaninteractwithlightbyreflecting,refracting,orabsorbingit.
ReflectionWeseeobjectsbecauseoureyesdetectthelightthatbouncesoffthem.Theappearanceofasurfaceisthusdeterminedbytheprecisewayinwhichitinteractswithlight,whichisinturndeterminedbythestructureandcompositionofthematerial.
Intherealworld,mattesurfaces,likerockandrubber,havearoughstructureonamicroscopicscale.Lightbouncesofftheminalldirections,andasaresult,thelightyouseereflectedlooksmuchthesamenomatterwhichdirectionyoulookatthesurfacefrom.Thisiscalleddiffusereflection.
Incontrast,polishedsurfacesarerelativelysmooth,evenatmicroscopicscales.Thismeansthatyou’llseeaperfectreflectionwhenyoulookatthesurface,andasyoumoveyourviewpoint,whatisreflectedwillchange.Thisiscalledspecular,ormirror,reflection.ThedifferencesbetweendiffuseandspecularreflectionareshowninFigure12-1.
IntheworldofCG,however,weoftentakeshortcutstoachievethelookofrealmaterials.Forexample,considerspecularreflections:Whileit’spossibletorendermirrorreflections,doingsoisslowerthanrenderingdiffusereflectionsbecausetherearesimplealgorithmstoapproximatetheeffectofdiffusereflections.Sorenderingdiffusereflectionscanbeextremelyfast,butrenderingmirrorreflectionsrequiresprocessor-intensiveraytracing.Togetaroundthisproblem,wesometimesconsideronlythemostobviousthingsthatasurfacecanreflect,likebrightlights.Forexample,ifyouweretolookatashinymetalsurfaceinbrightlight,youmightoverlookmirrorreflectionsofthesurroundingenvironmentduetotheverybrightreflectionofthelightsourceitself.SpecularreflectionsworkthiswayinBlender’sInternalrenderer:Therenderercreatesonlyhighlightsfromlightsourcesratherthanmakingthesurfacereflectotherobjectsaroundit(seeFigure12-2).Thisshortcutoftendoesthejob,andwhenmoreaccuratereflectionsareneeded,youcanturnthemonaswell(byenablingray-tracedmirrorreflections)atthecostofextrarenderingtime.
Figure12-1.Diffuse(left)vs.specular(right)reflection(Cyclesrenderer)
Figure12-2.BlenderInternal’sapproximatedspecularreflections(BlenderInternalrenderer).Oftenthesearereferredtoasspecularreflections,whilemorerealistic(mirror)specularreflectionsare
referredtoasglossyreflections.Left:Amaterialwithonlyspecularreflectionsandahardnessof15.Right:Ahardnessof100.
TransmissionandRefractionInadditiontoreflectinglight,surfaceslikewaterorglassalsotransmitlight(allowlighttopassthroughthem).Intherealworld,apartoftheincidentlight(lighthittingthesurface)isusuallyreflected,andtherestistransmittedandbentslightly(refracted).Thelightisbentbecauseasitentersadifferentmedium,itsspeedchanges.Thisbendingoflightresultsinadistortedimagewhenyoulookthroughatransparentmaterial.Theamountofdistortiondependsontheobject’sindexofrefraction(IOR),whichdetermineshowmuchthedirectionofarayoflightisalteredattheboundaryoftheobject(seeFigure12-8),andtheshapeandthicknessoftheobject.Forsomeobjects,thiseffectissignificant—forexample,whenyoulookthroughalensoraglassofwater,you’llnoticeconsiderabledistortion.Othertimes,theeffectisminimal—forexample,thereislittledistortionwhenyoulookthroughthethinglassofawindow.
ZTransparencyWecanuseBlendertosimulatetransmissionandrefractionoflightusingray-tracedtransparency.Butwecanalsocheatbyignoringrefractionandsimplyrenderingwhateverisbehindanobject.ThisiscalledZTransparency.Thistechniqueworkswellwithobjectslikewindows,wheretherefractionis
minimal.Figure12-3comparesraytracingwithZTransparency.
ZTransparencyisalsousefulforrenderingthinsurfaceswithholesorcomplexoutlines,wherethemeshcanbeleftsimpleandatexturecanbeusedtodefinetransparent—or,inthiscase,nonexistent—areasofthesurface.Theseareascanthenberenderedcompletelytransparent(invisible),whichwillmakethesurfaceappearmorecomplexthanitsgeometryalonewouldallow(seeFigure12-4).
Figure12-3.Raytracingvs.ZTransparency(usingtheBlenderInternalrenderer).Left:ZTransparencywithanalphaof0.25andspecularhighlights.Thespecularandslightdiffusevisibilitymakethis
materialvisible.Right:Ray-tracedtransparencywithanIORof1.5.Thisimageismorerealisticbutwilltakemuchlongertorender.
Figure12-4.UsingZTransparencytogivethiswirefencematerialamorecomplexappearancewithoutrequiringextrageometry(usingtheBlenderInternalrenderer).Thismaterialhasbeenappliedtoasingleplane.(TheTransparentShadowsoptionhasbeenturnedonforthefloormaterialtocreate
accurateshadows.)
Lightcaninteractwithasurfaceinstillmorecomplexways,suchasscatteringbeneaththesurfaceorexhibitingtranslucencyoranisotropicreflection,whichisthetypeofreflectionproducedbybrushedmetal.We’llexaminetheseothertypesofinteractionaswemovethroughthischapter.
BlenderInternalMaterialsBlenderInternalisBlender’sdefaultrenderengine,andyoucancreatematerialsforBlenderInternalusingtheMaterialsandTexturestabsofthePropertieseditor.YoucanfindthepropertiesofmaterialsintheMaterialtab(andthetexturesandaspectsofamaterialtheycanbeusedtoaffect)intheTexturestab.
BlenderInternal’smaterialsareprettymodular,allowingyoutoaddandcombinedifferentmaterialproperties—suchasspecularreflections,mirror
reflectivity,transparency,andsubsurfacescattering—simplybyturningontherelevantoptionsfromthedifferentpanelsintheMaterialtab(Figure12-5),withouthavingtostartfromscratch.Noticeinthefigurethatallofthematerialsassignedtotheactiveobjectareinthepanelatthetopofthetab.Below,inthePreviewpanel,isapreviewoftheactivematerial,followedbyotherpanelscontainingtheMaterialssettings.I’lldiscusstherelevantpanelsintheMaterialstab(whenusingBlenderInternal)here.
Figure12-5.TheMaterialstabwhenusingtheBlenderInternalrenderer
Diffuse.Thispanelcontainsthesettingsforthediffusecolorandshadingofamaterial.Thecolorpicker(seeFigure12-5)allowsyoutosetthediffusecolorofthematerial,whichisthenmultipliedbytheintensityvalue.Thedropdownmenutotherightletsyousetthediffuseshadermodel,whichaffectsthefalloffofthematerial’sdiffusecolorfromlighttodarkatdifferentangles.ThedefaultLambertshadermodelisusuallyfine,thoughtheOrenNayarshadermodelcanbeusedtomimicsurfaceswitharoughermicroscopicstructure,likeclayorstone.Theothershadermodelsherearemoreexoticandrarelyuseful.
Specular.ThesettingsintheSpecularpanelaresimilartothoseintheDiffusepanel,exceptthattheycontrolanobject’sspecularshading(alooseapproximationofspecularreflection,asdiscussedearlierinReflection).Thehardnessentrydetermineshowbroadortightthesereflectionsare(seeFigure12-6).Materialswithahighhardnessvaluehavesharp,brighthighlights,whilethosewithalowhardnessvaluehavesofter,morespreadouthighlights.
Shading.Thefollowingoptionsaffectamaterial’soverallshading:
Emit.ThiscausesanobjecttoappearbrightevenwhenitisnotlitandcanevencauseanobjecttocastlightonotherobjectswhenitisusedwithcertainWorldsettings.
Ambient.Thisdetermineswhetheranobjectreceivesambientillumination(usingtheAmbientColorsettingintheWorldSettingstab).
Translucency.Thiscausesanobjecttoappearlitonbothitsfrontandback,makingitlooktranslucent,likethinpaperoraleaf.
Shadeless.Thiscompletelyeliminatestheeffectoflightonanobject;theobjectwillgetitscolorandbrightnessentirelyfromitsdiffusecolorandtextures.
TangentShading.Thisalterstheshadingofasurfacetomorecloselyresemblethatofbrushedmetalorothermaterialswitha“grain”ordirectionalitytotheirmicroscopicstructure.Thedirectionofthegrainistakenfromtheobject’sUVcoordinates,sothegrainwillbealignedwiththe
v-axisinUVspace.Inotherwords,itwillbealignedverticallyintheUVImageeditor,soensureyouhaveunwrappedtheobjectappropriatelywhenenablingthisoption.
CubicInterpolation.Thisaltershowthesurfaceblendsbetweenlightandshadow,usuallywithsmoother-lookingresultsthoughoftenslightlydarker.
Transparency.TurnontheTransparencycheckboxtorenderamaterialwithtransparency.Thispaneloffersthreewaystorendertransparentobjects,usingthesurface’salphavalue.Thesimplest,Mask,simplyblendsthematerialintothebackgroundwherethecoloristransparent.ZTransparencyisslightlymoresophisticated,renderingwhateverisbehindthetransparentobject.Ray-tracedTransparencycalculatesproperrefraction.ChoosingRay-tracedTransparencybringsupavarietyofoptionsthatallowyoutosettheindexofrefractionofthematerialandtheglossinessandamountoffilteringdonebythematerial.
Mirror.EnableMirrortoturnonrenderingray-tracedreflections.Thesettingsinthispanelletyoudefinetheamount(Reflectivity)andsharpness(GlossyAmount)ofray-tracedreflections.
SubsurfaceScattering(SSS).Thisoptioncontrolstheeffectoflightscatteringunderthesurfaceofamaterialcommonlyfoundinskinorwax.I’lldiscussthisinmoredetailinSubsurfaceScattering.
Options.Thispanelcontainssomemiscellaneousoptions.Forexample,theTraceablesettingcontrolswhetheranobjectistakenintoaccountwhenrenderingray-tracedshadowsandreflections.I’llcoverthesewhentheycomeup,andyoucanlookupanyIdon’tmentionontheBlenderwiki(athttp://wiki.blender.org/).
Shadow.Thispanelcontrolshowanobjectreceivesandcastsshadows.Forexample,theCastOnlyoptionmakesanobjectappearinvisibleexceptforanyshadowsitcasts.ShadowsOnlyrendersamaterial’sshadowsastheonlynontransparentparts.(Thisisparticularlygoodforcreatingshadowsthatyoucanthencompositeintoanotherimage.)
Figure12-6.Differentlevelsofhardnessaffectthelookofspecularreflections.Thischeckerboardtextureisusedtocontrolthehardness.(Youcouldalsovaryhardnessusingatexturemap.)
CyclesMaterialsUnliketheBlenderInternalrenderer,whichispackedwithdirtytricksandapproximationstomakerenderingquicker,theCyclesrendererusesmorephysicallyrealisticmodelsformaterials.Itcombinesrealismwithanode-basedapproachthatfocusesonbuildingupcomplexmaterialsfromsimpleparts.YoucanstillusetheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditortoeditCyclesmaterials,whichgivesanoverviewofthecurrentmaterial,butit’smuchsimplerandclearertouseBlender’sNodeeditor,asshowninFigure12-7.
TocreateamaterialwithCycles,allyouneedisaShadernodeandMaterialOutputnode.Youcanbuildoutfromthereandcombineothershaders,inputs,andtexturestocreateawidevarietyofmaterials.Toaddanode,useSHIFT-Aandchoosethenodeyouwantfromthemenuthatappears,justlikeaddingobjectsinthe3Dviewport.
TheBSDF(BidirectionalScatteringDistributionFunction)Shadernodescontrol
howmaterialswork.Thesefunctionsdefinehowlightinteractswithasurface—forexample,whetherthematerialreflectslightinadiffuseway,actsasamirror,ortransmitslightlikeglass.You’llfindtheBSDFshadersunderShadersintheAddmenuintheheader,alongwithafewotheroptions.
Figure12-7.EditingaCyclesmaterialinBlender’sNodeeditor.OntherightistheMaterialOutputnode;itsSurfacenodeisconnectedtotheBSDFoutputsocketofaDiffuseShadernode.Theresultis
thediffusematerialshowninFigure12-1.
Cyclescurrentlysupportsthefollowingshaders:
Background.Thisaffectstheworldbackgroundratherthanmaterials.(SeeChapter13formoreonworldlightingsettings.)
DiffuseBSDF.Thisscatterslightinalldirections,creatingadiffuselook.
GlossyBSDF.Thisreflectslightlikeamirror.Increasingtheroughnessvaluemakesreflectionsincreasinglyblurry.
GlassBSDF.TheGlassBSDFfunctiontransmitslightasglassoranyothertransparentmediumdoes.Theindexofrefraction(IOR)determineshowmuchthelightisbentwhenitpenetratesasurface.Thehigherthevalue,themoreitisbent.DensermaterialshavehigherIORs.Forexample,theIORofglassisaround1.5,andtheIORofwaterisabout1.3.Diamond,amuchdensermaterial,hasanIORofaround2.4.ThedifferencescanbeseeninFigure12-8.
TranslucentBSDF.Thisscatterslightinalldirectionsfromthebackoftheobject,resultinginatranslucentappearance,likethatofathinpaperorleaf,withlighttransmittedthroughthematerial.
TransparentBSDF.Thisallowslighttopenetrateamaterialwithoutbeingrefracted,asiftherewerenothingthere.It’susefulwhencombinedwithalphamaps.(SeeLeavesformoreoncreatingleafmaterials.)
VelvetBSDF.Thisreflectslightsomewhatlikethediffuseshader,butitreflectslightmorewhenviewedfromobliqueangles.Theresultisavelvetyappearance.
Emission.Thisturnsanobjectintoalampthatemitsitsownlight.
Holdout.Thiscreatesa“hole”inanimagethatgoesthroughtothebackgroundcolorwithzeroalphatransparency.It’susefulforcompositing.
MixShader.Thisallowsyoutomixtwoshaderswiththeproportionofmixingdeterminedbythefactorinput.TheMixnodesallowyoutocombineshadersinnumerouscombinationstocreateallsortsofmaterials.Forexample,youcouldcreateaplastic-likematerialbycombiningaGlossyBSDFandDiffuseBSDFshader,asshowninFigure12-9.
AddShader.Thisaddstwoshaderstogether.It’slessflexiblethantheMixnodebecauseyoucan’tcontroltheamountofmixing,butitworksmuchthesameway.
FormoreontheseshadersandotherCyclesdocumentation,visithttp://wiki.Blender.org/.
OtherInputsinCyclesCyclesallowsyoutouseawidevarietyofnodesthatsupplydifferentdataforuseinyourmaterials.You’llfindnodestoinputimagetexturesandproceduraltexturesaswellasnodestosupplygeometricinformation,suchassurfacenormalsandthepositionofthesurfacein3DorUVspace(allowingyoutomaptexturestoasurface).Combiningthesenodescanproveapowerfultool,aswe’llseethroughoutthechapter.
Figure12-8.Differentindicesofrefraction.Lefttoright:1.05,1.5,and2.5.AstheIORincreases,therefractedlightbecomesmorecomplex.
Figure12-9.CombiningshaderswiththeMixnode.HereIcreateaplastic-lookingshaderbycombininganorangeDiffuseBSDFshaderwithawhiteGlossyBSDFshader.
TextureNodesTheTexturenodesareparticularlyusefulforcreatingmaterials,andtheycansupplyavarietyofproceduralandimage-basedtexturesforuseonyourmaterials.I’llusetheimageTexturenodestoapplythetexturesIcreatedinChapter10andChapter11.
Theothernodescreateproceduraltextures.Forexample,thenoisetexturecreatesmulticoloredcloudsthatareusefulforaddingrandom-lookingdetailtosurfaces,andthewavestexturecreatesrepeatingbandsthatcanbedistortedto
looklikewoodgrain.Thecheckerboardisagreattexturefortestingoutmaterialsettings;forexample,byconnectingacheckerboardnodetotheFacinputofaMixShadernode,youcanuseittocomparetwoshaders(seeFigure12-10).We’llcoverusingtextureswithCyclesinmoredetaillaterinthischapter.
NodesinBlenderInternalWhileIwon’tcoverthemindetail,BlenderInternalalsosupportsnodematerials.Althoughtheprinciplesarethesame,theseworkslightlydifferentlyfromCyclesnodes.Insteadofshaders,youcanuseothermaterialsasinputsandcombinethemtomakenewmaterials.Figure12-11showstwomaterialscombinedtocreateathird.
Figure12-10.Controllingthemixingofshaderswithatexture.Here,acheckerboardtextureisusedtocontrolthemixingofaglossyandadiffuseshader.
Figure12-11.BlenderInternalalsosupportsnodematerials,thoughtheyworkslightlydifferently.Here,two(non-node-based)materialshavebeenblended(againusingacheckerboardtexturetocontrolthe
mixing)tocreateathird.
MaterialsfortheBatCreatureLet’slookathowtocreatematerials,beginningwiththeBatCreatureandBlenderInternal.Forthisproject,Ineededmaterialsfortheskin,fur,eyes,andteeth.
SkinIbeganwiththecreature’sskin.IaddedanewmaterialtotheBatCreatureobject—thatis,ourfinalonewithdisplacement,whichI’lluseforrendering.(RemembertherearetwocopiesoftheBatCreatureinthescene:onecopythatI’llusetorenderthebodyandanotherthatIcreatedinChapter9toholdthe
hair.)ToaddanewmaterialtotheBatCreature,IwenttotheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditoranddeletedanyexistingmaterialslots(byclickingthe–buttonatthetopofthetab).Then,Iclicked+Newfromthematerialselectordropdownmenu.Icouldthenstartcreatingthematerial.ThebeginningsofthematerialareshowninFigure12-12.
Sofar,thiswasjustasimplematerial;Imerelytweakedthediffusecolorandthespecularintensityandhardness.IalsoswitchedthespecularshadingtoBlinn,whichgavesofterhighlights.Next,Ineededtostartincorporatingmytexturesandrefiningthematerial.
Toincorporatethediffusetexture,IswitchedtotheTexturestabofthePropertieseditor,selectedthefirsttextureslot,andclicked+Newtoaddanewtexture.ThenIsettheTextureTypetoImage.ThisaddedanImagepaneltotheTexturetabwhereIcouldopenmydiffusetexture.
Figure12-12.TheBatCreaturematerial,shownwithoutanytexturesorsubsurfacescattering.Therenderedmaterialisshownattheright.(SeeChapter13andChapter14forhowtosetupthelighting
andrendersettings.)
MappingCoordinatesToapplythetexturetothemeshproperly,IneededtotellthematerialtousetheUVcoordinatesthatIcreatedinChapter8.
Todoso,IcouldsettheCoordinatesoptionintheMappingpaneltoUV.Thereareseveralotherchoiceshere,though,thatareworthdiscussing.Forexample,theGeneratedoptionwillcreateaproceduralprojectionusingtheProjectionsettingbelow,whichcanbeusefulforapplyingseamlesstextureswithouthaving
tounwrapanobject.Generatedcoordinatesprojectthesurfaceoftheobjectontoanimaginaryshape—aplane,acube,asphere,oracylinder—andusethisprojectiontoapplythetexture.TheresultisshowninFigure12-13.
We’llusesomeoftheotheroptions,suchasstrandcoordinates,laterinthischapter.We’vealreadyseennormalcoordinatesinaction,whenapplyingMatCapimagesforusewithGLSLshading.
InfluenceTheInfluencepaneloftheMaterialstabiswherewesetwhichpropertiesofthematerialourtexturewillaffect.Thepanellistsallthematerialpropertiesthattexturescanbeusedtocontrol,suchasnormals;hardness;alphatransparency;anddiffuse,specular,andmirrorcolorsandintensities.Forourdiffusetexture,we’llstickwiththedefaultofColor,underthediffuseproperties,whichsetsthediffusecolorofthesurfaceusingthetexture’sRGBvalues(seeFigure12-14).IsettheBlendmodeforthistexturetoMix,meaningitwillreplacethedefaultdiffusecolorspecifiedintheMaterialsettings.
Youcanalsouseonlytheblack-and-whitevalueofatextureandignoreitscolorinformationbycheckingtheRGBtoIntensityoption.Thisletsyouchooseaspecificcolortomultiplythisvaluewithinthecolorpickerbelowit,forusewithpropertiesthatstillneedcolors.TheNegativeoptioninvertsthetexturebeforeapplyingittothemodel.TheStenciloptioncanbeparticularlyusefulforcombiningproceduraltexturesbecauseitmakesthetextureactasamaskforthetextureslotsbelow:Whiteareasofthetexturewillallowsubsequenttexturestobeapplied,whileblackareaswillshowonlytextureshigherupinthetextureslotstack.
FurtherTexturesNow,I’llcontinuetoapplytexturestomymaterial.First,we’lllookatthespecularandhardnesstexturesthatIcreatedinChapter11.Toaddthespeculartexturetothematerial,IselectedthenextemptytextureslotfromthetopoftheTexturestabandclicked+Newfromthetextureselectordropdownmenutocreateanewtextureblock.IsetitstypetoImage.Then,IsetthemappingtoUV
Figure12-13.Blender’sgeneratedcoordinatesprojectanarbitraryshapeontoyourobjecttocreateamappingfortextures.Toptobottom:flat,cube,tube,andsphereprojections.Here,cubeandspheredo
agoodjobbecausetheshapeoftheskullislargelysimilartotheseshapes.
asbefore,butthistime,undertheInfluenceoption,Isetthetexturetoaffectthespecularcolorofthematerial.IsettheBlendmodetoMultiplysothatthevaluesfromthetextureweremultipliedwiththeoverallspecularcolorofthematerial.
Forthehardnesstexture,Isetthetexturetoaffectthematerial’shardness,andIenabledtheRGBtoIntensityoptiontomakesureBlenderwouldtreatthetextureasasimplebrightnessvalueratherthanasthreecolorvalues.(RGBtexturescanfailwhenusedwithinputsthatdon’trequirecolorinformation.)IsettheBlendmodetoMultiply.
Figure12-14.AddingmydiffusetexturetotheskinmaterialfortheBatCreature
Figure12-15.ThematerialfortheBatCreaturewithtexturesadded
Notethathavingahardnessvalueof0givesstrangeresults,soeithermakesurethehardnesstexturecontainsnofullyblackareas,orsettheinfluenceofthetexturetolessthan1toeliminatethisissue.
Thiscompletedaddingtexturestomymaterial.ThecurrentresultisshowninFigure12-15.
AddingaNormalMapThoughIhadfinishedaddingtexturestothematerial,youmayrememberthatin
Chapter11,IalsobakedanormalmapfortheBatCreatureasapotentialalternativetousingdisplacement.Atthisstage,IcouldaddthenormalmapinanotherimagetextureslotandsetittoaffecttheNormalsofthematerialintheInfluenceoptions.IalsohadtotellBlenderthatthisisatangentspacenormalmap(notabumpmaporanobjectspacenormalmap),sointheImageSamplingpaneloftheTexturestab,IenabledtheNormalMapoptionandmadesuretheNormalMapSpaceoptionjustbelowwassettoTangent.Theresultingmaterialwillusethetexturestodistortitsnormalswhenrendered,makingitlookmoredetailedevenwithsubdivisionanddisplacementmappingturnedoff.
AsIwasusingdisplacementmapping,Ididn’tneedtousemynormalmapatall,butit’safairalternativeifyouwanttokeeprendertimesloworifyourcomputerisstrugglingwiththepolycountofthescene.
SubsurfaceScatteringSubsurfacescattering(SSS)istheeffectoflightbouncingaroundbelowthesurfaceofamaterial,andit’scommoninmaterialslikeskin,wax,andmarble.Itresultsintheedgesofshadowslookingsomewhatblurred,aslightdiffusesoutfromfullylitareastoareasinshadow.Asthelightscatters,someofitisabsorbed,withtheremaininglightusuallytakingonthecoloroftheunderlyingsubstance.Inthecaseofskin,thefleshandbloodbelowtheskincausethescatteredlighttoappearanorange-redcolor.
Figure12-16.Theeffectofdifferentscalevaluesonsubsurfacescattering.Lefttoright:Scalevaluesof0.01,0.1,and0.5.
ToreplicatethiseffectinBlenderInternal,wecanenablesubsurfacescattering
foramaterial.Thiseffectapproximatesthescatteringoflightwithinanobjectbyprecomputingthelightingoveritssurfaceandthenblurringtheshadows.Italsocauseslighttoscatterthroughthinpartsofthemodel.Thisproducesaniceeffectwhencombinedwithlightingthesubjectfromtheback(asIwilllighttheBatCreatureinChapter13).
EnablingsubsurfacescatteringintheMaterialstabofthePropertieseditorgivesyoualotofoptionstoplaywith.Thesettingsforsubsurfacescatteringareasfollows:
IOR.Thisistheindexofrefractionofthematerial.HighIORsresultinslightlysofterboundariesbetweenlightanddark.
Scale.Thisisthemostimportantsetting,becauseitdeterminesthescaleofthescatteringeffectasaratiobetweenBlender’sunitsinthe3DViewportandreal-worldscales.Ifyou’vebuiltyourscenetoascaleof1Blenderunit=1m,thenavalueof0.001is“correct,”thoughyoucansetthistowhatevervalueachievesthedesiredresults(seeFigure12-16).
ScatteringColor.Thisdeterminesthecoloroflightscattering.Itseffectdependslargelyuponhowyousetthecolorblend(asdiscussedbelow).Whenthecolorblendissethigh,itcolorsallofthescatteredlightwiththecoloryouchoose,generallyturningyourwholemeshthatcolor.Whenthecolorblendissetto0,ithastheoppositeeffect,causingthescatteredlighttotakeontheinversecolor—thatis,thecolorontheoppositesideofthecircleinthecolorpicker(seeFigure12-17).
Figure12-17.Theeffectofdifferentcolorblendsettingsonsubsurfacescattering.Here,thesamebluishcolorisusedasthescatteringcolorforallthreematerials,butdifferentcolorblendvaluesareused.
Lefttoright:Colorblendvaluesof0.0,0.5,and1.0.
RGBRadius.Inmanymaterials,somecolorsoflightscatterfartherthanothers.Forexample,inpaleskin,redlightscattersfarthest,greenscattersabouthalfasfarasredlight,andbluescattersaboutaquarterasfarasredlight.Thesesettingsletyoudefinetherelativescatteringdistancesforred,blue,andgreenlight.
Blend(Color/Texture).Thesesettingsdeterminehowmuchthescatteringcoloranddiffusetexturespreadout.Igenerallysetbothoftheseverylow,ifnotto0,becausetheresultsaremorepleasing.Highcolorblendvaluestendtocausethescatteringcolortowashoutanyothercolorsinthematerial(seeFigure12-17),andhightextureblendvaluescausethetexturetolookblurry.
ScatteringWeight(Front/Back).Thisadjuststherelativeamountofscatteringfromthefrontandbackofthemodel.Increasingthebackscatteringweightcauseslighttoscatterthroughthinpartsofthemodelmorenoticeably,whichisoftendesirable.Settingthefrontvalueto0causesthematerialtoscatternolightfromthefrontofthesurface,makingitblackforallbutbackscatteredlight,asshowninFigure12-18.(Thisissometimesusefulinnodematerialsetups.)
Error.ThisvaluedeterminesthequalityoftheSSSeffect.Lowervaluesgivemoreaccurateresultsbutatthecostoflongerrendertimes.Thedefaultvalueisusuallyfine.
Figure12-18.Frontandbackscattering.Lefttoright:Frontscatteringonly,frontandbackscattering,andbackscatteringonly.
FortheBatCreature,IsettheSSSsettingsasshowninFigure12-19.Isetthescalerelativetothesizeofthecreature,whichIcreatedata1m=1Blenderunit
scale,andchosetealforthescatteringcolor,whichtogetherwithacolorblendsetto0gaveaniceorangescattering.Isetthebackscatteringweighthightoallowlighttoscatterthroughthewings.ThiscompletedtheskinmaterialfortheBatCreature.
Figure12-19.TheSSSsettingsfortheBatCreature’sskin.Combinedwiththelightingfrombehind,subsurfacescatteringcausesthewingstoglowwithlightscatteringthroughthem.
Teeth,Nails,andEyesTocreatethematerialsfortheteethandnails,IstartedbyduplicatingthematerialIcreatedfortheskin,toningdowntheSSSeffect,andincreasingtheoverallspecularitytomaketheseareasshinier.
Toduplicateamaterial,assignittoanobject.Then,inthematerialselectordropdownmenu,clickthe+icontomakeanewmaterialbyduplicatingtheonecurrentlyassigned.Youcanthenmodifytheduplicateleavingtheoriginalunchanged.Thisisusefulwhencreatingamaterialsimilartooneyouhavealreadymade.
Fortheeyes,Icreatedtwonewmaterials.RecallthatwhenImodeledtheeyesinChapter5,Icreatedthemastwoseparateparts:acorneaobjectthatformstheoutersurfaceoftheeyeandaninnerpartthatwouldbecometheeyeballitself.Havingunwrappedandtexturedtheinnerpart,Isetupamaterialsimilartotheskinmaterial,withslightlylessredsubsurfacescattering.Ialsoturnedspecularreflectionsforthismaterialoff(bysettingthespecularintensityto0),asthespecularreflectionsfortheeyewillcomefromthecorneaobject.IappliedtheeyetextureIpaintedinChapter11asthediffusetextureforthematerial.
Forthecornea,Ineededashiny,transparentmaterialthatwouldn’tcastashadowontheinnereyeobject.Toproducethis,Icreatedanewmaterialassignedtothisobject.Then,IturnedontransparencyintheMaterialsettingsandsetittoZTransparency,withthealphaforthematerialsetto0.Thesesettingsmakeamaterialtransparent,withtheexceptionofanyspecularandmirrorreflections,iftheyarepresent.Iturnedthespecularandhardnessofthematerialupquitehigh,andtopreventthematerialfromcastingshadows,IdisabledTraceableintheOptionspanelandCastBuffershadowsintheShadowspanel.ThetwomaterialsfortheeyescanbeseeninFigure12-20.
FurMaterialsforfurarealittlemorecomplexthanregularmaterialsandrequireabitofknowledgeaboutlightingandrendering.I’llcoverthematerialaspectshereandsomeofthelightingaspectsinChapter13.
InBlenderInternal,strandparticlescanberenderedeitherlikeanyothermaterialorusingBlender’sStrandrenderingoption.Blender’sStrandrendering
optionoffersamuchfasterwaytorenderhairandfur,butitisn’tcompatiblewithray-tracedshadows.Instead,itallowsonlyfortherenderingofshadowsusingspotlampswithbufferedshadows.
Toenablestrandrendering,usetheRenderpanelintheParticlestabofthePropertieseditor(seeFigure12-21).FortheBatCreature,Ioptedtousestrandrendering.InChapter13,we’lldiscusscreatinganappropriatelightingsetupforusewiththissetup.
Figure12-20.Thetwomaterialsfortheeyes.Thespecularhighlightscomefromthematerialappliedtothecorneamesh.Therestarefromtheinnereyemesh.
Figure12-21.EnablingstrandrenderingfromtheParticlestabofthePropertieseditor
Next,IspecifiedtheStrandoptionsforthematerial.IntheStrandpaneloftheMaterialstab,youcanspecifyhowthickthestrandswillbeandtheirshape,amongotheroptions:
Size(Root/Tip/Minimum).Thisdeterminesthethicknessoftheparticlesattherootandtipofthehair.TheMinimumsettingspecifiestheminimumwidthofastrandinpixelsthatBlenderwillrender.
BlenderUnits.Bydefault,thethicknessesyouspecifyusingtheSizesettingarespecifiedinpixels.Thiscanbeproblematicifyouhavealotofparticlesatdifferentdistancesawayfromthecamera,astheywillberenderedwiththesamewidthinpixels,makingthefarawayoneslooktoothick.TurningonBlenderUnitsletsyouspecifyparticlewidthinBlenderunitsinstead.
TangentShading.Thisoptionusesthestrand’stangentdirectionratherthanitsnormalforshading,whichgenerallygivesbetterresults.
Shape.Thismodifiesthetransitionbetweenthewidthoftherootandthetipofthestrand.Thedefaultvalueof0givesalineartransition.Negativevaluesresultinaspikyshape,whilepositivevaluesmakethestrandlookmoreroundedattheend.
WidthFade.Thissettingcausesthestrandtofadeacrossitswidth,butonlywhenstrandrenderingisenabled.
UVMap.ThisallowsyoutooverwriteoneofyourUVcoordinatesetstoprovideaUVmapforthestrands.Inturn,thisletsyouUVmapanimagetoallyourstrandsfortexturing,butitworksonlywithstrandrenderingdisabled.
SurfaceDiffuse.Thissettingcausesthediffuseshadingofthesurfacetoblendwiththestrandshadingoverthespecifieddistance.
StrandCoordinatesAsmentionedabove,wecantexturestrandmaterialsbyusingtheUVmapoverride.Asimpleroption,however,istousethestrandcoordinatesformappingwhenapplyingtextures.Whilethisonlygivesaone-dimensionalcoordinatealongthelengthofthestrand,thisisusuallyenoughforthinstrandsanyway.
FortheBatCreature’sfur,IfirstsetupasimplematerialusingthesettingsshowninFigure12-22.NoticethatIenabledZTransparencyandsettheAlphatoabout0.7.FortheStrandsettings,IenabledBlenderUnitsandthensettheRootandTipsizesto0.00125and0.0001,respectively.(Thesevaluesaresmallbecausethehairsneedtobeverythin,andtheirwidthsarenowgiveninBlenderunits.)IalsoturnedonTangentShadingandsetWidthFadeto1.0.
Next,intheTexturesettings,IusedBlender’sproceduralblendtexturetoaddafadetothehair’salphaalongitslength,makingitbecometransparenttowardthetip.Iaddedanewtexturetothematerial’sfirsttextureslotandsetitstypetoBlend.Then,IbeganadjustingthecolorsoftheblendtexturebyfirstenablingtheRampoptionintheColorstabandthenadjustingthecolorsthattheproceduraltextureused.IclickedAddtocreateacouplemorestopsalongthegradientandthensetthecolorstofadefromtransparentblacktoopaquewhiteandback(seeFigure12-23).Finally,underMapping,Isetthetexture’scoordinatestoalpha,andunderInfluence,Isetthetexturetomultiplywiththematerial’salphaanditsspecularintensity.
Ididsomethingsimilarforthehaircolor.IcreatedanewblendtextureinthenextTextureslot,butthistimeIsetupablendfromblacktowhite(bothalpha1.0).Again,Imappedthetexturetothestrandcoordinatesandsetittomultiplybyafactorof0.8withthestrand’sdiffusecolor,whichmadethebaseofthestrandsalittledarker,thusfakingabitofshadowing.
Next,Iaddedacloudtexture,whichIsettomodifythematerial’scolor—thistimeinfluencingthediffusecolorwithafactorof0.8,withtheBlendmodesettoMultiplyanditsmappingsettoUV.Iturnedthescaleofthecloudtexturedowntotheabsoluteminimum,essentiallyturningthetextureintoblack-and-whitenoiseandgivingeachhairaslightlydifferentbrightness.Thiscompletedthehairmaterial,withtheresultinghairseeninFigure12-24.
Figure12-23.Modifyingthecolorsofaproceduralblendtexture
Figure12-22.Thebasicsettingsformyfurmaterial
Figure12-24.Thehairmaterial
PeachFuzzIsetupaverysimilarmaterialforthepeachfuzzparticlesystem.Forthismaterial,Idecreasedthesizesettingsforthestrandstomakethemthinnerandreducedtheoverallalphaofthematerialtomakethehairlookwispier.TheresultingmaterialcanbeseeninFigure12-25.Itmainlyshowsuparoundtheedgesofthebody,whichisjustwhatIwanted.
ThiscompletedmymaterialsfortheBatCreature.
Figure12-25.Mypeachfuzzhairprovidesamoresubtleeffect;itaddsabitofahalooffluffaroundbrightlylitpartsofthemodel.
MaterialsfortheSpiderBotFortheSpiderBot,IchosetouseBlender’sCyclesrendererbecauseitallowedmetocreatesomeniceshinymaterialstocomplementthemodel.Ibeganbycreatingasinglematerialtoapplytoallthe(textured)partsoftheSpiderBotmesh.YoucanusetheMaterialUtilsScripttodothisquickly:SimplyenableitinBlender’sAdd-Onsmenu(UserPreferences▸AddOns)andusetheshortcutQtoassignmaterialstoallyourselectedobjectsatonce.Bydefault,whenyoucreateanewCyclesmaterialforanobject,BlenderwillassignadiffuseBSDFshader,liketheoneshowninFigure12-26.Thedefaultmaterialwillbeaplainmattewhite.
EditingNodeMaterialsToeditCyclesmaterials,useBlender’sNodeeditor,keepingitvisiblealongsidethe3DViewpointwitharenderpreviewofthescene(amajoradvantageover
BlenderInternalthatI’lldiscussshortly).ToallowspacefortheNodeeditoraswellasthepreview,Isplitthedefaultlayoutoncebyright-clickingonthebottomedgeofthe3DViewportandchoosingSplitArea.Then,Isplittheleft-handareaintwo,horizontally.
OnceIsplituptheworkarea,ImadeoneofthenewareasintoaNodeeditorandtheotherintoa3DViewport,withitsDisplayMethodsettoRendered.IntheNodeeditorheader,Iselectedthematerialsiconintheleft-handgroupoficonsandthecubeiconintheright-handgroup(seeFigure12-27)sothattheNodeeditorwoulddisplaythenodetreeforthecurrentmaterial.ThisgavemeaworkablelayoutforeditingCyclesmaterials.
TheCyclesRenderPreviewWhentheDisplaymethodfora3DViewportissettoRendered,BlenderwillcontinuouslyrenderandupdateaCyclesrenderofthecurrentviewinthatviewport(asinFigure12-26).Thistechniqueisagreatwaytogetinstantfeedbackonhowthematerialsandlightinginyourscenewilllook.
NOTEWhilewehaven’tcoveredlightingyet,it’shelpfulatthisstagetoaddsomebasiclightstothescenesothattherenderedpreviewwillreflectthefinallook.JumptoChapter13formoreonlighting,orsimplyaddacoupleoflightstothescenebypressingSHIFT-Ainthe3DViewport,choosingLamps▸Point,andaddingapointlight.AdjustthebrightnessofthelightusingtheStrengthsettingintheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor.Addacoupleofbasiclightstothescenejusttohelpworkonmaterials,orcreateamorefinishedlightingsetup.
AddingTexturesNext,Istartedcombiningfurthershadersintomymaterial.IbeganbyaddingaGlossyBSDFshader(SHIFT-A▸Shaders▸GlossyBSDF)andusinganAddShaderNodetoblendtheglossyanddiffuseshadersbyconnectingbothoftheshaderoutputsocketsfromtheShadernodestotheAddnodeandbyconnectingtheAddnodeoutputsockettotheMaterialOutputnode(seeFigure12-27).
Next,Istartedincorporatingmytextures,beginningwithmydiffusemap.IaddedanImageTexturenode(SHIFT-A▸Textures▸ImageTexture)andopenedmydiffusemapbyclickingthefoldericoninthenode.Iconnectedthecoloroutput
ofthisnodetothecolorinputofmyDiffuseShadernode.
Figure12-26.MyscreenlayoutforeditingCyclesmaterials
Ididthesameformyspecularcolormap,connectingittothecolorinputoftheSpecularColornode.Bydefault,themappingforthesetexturesistheactiveUVcoordinateset,soyoudon’tstrictlyneedtodefinethismanually.Butbecauseitcanhelptoknowwhatcoordinatesatextureuses,IaddedaTextureCoordinatesnodetothesceneandconnecteditsUVoutputtothevector(blue)inputofmyImageTexturenodes.DoingsotellsthesenodestousetheactiveUVmapasthesourceoftheirtexturecoordinates.ThenodesetupsofarisshowninFigure12-27.
Figure12-27.TheevolvingnodesetupfortheSpiderBotmaterial
SocketTypesNowthatIhaveareasonablycomplexnodesetupforthematerial,let’stalkaboutnodesockets.Nodesocketsarethelittlecoloredcirclesthatdenotetheinputsandoutputsofanodeandthatallownodestobeconnectedbyclickinganddraggingaconnectionfromtheoutputsocketofonenodetotheinputsocketofanother.NoticeinFigure12-27thatthesocketsweusedtoconnectnodesallhavematchingcolors—greenwithgreen,yellowwithyellow.Thecolorsneedtomatchbecausedifferentoutputsocketspassdifferenttypesofdataanddifferentinputsocketsexpectdifferentkindsofdata.Somemayrequirecolorinformation,someonlyasinglevalue.Othersmayrequirevectorinformation,liketexturecoordinatesornormals.
Nodesocketsarecolorcodedtoclarifywhatanodeexpectsasinputandwhatitcreatesasoutput:
Bluesocketsareforvectordata.Theycancarrymultiplevalues,suchasUVcoordinates(twodimensional)orpositiondata(threedimensional).
Greensocketsareforshaders.Theycarryalltheinformationthatdetermineshowamaterialinteractswithlight.
Graysocketsareforvaluedata.Theycarryasinglenumericalvalue.
Yellowsocketsareforcolordata.TheycarryRGBAvalues(red,green,blue,andalpha).
Certaintypesofsocketscanbemixedandmatched.Forexample,valuesocketscanbeusedastheinputforcolorsockets,andBlenderwillsimplytreatthevaluedataasablack-and-whiteimage.Colorsocketscanalsobeattachedtovalueinputs,andBlenderwillusetheoverallbrightnessofthecolorasavalueinput.However,shadersocketsaremorecomplexandcanonlybeconnectedtoothershadersockets.
RoughnessMapInChapter11,IcreatedaroughnessmapfortheSpiderBot.InCycles,IcanconnectthismaptotheroughnessinputfortheGlossyBSDFnodetocontrolhowblurryorsharpthereflectionsfromthematerialshouldbe.Darkareaswillhavesharpreflections,whilelightareaswillhaveblurryones(remember,thisistheoppositeofahardnessmap).
Toaccomplishthis,IaddedanewImageTexturenode,loadedintheroughnessmap,andconnecteditsoutputtotheGlossynodesroughnessinput.Asaresult,brightareasofthetexturehadblurrierhighlights,anddarkareashadsharp,glossyhighlights.
IalsosetthecolorspaceoftheImageTexturetoNon-ColorDatafromthedropdownmenuintheImagenodetoindicatethatthisnodewasnotbeingusedasacolorimage,ensuringthatBlenderwouldn’tperformanygammacorrectiononthisnode.
AdjustingInputsTogetthemostoutofmytextureswithouthavingtoedittheminGIMP,ItweakedthemusingBlender’snodes.Forinstance,todarkenthediffusecolorsalittleandmakethereflectionsfromtheglossyshaderalittlesharper,IaddedaColorMixnode,settingitstypetoMultiply,itsfactorto0.5,anditssecondcolorinputtoblack.
WhenthisColorMixnodeisdraggedovertheconnectionbetweenanImageTexturenodeandaShadernode,Blenderaddsittothechainautomatically.(Theconnectionwillbehighlighted,andthenewnodewillbeinsertedwhenyoudropit.)IdidthisfortheconnectionbetweenthediffusemapandtheDiffuseBSDFshadertodarkenthetextureslightly.
FortheGlossyBSDFshader,inordertosharpenupthereflections,Ineededto
reducethevaluesoftheinputtotheroughnessshader.IaccomplishedthisbyaddingaMathnodebetweenmyroughnessimageTexturenodeandtheroughnessinputoftheglossyshader.IsettheoperationofthenodetoMultiplyandsetthesecondvalueofthenodeto0.5.ThishalvedthevaluesfromtheroughnessimagebeforepassingthemtotheGlossyShadernodesothattheoverallroughnessoftheinputtotheshaderwashalved,givingsharper,moreglossyreflections.
Fortheshinygreenareasofthemesh,Iaddedsomevarianceincolorbasedontheangleofthesurfacetothecamera.Thisgavethematerialaniceiridescentlook.IaccomplishedthisbyaddingaGeometryInputnode(SHIFT-A▸Input▸Geometry)toprovidethesurfacenormalasaninputandaNormalnodetotakethedotproductofthisinputwiththeviewdirection.IthenusedthisdotproductoutputtomodifythehueofmyspecularcolormapwithaHueSaturationValuenode.ByusingthedotproductoutputoftheNormalnode,Igotavalue(ratherthanavector)thatvariedwiththesurfacenormalofthematerial.WhenthisvaluewasusedtoaffectthehueinputoftheHueSaturationValuenode,thecolorofthematerialwassubtlyshiftedasthesurfaceofthematerialtiltedawayfromthecamera.YoucanseethenodechainIusedinFigure12-28.It’sasomewhatcomplexsetup,butseeingitlaidoutandtestingitforyourselfshouldhelpyoumakesenseofit.
Figure12-28.ThematerialfortheSpiderBot,withsomenodesaddedtoadjusttheeffectsofthetextures
OtherMaterialsIstillneededtomakeacoupleofmaterialsfortheSpiderBot:ashinymaterialfortheeyes(Iusedasimpleglossyshadersettodarkgray,withaslightroughnessof0.05)andamaterialforthewires(IcombinedaglossyshaderandadiffuseshaderwithaShaderMixnode).YoucanseethesematerialsinFigure12-29andthefinishedSpiderBotmaterialinFigure12-30.
MaterialsfortheJungleTempleIusedtheCyclesrendererfortheJungleTemplesceneaswell.Thissceneneededavarietyofmaterials:leafmaterialsforthefoliage,genericmaterialsfortherocksandsoil,andacoupleofuniquematerialsfortheobjectsItexturedindividually,suchastheforegroundstonesandthestatues.
Figure12-29.TheextraSpiderBotmaterials.Top:Theeyes,asimpleglossymaterial.Bottom:Thewires,aDiffuseBSDFshaderwitharoughGlossyBSDFshadermixedin.
Figure12-30.ThelookofthefinishedSpiderBotmaterial.SeeChapter13andChapter14forinformationonlightingandrendering.
GroundThegroundmaterialwasprobablythesimplesttocreate.It’ssimplyamixofaDiffuseandaGlossyBSDFshader,usingmypaintedtexturesasinputsforthecolors.BecauseIfeltmyoriginaltexturesmadethemateriallookalittlelight,IusedaGammanodetodarkenthemslightlywithoutlosingtoomuchcontrast(seeFigure12-31).
StoneMaterialFormystonematerial,IwantedtocombinethetwodifferentstonetexturesImadeinChapter11,allowingeachtoshowthroughindifferentareas,togiveabitofvariationinthelookofthematerial.Todoso,IstartedbycreatingabasicshaderthatmixedadiffuseandglossyshadertogetherusingaShaderMixnode.
IcontrolledtheamountofmixingwithaLayerWeightnode,usingitsblendoutput.TheLayerWeightnodeblendsfrom0to1dependingonthenormalsofamesh:Surfacesfacingthecameragetlowvalues,andonesfacingawaygethighvalues(theexactvaluesdependontheoutputused—facingorfresnel).UsingtheFacingoutputofthisnodetocontroltheblendingbetweentheglossyanddiffuseshadersproducedsomeshinyhighlightsaroundtheedgesofobjectswithamorediffuselookwhenviewedstraighton,asshowninsection1ofFigure12-32.
Tocreateapatchydistributionforthedifferentstonetextures,IcombinedacoupleofVoronoiTexturenodeswithdifferentscalesandthenusedthesetocontrolthemixingbetweenthedifferenttexturesfortherocksforboththespecularanddiffusemaps,asshowninFigure12-322.IalsousedsomeMapnodestoscaleupthetexturemappingsformyrocktexturestomakethemmatchoneanotherandfitthescaleofthescene,whichyoucanseeinFigure12-323.
Figure12-31.ThesoilfortheJungleTemplescene
Figure12-32.Myrockmaterialsetupissomewhatcomplex.ALayerWeightnode1isusedtoblendbetweenthespecularanddiffuseshaders.TwoVoronoitexturesaddedtogether2controlthemixingofmyrocktextures(twofordiffusecolors,twoforspecular).Thetexturesthemselvesarescaledusing
someMapnodes3,andthespecularcolorsarealsousedfordisplacement4.
DisplacementCyclescurrentlysupportstheuseofablack-and-whiteinput(orconvertinganRGBinputtojustasinglevalue)tomimictheeffectofsmallbumpsinthesurfaceofamaterial.Thisisoftenreferredtoasbumpmappinginotherrenderengines.Cyclesdoesnotyetsupportnormalmaps.
Toaddabitmoreofatexturedlooktothesurfaceofmyrocks,Iusedthespecularcolors(thetwomixedtogether)asthedisplacementinputfortheMaterialOutputnode,thoughIusedaMultiplynodetoscaledowntheirvaluestoreducetheeffect,asshowninFigure12-324.ThefinishedrockmaterialisshowninFigure12-33.
StatueThestatuematerialisbasicallyjustacopyofthegenericstonematerial,exceptthatitusesthetexturesIpaintedforthestatue.Tocreateit,Iappliedthestonematerialtothestatueandthenclickedthe+iconinthematerialselectordropdownmenutomakeanewmaterialusingthecurrentone.Next,Ideleted
(X)theextraneousnodesfromthematerialintheNodeeditorandreplacedthemwithmytexturesforthestatue(seeFigure12-34).
Figure12-33.Therockmaterial
Figure12-34.Thestatuematerialisverysimilartotherockmaterial,exceptthatitusesitsowntextures.
LeavesFortheleaves,Iwantedatranslucentmaterialsothatleavesilluminatedononesidewouldappearbrightwhenviewedfromtheunlitsideaswell.Toachievethis,ImixedaTranslucentBSDFshaderwithaDiffuseBSDFshaderandmixedinspecularhighlightsontoptomaketheleavesshiny.Theleafmesheshadtobetransparentinordertomaketheareasofthemeshthatweren’tpartoftheleavesinvisible.IaccomplishedthisbymixingtheresultofallthenodessofarwithaTransparentBSDFshader,usingthealphamapfromChapter11tocontrolthemixing(seeFigure12-35).
ForegroundRocksandSoilInChapter11,Icreatedahand-paintedtexturefortheforegroundobjectsfromthecamera’sperspective.Tousethis,Ineededtocreateauniquematerialfortheseobjects.IbeganbyduplicatingthematerialIcreatedforthestatueandthenreplacingitstextureinputswiththeonesIcreatedfortheforegroundobjects.
Figure12-35.ThematerialfortheIvyGenleaves.Theotherleaves,whichsharetexturesandthesamematerial,werecreatedinthesameway.
Tomapthetexturestothemodelscorrectly,Isnappedthe3DViewporttothecameraview(NUMPAD0)andUVunwrappedtheforegroundobjectsusingtheUnwrap▸ProjectfromViewoperatorforeachobjecttowhichthematerialwasapplied.Thisprojectedtheobjects’UVcoordinatestomatchthecamera’sperspectiveandsoallowedmetousetheUVcoordinatesasthetexturecoordinates.ThematerialnodesforthismaterialcanbeseeninFigure12-36.
PuddlesForthepuddles,Ineededawatermaterialthatwouldletsomelightpenetratethesurfaceandshowsomereflections.Theglassmaterialalonewoulddothejob(usinganIORvalueof1.33,equaltothatofwater),buttogetabitmorecontroloverhowmuchlightwouldpenetratethesurfaceandthestrengthofthereflections,IblendedTransparent,Glass,andGlossyBSDFshaders.ImixedintheglossyshaderusingaLayerWeightnodeconnectedtotheMixnodetogetabitofextrareflectionatlowviewingangles.
Figure12-36.Thematerialfortheforegroundrocksandsoil
Toproduceripplesinthesurfaceofthewater,IcreatedaWavesTexturenode(SHIFT-A▸Texture▸WaveTexture)andconnectedittothedisplacementsocketontheMaterialOutputnodetocreatesomedistortioninthewater’ssurface.Bydefault,theWavesnodegivesstraight,repeatingwaves,butbysettingthewavetypetoRingsandincreasingthedistortionvalue,youcangetsomeniceripples(seeFigure12-37).
Figure12-37.Thewatermaterial,createdbymixingTransparent,Glass,andGlossyBSDFshadersandusingawavetexturetoprovidesomedisplacement
GeneralTipsforCreatingMaterialsHerearesomegeneralprinciplestokeepinmindwhencreatingmaterialsinyourprojects.Chiefly,theyinvolvepayingattentiontothereal-worldequivalentsofthematerialsyouaretryingtoreplicateandconstructingyourmaterialaccordingly:
Keepreflectionamountssane.Makesurethatthetotalamountoflightyourobjectisreflectingissensible.WhenusingtheAddnodetocombineshadersinCycles,it’spossibletocreateamaterialthatreflectsmorelightthanitwouldrealisticallyreceiveinthefirstplacebyaddingtoomanyshaderstogether.Similarly,inBlenderInternal,keepinmindthatthediffuseandspecularreflectionamounts(plusthelightabsorbedbytheobject)shouldroughlyaddupto1—forexample,adiffuseintensityof0.6andaspecularintensityof0.3,leavingsomeabsorbedlighttospare.Otherwise,yourmaterialwilllookunrealisticallybrightnexttoothermaterials.
Therearenoperfectmaterials.Nomaterialreflects100percentofalllight,andnomaterialabsorbs100percenteither.Trynottomakeanymaterialsthatarecompletelydarkorcompletelywhite(unlessyouaredoingsoforagoodreason).
Usesaturationinmoderation.Thecolorofamaterialisrarely100percentsaturated,evenforbrightlycoloredmaterialslikeplastics.Mosteverydaycolorsarelessthan85percentsaturated,sokeepthecolorsofyourmaterialsinasensiblerangetomakethembelievable.
Keepitsimple.Trytoavoidmakingcomplexmaterialstoensureshorterrendertimes.Forexample,inBlenderInternal,trytouseray-tracedreflectionsonlywhenreallyneeded.
Supplementmaterialswithproceduraltextures.Blender’sbuilt-inproceduraltexturesareagreatwaytosupplementmaterialsbyusingthemasbumpmapsortoblendothertextures.Doingsocanaddalotofvariationtoyourmaterialswhilepreventingyoufromhavingtolaboriouslyhand-painttextures.
InReviewInthischapter,westartedwithalookatBlender’soptionsforcreatingmaterials,bothfortheBlenderInternalrendererandCycles.Becausethesetworenderenginesrequiredifferentapproacheswhencreatingmaterials,weexploredtheirdifferentoptionsandrequirements.Thenwemovedontocreatingmaterialsforthethreeprojects.FortheBatCreature,IcreatedBlenderInternal–compatiblematerialsforthebody,fur,eyes,nails,andteeth.Forthebody,Icreatedamaterialwithsubsurfacescatteringtomimicrealisticskin,andforthefur,Icoveredthedifferentoptionsforfurmaterialsandrendering.IusedBlender’sstrandshadertorenderthefurandexaminedwaystoapplytexturestofur.
FortheSpiderBotandtheJungleTemplescene,IcreatedmaterialsforrenderingwithCycles,usingBlender’sNodeeditortocreatearangeofdifferentmaterialsbycombiningShadernodesandusingtexturestosupplytheirinputs.
Theprojectsarenowreadytobelitandrendered.InChapter13,you’lllearnaboutdifferentlightingsetupsandhowtouselightinginbothBlenderInternalandCycles.
Chapter13.Lighting
Lightingisperhapstheaspectofanimagethatmostimpactshowweperceiveit.Lightingcanchangethetoneofanimageandmakecharactersandscenerylookeitherdarkandsinisterorwarmandinviting.Inthischapter,I’llworkonlightingtheprojectsI’vebuiltsofarusingavarietyoftechniques,includingbothBlenderInternal’sarrayoflightingoptionsandCycles’morephysicallyaccuratemethodsforcreatingdifferentkindsoflights.
BlenderInternalvs.CyclesLightingBothBlenderInternalandCycleshaveawidevarietyofpowerfultoolsforlighting.BlenderInternalsupportsarangeoflightsthatbehaveindifferentways,aswellastwomethodsforrenderingshadows—usingeithershadowbuffersorraytracing—bothofwhichwillbediscussedshortly.
Cyclesusesonlyraytracingforlighting,anditsresultsaremorerealisticthanthoseofBlenderInternal.Italsosupportstheemissionoflightfrommeshes,allowingyoutocreatelightsofanyshape.ButwhileCyclesisthemorerealisticlightingrenderer,neitherCyclesnorBlenderInternalistherightchoiceforeverything,andbothhaveadvantages.Forexample,BlenderInternal’slightsarequicktorenderandofferawidevarietyofusesandstyles,whileCyclesoffersareliableandrealisticwayofworkingwithlightsthatdoesn’trequiremuchtweakingtoproducegoodresults.We’llusebothrenderersinthischapteraswelighttheBatCreatureforrenderinginBlenderInternalandtheSpiderBotandJungleTempleforrenderinginCycles.
LightinginBlenderInternalBlenderInternalusesBlender’slampobjectstolightascene.Tocreatealamp,pressSHIFT-AinObjectmodeandchooseoneofthefollowingunderLamp:
Area.Thiscreatesasquare-orrectangular-shapedlampthatemitslightfromalloveritsarea.Arealampssupportray-tracedshadowsandarewellsuitedforcreatingsoftshadowsandstudiostylelighting,buttheycanslowrendertimesignificantlybecausetheyrequiremoresamplesthanotherlamptypestoproducenoise-freeresults.
Hemi.Thislamplightstheentiresceneinadiffuseway,similartooutdoorlightfromthesky.Becauseitdoesn’tsupportshadows,it’sveryquicktorenderbutoflimiteduse.
Point.Thiscreatesapointlight,whichemitslightinalldirectionsfromthelamp’scenter.Itsupportsray-tracedshadowsandisagoodgeneralpurposelamp.
Spot.Spotlampsarelikeaspotlightatatheateroraflashlight.Theyemitlightinaconefromtheirorigin,makingthemagoodtoolforlightingspecificareas.Theysupportbothray-tracedshadowsandshadowbuffers.Shadowbuffersproduceshadowswithoutraytracingandaregenerallysignificantlyfastertorender.Thismakesthemveryversatileandusefulforscenesthatneedahighdegreeofcontroloverlighting.
Sun.Thislamplightsanentirescenefromonedirection,justasthesunmight.Itsupportsray-tracedshadows.
ThesettingsforeachlampcanbealteredfromtheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor,whichhasalampiconwhenalampisselectedastheactiveobject.Youcanadjustalamp’sbrightnessandfalloff—thedistanceoverwhichthestrengthofitslightfades—aswellasthesettingsforshadows,colors,andsoforth.Whiledifferentlamps—particularlyspotlamps—havecertainuniquefeatures,theygenerallysharethesamesettings.ThesettingsforapointlampareshowninFigure13-1anddiscussedbelow.
LightColor.Thiscolorpickerletsyouchoosethecolorofyourlight.
Energy.Thisdeterminestheoverallintensityofyourlight.
Falloff.Availableonlyforpointandspotlamps,thiscontrolsthedistanceandcurveoverwhichthestrengthofthelightfades.Thedrop-downmenuletsyouspecifythefalloffcurveforthefade(chooseInverseSquareforrealisticfalloffandexperimentwiththeothers).Distanceletsyouspecifytheoveralldistanceforthefade—thehigherthesetting,thefartherthelightwillspread.TheSphere
settingcausestheintensityofthelighttofadetozerooverthedetermineddistanceratherthantaperingoffindefinitely.
Figure13-1.Thesettingsforapointlamp
Negative.Thisturnsthelightintoan“anti”lampthatremoveslightfromthesceneinsteadofaddingit.Thissettingcanbeusefulforcreatingdarkcornersorhidingareasofasceneinshadow.
ThisLayerOnly.Thiscauseslightstoilluminateonlyobjectsontheirsame
layer.Thissettingcanbeusefulforlightingindividualobjects.
Specular/Diffuse.Thesesettingsletyoucontrolwhetheralightwillcontributetospecularanddiffusereflections.Itcanbehandytoturnoffalamp’sspecularreflectionsinordertoaddsoftilluminationtoanareawithoutcreatinghighlights.Byturningoffdiffusereflections,youcanpositionalighttoplacehighlightspreciselywithoutchangingtheoveralldiffuselighting.
ShadowsinBlenderInternalBlenderofferstwowaystorendershadows:raytracingandshadowbuffers.
RayTracingThefirstmethodusesraytracingtodeterminethepartsofameshinshadow.Raytracing“fires”raysoutfromthecameraforeachpixelinanimageanddrawsthemtothesurfacethepixelisfacing.Furtherraysaredrawntothelightsinthescenetodeterminewhetherthatpointisinlightorshadow:Ifaraycanbedrawntothelightwithoutintersectinganotherobject,thepointislit;otherwise,itisinshadow.
Whentherearemultiplelightsorsoftshadows,multipleraysmustbecastperpixel,increasingrendertimes.Thesamegoesforray-tracedreflectionsandtransparency,whereraysmaybereflectedorrefractedmultipletimes.Raytracingcanproducecrisp,pixel-perfectshadowsaswellassoftshadows,andit’smoreaccuratebutgenerallyslowerthanshadowbuffers.
ShadowBuffersTheothermethodusesshadowbuffersandisonlyavailableforspotlamps.Shadowbufferstakeadvantageofthespotlamp’srestrictedconeofilluminationtocreateamapofwhichareasareinshadowovertherangeofanglesthatthelampcovers.Essentially,Blendercreatesabasicrenderofthescenefromthelamp’spointofview:Areasthatcanbeseenfromthelamp’sviewpointarelit,whileareasthatcannotareinshadow.
Shadow-buffershadowsaregenerallyfastertorenderthanray-tracedonesandarealsocompatiblewiththestrandrendererforhair.Infact,thedeepshadow-
bufferoptionforspotlampsisideallysuitedtorenderingshadowscastbyhair.Butgettingaccuratebufferedshadows,whichyoudobyincreasingtheresolutionoftheshadow-buffermap,canusealotofmemory,andthebordersoflow-resolutionbufferedshadowscanlookjagged(seeFigure13-2),sobesuretosetthemupcorrectly.
CommonShadowOptionsIntheShadowpanelofthelampsettings,thefollowingoptionsarecommontobothray-tracedandbuffershadows.
ShadowColor.Thisoptionletsyousetacolorfortheshadow.Ofcourse,inreality,shadowshavenocolor,sothisisactuallyatrickdesignedtohelpchangetheaestheticofyourlighting.LeaveitsettoBlackfornormal(uncolored)shadows.
ThisLayerOnly.Thiscausesonlyobjectsonthesamelayerasthelamptocastshadows,thoughobjectsonanylayermaybelitbythelampaslongasthecorrespondingoptionisn’tturnedonintheLamppanel.
OnlyShadow.Thiscausesthelamptocastonlyshadows,meaningthatyouwillneedotherlightsinyourscenetolightyourobjects.Thisoptioncanbeusedtocreateashadowinaspecificplacewithoutaffectingtheoveralllookofyourlighting.
Ray-TracedShadowOptionsEnablingRayShadowforalampgivesthefollowingoptions:
Samples.Thisdeterminesthenumberofsamplestakenperpixelforsoftshadowsinordertodeterminetheamountofshadowing.Highersamplenumbersgivelessnoisyresults.SettingSamplesto1giveshard-edgedshadowsregardlessoftheSoftSizesetting.
SoftSize.Thissettingisdesignedtoproducesoftshadowsbyspreadingouttheareathelightcomesfrom.Thelargerthesoftsize,thesofterandlessdefinedshadowsbecome.Largersizesrequirehighernumbersofsamplestoproducenoise-freeresults.
Adaptive/ConstantQMC.Thissetsthesamplingmethodusedtodeterminewhetherapointonasurfaceisinshadow.ForConstantQMC,thenumberofsamplestakenisalwaysthatspecifiedbytheSamplessetting.ForAdaptive
QMC,fewersamplesmaybetakenforareasthatareobviouslyeitherinoroutofshadow.Thethresholdvaluedictatesthelevelofcertaintyrequiredtodeterminehowmanysamplesareneeded:Higherthresholdvaluesaremoretolerantandfaster,buttheycanproducenoisierresults.
Shadow-BufferOptionsOptingforshadow-buffershadowsforspotlampsgivesthefollowingoptions:
BufferType(Classical/Classic-Halfway/Irregular/Deep).Thespecificsofthesetypesarequitetechnical(youcanfindthedetailswithabitofgoogling),butthedifferencesarereallyprettystraightforward.
Classical.Thesebuffersarethesimplestandcansufferfrombiasingartifacts(seeFigure13-2).
Classical-Halfway.ThesebuffersimproveonClassicalandsufferlessfrombiasingartifacts.
Irregular.Theseshadowbuffersalwaysproducecrisp,cleanshadowswithnoaliasing,buttheycan’tbeusedtoproducesoftshadows,andtheshadowstheycreatedon’tshowupinray-tracedreflections.
Deep.Theseshadowbuffersarethemostadvancedandcanstoretransparencyinformation,allowingforpartialshadowingfromtransparentobjects.Theyareidealforrenderingshadowsfrommaterialslikehairandfur,aswellasvolumetricmaterials.
FilterType.Thefiltertypeusedtoblendshadowborders.Gaussgivesthesmoothestresults.
Soft.Thissetsthesoftnessofyourshadowsintermsofthesizeofthelampusedtocastshadows.Largervaluesgivesoftershadowsbutrequiremoresamples.
Bias.Thisadjustshowtheshadowbufferiscalculated.It’susedtopreventartifactsthatarecausedbyfacesatalowangletothelampcastingshadowsonthemselves(seeFigure13-2).Highervaluesreducebiasartifactsbutcancausesomepartsofameshnottocastshadowswheretheyshould,sosetthisaslowasyoucanwithoutintroducingartifacts.
SampleBuffers.Thisdeterminesthenumberofshadowbuffersthatare
rendered.Highervaluesgivebetteranti-aliasingofhard-edgedshadows,butmorebuffersusemorememory,sotreadcarefully.
Size.Thissetstheresolutionoftheshadow-buffermap(seeFigure13-3).Thehigherthevalue,thegreaterthedetailthatcanbecapturedinthemapandthemorememoryrequiredforrendering.Ifyouwantsoftshadows,youwon’tbeabletoseethatmuchdetailinthemanyway,sousehighresolutionsonlyforhardershadows.
ClipStart/End.Thesesettingsdefinetherangeofdistancesoverwhichobjectswillcastshadowsintheshadowbuffer.Objectsoutsidethisrangewillstillbelitbythespotlampbutwillnotcastshadows.Theextentofthisrangeisdisplayedinthe3DViewportasasolidlineextendingoutwardfromthelamp’scenterbetweentheclip-startandclip-enddistances(seeFigure13-4).
Figure13-2.Shadow-bufferbiasingartifactsareshownherewithalowshadow-buffersizetoexaggeratetheeffect.IncreasingtheBiasvalueavoidstheseartifacts,buthighsettingscancauseyouto
loseshadowsthatshouldbethere.
AutoclipStart/End.TurningontheseoptionsleavesittoBlendertosettheclip-startandclip-enddistancesautomaticallybasedontheverticesvisiblefromthepointofviewofthelamp.
LightinginCycles
InCycles,lightingisbroadlysimilartothatofBlenderInternalbutwithfeweroptions.SettinguplightinginCyclesiseasierbecauseyougetinstantfeedbackfromtherenderpreview.LightsinCyclesarenodebasedandconsistofshaders,justaswithmaterials.Infact,Cyclesallowsyoutoincorporatetheemissionoflightintomaterialsandlampobjects.We’lldiscussbothhere.
Figure13-3.Theshadow-bufferSizesettingaffectsthedefinitionofshadowsandreducesaliasingofshadowborders.Here,someveryoverstretchedshadowbuffersareshowninincreasingresolutions.
Figure13-4.Aspotlampinthe3DViewportshowingtheclippingrange
LampObjectsinCyclesCyclessupportsmostofthesamelamptypesasBlenderInternal,exceptforHemilamps.AddinganewlampobjectinCyclesaddsastandardemissionshaderconnectedtothelamp’soutputnode,asshowninFigure13-5.Thisshadercanbeusedtoadjusttheintensityandcolorofthelight.Toadjustthesoftnessoftheshadowsthelampgenerates,usethelamp’sSizesettingintheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor.
NOTE
Avoidsettingthesizeofalampto0,asthiscancause“fireflies”—akindofnoiseconsistingofsinglebrightpixels.Ifyouwantsharpshadows,justsetthesizetosomethingverysmallbutnot0.
Figure13-5.Theemissionshaderisusedforbothlampobjectsandmesh-emitterobjectsinCycles.
Mesh-EmitterObjectsinCyclesCyclessupportstheemissionoflightfrommaterials,meaningthatyoucanturnanymeshintoalightbyapplyingamaterialthatcontainsanemissionshader.Thisfeatureisgreatforcreatinguniquelightingsetupsandforlightsthatappearinglossyreflections.(We’lllookdeeperintothiswhenlightingtheSpiderBot.)Inthecaseofmeshemitters,youcancombineemissionshaderswithothershadersusingtheAddandMixnodes(asdiscussedinChapter12).
WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusionInChapter10,webakedambientocclusionmapsforourprojects.Ambientocclusionmapsaretexturesthatmimictheeffectoflightcomingfromallaroundanobjectthatisoccluded,orblocked,bypartsoftheobjectitself.Thiseffectissimilartowhatweseeintheskyonasunnyday.Themainsourceoflightisthesun,butlightalsoscattersthroughouttheatmospheresothatitcomesfromalldirectionsandevenilluminatestheshadows.(Thiseffectisevenmoreapparent
onanovercastdaywhenthelackofdirectsunlightmeansthingsarelitmoreevenlyfromalldirections.)
Toachievetheeffectoflightcomingfromascene’ssurroundings,wecanuseBlender’sWorldsettings,accessiblefromtheWorldtabofthePropertieseditor.Thesesettingsdeterminethelookofyourscene’sbackgroundandhowthebackgroundcontributestothescene’slighting.BothBlenderInternalandCyclessupportworldlighting,thoughinslightlydifferentways.
WorldSettingsinBlenderInternalBlenderInternal’sWorldsettingsareshowninFigure13-6.Themostimportantonesareasfollows:
HorizonColor/ZenithColor/AmbientColor.Bydefault,theskyinascenewillsimplybetheHorizonColor.TheZenithColorisusedwhenBlendSkyisturnedon,renderingthebackgroundasagradientfromthehorizoncolortothezenithcolor.TheAmbientColorisafixedcolorthatisaddedtothelightingofeverysurfaceinthescene,brighteningtheshadows,buttheeffectisveryunrealistic,soit’sbesttoleavethissettoblack.
PaperSky/RealSky.PaperSkyappliesanytextureorblendappliedtothebackgroundtothecameracoordinates.Thiscanbeusefulwhenyouhaveabackgroundphotoorimagethatyouwanttouseasis,withoutdistortion.RealSkycreatesabackgroundwitharealhorizonintheplaneofthescene’sglobalcoordinatessothatanytexturesremainstaticasthecameraisrotatedandanyblendintheskyoccursfromthe“real”horizonupward(anddownward).RealSkyisusefulwhenpanoramicormirror-balltexturesareusedasbackgrounds.
AmbientOcclusion.WeencounteredambientocclusioninChapter10.Ambientocclusionlightsoraddsshadowstoasurfacebasedonthesurroundinggeometry.Areaswithgeometryaroundthemthatblockslightwillbedarkened,whiletheexposedpartsofameshwillremainwelllit.TheAmbientOcclusionoptioncanbesettoAddorMultiplywiththeotherlightinginthescene.Additiveambientocclusionbrightenstheexistinglighting,whileMultiplyaddsshadows.
Figure13-6.BlenderInternal’sWorldsettingsMultiplyisthemore“realistic”optionandismoresuitabletomostscenes.(Theenvironmentlightingsettingsofferbettertoolsforaddingfurtherlighttothesceneanyway.)
EnvironmentLighting.Thisaddslighttoascene,comingfromalldirections(thoughblockedbynearbygeometry,aswithambientocclusion).TheEnvironmentLightingsettingcanbeusedtomimicscatteredlightfromtheskyinanoutdoorsceneortoapproximatetheeffectoflightbouncingaroundandilluminatingascene.Thecoloroftheenvironmentlightingcanbesettowhite,totheskycolor(whereitwillusethehorizoncolororboththehorizonandzenithcolorsifyouhaveablendsky),ortheskytextureifyouareusingabackgroundtexture.
IndirectLighting.ThissettingallowsBlenderInternaltosimulatetheeffectoflightbouncingrepeatedly,andthusilluminatingmoreofascene,beforeenteringthecameraoreye.Theresultcanbecolorbleeding,wherethecolorofabrightlycoloreddiffusematerialisreflectedontonearbyobjects(asshowninFigure13-7).ThemethodisonlycompatiblewiththeApproximateGathermethod(discussedbelow).TheFactorsettingaffectsthestrengthofthiseffect,andtheBouncessettingdetermineshowmanytimeslightmaybounceoffasurfaceandstillberendered.
Gather(RayTraceandApproximate).ThesesettingsletyouchoosebetweenBlenderInternal’stwooptionsforrenderingworldlighting.Aswithlamps,RayTracetakesmultipleray-tracedsamplesperpixeltodeterminetheamountofworldlighting.Thisprocessgivesmoreaccurateresults,typicallyatthecostofextrarendertimeandnoise(ifthenumberofsamplesissettoolow).TheApproximatesettingdoesnotrequireraytracingandisnoisefree,butitcanproduceotherartifacts,suchasoverocclusioninsomeareas.Turningupthenumberofpassesandsettingtheerrorvaluelowergivesbetterresultsbuttakesmoretimetopreprocesswhenrendering.Alternatively,usingtheCorrectionparameterreducesthestrengthoftheocclusiontocompensatefortheartifacts.WhenusingtheApproximateGathermethod,turningonPixelCachegenerallygivesmuchfasterresults.
Attenuation.TheFalloffsettingunderAttenuationcausesambientocclusion,environmentlighting,andindirectlightingtofadeoutoveracertaindistance,reducingtheeffectoffarawaygeometryonasurfaceandlighteningthesurface.
Falloffalsospeedsuprenderingbecausecalculatingthelightingforasurfacepointonlyrequirestakingnearbygeometryintoaccount.TheStrengthsettingdetermineshowstrongtheattenuationis,whiletheDistancesetting(onlywiththeRay-TraceGathermethod)determinestherangeofthefalloff.
Figure13-7.Colorbleedingfromindirectlighting.Here,theredspherereflectsredlightontoitssurroundings.Thisismostvisibleonthegrayinnersphere.Thisisasubtleeffect,soindirectlightaloneisshownontheright.Thesurroundingsalsocontributeindirectlight,shownasgrayishcolorsinthe
imageontheright.
WorldSettingsinCyclesInCycles,Worldsettingsarenodebasedandusethesameshadersystemasdomaterialsandlights.TheWorldsettingsusetheBackgroundShadernodeexclusively,whichlightsthesceneandsetsthebackgroundcolorortexture(dependingontheinputsyousupplyitwith)andthestrengthofthelightingthatthebackgroundcontributes.ThestandardbackgroundnodetreeisshowninFigure13-8.
Youcaninfluencethecolorofthebackgroundaswithothermaterialsbyusingtextures,images,andcolors.ParticularlyusefulforthisaretheSkyTextureandEnvironmentTexturenodes.TheSkyTexturenodecreatesaproceduralsky,usingthedirectionyousetbydraggingthesphereinputofthenode,withthelevelofatmosphericscatteringdeterminedbytheTurbiditysetting.Thiseffect
worksparticularlywellwhencombinedwithasunlampwithayellow-orange(sunlight)colortogetsomebasicoutdoorlighting(seeFigure13-9).
Figure13-8.ThestandardnodetreeforWorldsettingsinCycles
Figure13-9.Combiningtheskyshaderforthebackgroundwithasunlampgivesadecentapproximationofoutdoorlighting.Left:Theskyshader.Right:Illuminationfromtheskycombinedwith
asunlamp.
Cyclesalsosupportsambientocclusion,whichcanbeusedtoaddwhiteambientlighttoascene,withocclusionbasedonthedistancebetweenfaces.YoucanturnthiseffectonintheWorldtabofthePropertieseditorbyusingtheAmbientOcclusiontab.
AlsointheWorldtabunderSettingsistheoptiontosamplethebackgroundasalamp.Enablethiswhenusingatexturedbackground,particularlywhenusingHDRI(high-dynamic-rangeimage)mapsforbackgroundlightingto
dramaticallyspeeduprendering(seeFigure13-10).
LightingtheBatCreatureFortheBatCreature,Iwanteddramaticlightingtomakethecharacterlookdangerousandforeboding.Ineededsomedarkshadowsandstarklightingthatwouldn’tgivetoomuchaway.Tocreatethiseffect,Iusedathree-pointlightingsetup,whichiscommonlyusedtolightcharactersandportraits.Additionally,Ineededtosetupmylightstocreategoodshadowswiththecreature’shairandtolightthecreaturefrombehindsothatlightwouldbeseenscatteringthroughtheskinofthewings(usingthesubsurfacescatteringmaterialwecreatedinChapter12).
Figure13-10.TurningonSampleasLampforbackgroundswithtextureinformationspeedsupreductionofnoisewhilerendering.Here,anHDRImaphasbeenusedtolightthescene.Left:SampleasLampturnedoff(30passes).Right:SampleasLampturnedonwithmapresolutionsetto256(again,
after30passes).
Three-PointLightingThree-pointlightingisconsideredthe“standard”lightingsetupforalotofportraitureandcinematographybecausetheuseofthreelightsachievesapleasant,naturallookthatcanbeadaptedtomanycircumstanceswithgood
results.
TheKeyLightThefirstofthethreelights—thekeylight—isthemainsourceoflightinasceneandisgenerallyplacedsothatitlightsthesubjectfromthesideandslightlyabovetoprovidesomeinterestingillumination.
FortheBatCreature,Iaddedaspotlampaboveandslightlytotheleft(fromthecamera’sperspective)ofthecharacter,asshowninFigure13-11.Thekeylightwouldprovidemostoftheillumination,soIsetitsintensityquitehigh(toabout12)andthedistancelow(around3)sothattheintensityofthelightwouldfaderelativelyquickly.Igavethelightabluishtint,asshowninthefigure.
Figure13-11.Theeffectofthekeylight
TheFillLightThenextlight—thefilllight—isplacedoppositethekeylight,usuallyilluminatingthesubjectfromtheothersideandgenerallyaddingsomesubtlelighttotheshadowscastbythekeylight.BecauseIwantedtheBatCreaturetohavereallydarkshadows,Isettheintensityofthefilllightto0.5anditsdistanceto6.Isetitscolortoareddishhuetocontrastwiththebluekeylight.TheeffectofthefilllightisshowninFigure13-12.
NOTEWhilethefilllightusuallycomesfromtheoppositesideofasubject,Iplacedthefilllighttothecharacter’sright(cameraleft)becausetheBatCreature’sleftwing(cameraright)shieldsthebody.
TheBackLightThebacklight(sometimescalledarimlight)lightsasubjectfrombehind,usuallyaddingasubtlehighlightaroundtheedgesofasubjectononeside.ThislightwasespeciallyimportantfortheBatCreaturebecauseitprovidedscatteredbacklightingthroughthewingsandears.Isetitsintensityhigh(to10)anditsdistanceto10togivethelightenoughbrightnesstoshinethroughthewings(seeFigure13-13).Together,thekey,fill,andbacklightsproducethefinallighting,asshowninFigure13-14.
PositioningtheLightsPositioningthethreelightsinvolvesthinkingaboutwhataspectsofyourmodelyouwanttolightandwhereyouwantthelighttocomefromandthenexercisingabitoftrialanderror.Tohelpwiththeprocessandtogetquickerfeedbackonhowyourlightslook(withouthavingtorendereachtime),useBlender’sGLSLshadingmodetoseehowyourlightswilllookinrealtimeinthe3DViewport(seeFigure13-15).ThisworksparticularlywellforspotlampsasGLSLalsosupportsbufferedshadows,meaningtheGLSLpreviewwilllookprettyclosetoyourfinalrenders.Turnonthisshadingmodebygoingtothe3DViewportheaderandsettingtheshadingtoTextured.Then,lookinthePropertiesregionunderDisplayandsettheshadingtypetoGLSL(pressNtobringupthepropertiesregioninthe3DViewport).Youcanthenmoveyourlightsaroundasyoupleaseandgetinstantfeedbackonhowtheylook.
Figure13-12.Thefilllightaddssubtleilluminationtotheshadows.
Figure13-13.Thebacklightprovideshighlightsaroundtheoutlineofthecharacter(thatis,ontheshouldersandthebackofthehead).Inthiscase,italsoscatterslightthroughthewingsandears.
Figure13-14.Allthreelightscontributetothefinallighting.
Figure13-15.PositioninglightsusingGLSLshadingforfeedback
GLSLshadingsupportsallbutarealights,thoughitonlyrendersshadowsforspotlampswithbufferedshadows.
ClayRendersandMaterialOverrideAnotherwaytogetafeelforhowyourlightingisworkingisbyrenderingyoursceneandapplyingthesamematerial(usuallyaflat,diffuseone)toeveryobject.Oftencalledaclayrender,thisletsyouseehowthelightingisworkinginisolationandcanbeusefulforcheckingwhetheranissuewithyourrendersisduetolightingormaterials.
Toquicklysetupaclayrender,usetheMaterialOverrideoptionintheRendertabofthePropertieseditor.Createanew,flat,graymaterial(justusethedefaultmaterialandturndownthespecularity)andassignittotheMaterialOverrideoptionintheLayerspaneltorenderthescenewithouttexturesandmaterials,as
showninFigure13-16.PressF12torender.(SeeChapter14formoreonrendering.)
Figure13-16.AclayrenderoftheBatCreatureusingtheMaterialOverridesetting.Here,I’vecreatedamaterialcalledFlatandassignedittothematerialoverrideintheRenderLayerspanel.This
techniqueletsyouseethelightingofyourmodelinisolation.
ShadowsandFurWhileray-tracedorbufferedshadowswouldbothbeappropriateformostoftheBatCreature,ourfurhasmorespecificlightingrequirements.Forbestresults,usedeepshadowbuffersoneachofthekey,fill,andbacklightsandadjusttheothersettingsasshowninTable13-1.
Table13-1.SettingsfortheShadowBufferSpotLampsintheBatCreatureScene
Key Fill Back
Filtertype Gauss Gauss Gauss
Soft 12 30 10
Bias 0.2 0.2 0.2
Samplebuffers 1 1 1
Size 2048 2048 2048
Samples 16 16 16
LightingtheEyesEyesareacriticalpartofmostcharacters,andit’simportanttomakesurethey’relitasyouwantthem.Sometimesthiscanmeancheatingbyaddingsomeseparatelightingtotheeyestogetthelookyouwant.FortheBatCreature,Iplacedthetwoeyeobjectsontheirownlayer(pressMtomoveobjectstootherlayers)andpointedaHemilampatthem.Isetthelamp’sintensitylow(toabout0.05)sothatthelightingwouldcomepredominantlyfromtheexistingspotlamps.Then,Iturnedoffthelight’sSpecularoptiontopreventitfromcontributingtospecularreflections.Next,IturnedonThisLayerOnlyinthelamp’ssettingssothatthelampwouldlightonlytheeyeobjects,addingabitofextrailluminationtotheeyestohelpthemstandoutmore.
FloorShadows
WhileIdidn’tcreateabackdropfortheBatCreature,Iknewsomeshadowaroundhisfeetwouldimprovemyfinalrender.Toproducetheshadowsontheirown,IusedtheOnlyShadowsoptionformaterials.Iaddedaplanetothesceneandassignedanewmaterialtoit.Then,inthematerialssettings,IturnedonTransparency(settoMask),andintheShadowspanel,IturnedonOnlyShadows.Thisnewmaterial(showninFigure13-17)thenrendersasjusttheshadowscastbyotherobjects,withtherestofthemeshrenderingcompletelytransparent.Lateron,thiswillallowmetoeasilycompositetheseshadowsontothebackgroundofthefinalrender.IscaledtheplaneuptopickupalltheshadowsfromtheBatCreature,usingtheGLSLshadingmodeasaguide.
Figure13-17.UsinganOnlyShadowsmaterialtocastshadowsonthefloor,shownhereonawhitebackground
WorldSettingsfortheBatCreatureIdidn’tneedtodomuchinthewayofWorldsettingsfortheBatCreaturesinceIwouldbecompositinginasimplebackgroundlater;IjustneededtoturnonAmbientOcclusion.Todoso,IenabledAmbientOcclusionintheWorldtabofthePropertiespanelandsetittoMultiplywithafactorof1.0.FortheGathermethod,IchoseApproximate.Isetthenumberofpassesto1andturnedonFalloffwithastrengthof1.Thesesettingsworkwellwithhair,andusingthemmeantthatIwouldn’thavetodoanyraytracingwhenrenderingsinceIwasusingbuffershadowsfortherestofmylighting.
ThiscompleteslightingtheBatCreature.We’llreturntorenderingitinChapter14.
LightingtheSpiderBotWe’llberenderingtheSpiderBotwithCycles.Forthisproject,Iwantedbright,dynamiclightingtoshowoffthecharacter’sshinysurface.Iaccomplishedthiswithamixofmeshlightsandlampobjects.SinceIwouldn’tbeusingworldlighting,IsetthecoloroftheworldbackgroundtoblackintheWorldtabofthePropertieseditor,andIsetitsintensityto0beforecontinuing.
TheprincipallightingfortheSpiderBotcomesfromtherightfromapoint-lampobjectwithanorangecolorandhighstrength,asshowninFigure13-18.Thislampissupplementedbyameshlightoverheadthatiscomposedofmultipleplaneswithalight-emittingmaterial.Tocreatethislight,Iaddedanewplaneobjectandmoveditabovethescene.Then,IduplicatedthefaceseveraltimesinEditmode,usingBlender’ssnappingtools(settoIncrement)tokeeptheplanesalignedinagrid.Ithenscaledthewholearrayofplanesalongthex-axistomakethemrectangular.
Tomaketheseplanesemitlight,Iassignedanewmaterialtothem,andintheNodeeditor,IaddedanEmissionShadernodeandattacheditsoutputtotheMaterialOutputnode(seeFigure13-18).IgavetheEmissionshaderabluish
colorandsetitsstrengthto10.Becausetheselightsaremeshes,notonlydotheylightthescene,buttheyalsoshowupinthereflectionsontheSpiderBot’sshinygreensurfaces,particularlyontheback,asseeninthefigure.
It’ssimpletotweakthestrengthandcoloroflightsinCycles,thankstotherenderpreviewshadingmodeofthe3DViewport,whichcangiveinstantfeedbackonhowyourlightinglooksasyouadjustlights.(Formoreonthe3DViewportrenderpreview,seeChapter14.)
Figure13-18.AddinglightstotheSpiderBotscene.TotherightoftheSpiderBotistheorangepointlamp,andaboveitisthegridofmeshlightswiththeirmaterialvisibleintheNodeeditorontheleft.
TheCyclesrenderpreviewisagreatwaytogetinstantfeedbackonyourlighting.
LightingtheJungleTempleTheJungleTemplerequiredamorecomplexlightingsetup,butagain,wehavetheCyclesrenderpreviewtogiveinstantfeedbackonhowourlightinglooks.Forthisscene,Iwantedtocreateanighttimeatmospherewithabright,fieryorangelightcomingfromtheentrancetothetemple.
WorldBackgroundBecauseIwouldbelightingtheJungleTemplescenewithoutworldlighting,I
settheworldbackgroundcolortoblackwith0intensity.
TempleEntranceLightingLet’sstartwiththelightcomingfromthetempleentrance,asthisisthelightsourcewiththemostimpactonthescene.Iusedacoupleoflightsourcestocreatethislighting.Thefirstisameshemitterattheendofthetunnel(outofsightofthecamera);Iassignedredandorangeemissionmaterialstoittoprovideorangishlightthroughoutthetunnelandabitbeyond.Isettheintensityoftheseemissionmaterialstoabout40.
Tohelpspreadthislightfurtherintothesurroundings,Icreatedapoint-lampobjectwithayellow-orangecolornearerthemouthofthetunnel.Igaveitahighintensitytolightmoreofthesurroundingareasandsetthepoint-lightsizeto1.5togivesoftshadows.TheselightscanbeseeninFigure13-19.
FillLightingToaddfurtherlight,Icreatedasoft(largesize)pointlamphoveringoverthemiddleofthescenetoprovidesomegenerallighting.Ialsoaddedaharder(smallsize)lightbehindthecameraandofftoonesidetoilluminatetheforegroundobjectsabit.Igavebothlampsabluishcolor,whichlentthesceneablue,moonlitlookwhereitwasnotilluminatedbytheorangelightfromthetunnel.(Blueandorangealsoopposeoneanothernicely.)TheselightscanbeseeninFigure13-20.
BackLightIalsoaddedsomeilluminationfromtheright,comingfrombehindthetemple,tohighlighttheleavesandgiveaslightrimlighttotherocksofthetemplewalls.Thislightcomesfromtwolights:along,shallowmeshlightthatilluminatesmainlythebacksoftheleavesandapointlightthatprovidessomeextrailluminationfromthisdirection(seeFigure13-21).TheoveralleffectisshowninFigure13-22.
Figure13-19.Thelightingofthetempleentrance
ANoteonSoftShadowsWhilesoftshadowslooknice,theycanreallybumpupyourrendertimes.Iendedupusingquiteafewlampswithsoftshadowsforthisscene,andasaresult,ittookquiteawhiletorender.Thisisn’treallyaproblemforstills,butbearitinmindifyouwanttorenderananimationorifyouwantquickresults,andconsiderusinglightswithhardershadowsorhavingsomelightsthatdon’tcastray-tracedshadowsatall.
Figure13-20.Thetempleentrancelightingcombinedwithsomebluefilllighting
Figure13-21.Thebacklightingfromonemeshlightandapointlamp
GeneralLightingTipsLightingmakesabigdifferencetothefeelofanimage,andyoucandoalotwithlightingtochangehowyoursubjectisperceived.Herearesometipstomakeyourlightingrendermoreefficientlyandworkbetterartistically.
Experiment.Itriedalotofdifferentlightingsetupsforallofmyprojects.FortheJungleTemplescene,Itriedbothdaylightandnighttimelighting,andfortheBatCreatureandSpiderBot,Iexperimentedwithmanydirectionsandcolors.Comingupwithsomethinggoodrequiresexperimentation.
Usetestrendersandpreviews.UseBlenderInternal’sGLSLshadingandCycles’srenderpreviewforreal-timepreviewsofyourlighting.Dotestrenderstomakesureyourlightingworks.
Lessismore.Trytousefewerlightswherepossibletosimplifytheprocessoftweakingyourlightingandtomakeiteasiertoseewhichlightsmostinfluence
yourimage.
Figure13-22.ThelightingfortheJungleTemplescene.ThiswilllaterbetweakedwithsomecompositinginChapter14.
Shadowsettings.Whileitcanbetemptingtoturnupallthesettingsforyourlampstotrytogetthenicestshadows,it’softennotnecessarytodoso.Experimentandtrytominimizetheuseofsettingsthatincreaserendertimesignificantly,suchasshadowsamplesandshadow-buffersizes.Forexample,softshadowsdon’tneedhigh-resolutionshadowbuffers,andcrisp,hard-edgedshadowsdon’tneedlotsofsamples.Onceyouhavelightingyoulike,trytodeterminewhichsettingsyoucanturndownwithoutaffectingthelookofyourlightinginordertospeeduprenders.
Makethemostofshadowbuffers.Theresolutionofashadow-bufferlampisspreadoutoverthelamp’scone.Tomakethemostofit,restrictthelampbyreducingitsangletocoveronlythemodel(gotoSizeunderSpotShapeintheObjectDatatab)andtomakesurethatyou’renotwastinganyoftheshadowbuffer’sresolutiononareasthataren’tcastingshadows.
Useopposingcolors.Usecolortheorytoyouradvantagewhenlighting.Often,opposingcolors(pairsofcolorsonoppositesidesofthecolorwheel,suchasorangeandblueorgreenandpurple)workwellwhenusedasopposingkeyandfilllights(seeFigure13-23).Naturallightoftenfollowsthisexample:Sunlightisorange,whilescatteredlightfromtheatmosphereisblue.
Directionallightingandcharacters.Thedirectionyouchoosetolightacharacterfromcanchangethewayit’sperceived.Lightingfromaboveoftenlooksregalanddignified,whilelightingfrombelowlooksscaryandmenacing.AfewexamplesareshowninFigure13-24.
Figure13-23.Opposingcolorsoftenmakeforpleasantlightingschemes.Lefttoright:Orangekeylightandabluefill,bluekeylightandanorangefill,greenkeylightandapurplefill.
Figure13-24.Lightingdirectionchangeshowweperceivecharacters.Lefttoright:Lightingfromabovelooksdignified,lightingfrombelowlooksspooky,andarimlightfrombehindgivesanominous
silhouette.
InReview
Inthischapter,welookedatlightingforbothBlenderInternalandCycles,beginningwithadiscussionofthedifferenttypesoflampsthatBlenderoffersandtheirfunctionaldifferencesinBlenderInternalandCycles.Weexamineddifferentmethodsfordealingwithshadows,bothraytracedandbuffered,andexploredtheiradvantagesanddisadvantages.WealsolookedatBlender’sWorldsettingsandhowtheyimpactlighting.
FortheBatCreature,wecoveredcreatingathree-pointlightsetuptogivedramaticflairtothemodelandlookedathowbesttosetupshadowsforcharacterswithhair.FortheSpiderBotandJungleTempleprojects,Ilitthescenesusingamixoflightsandmesh-emitterobjectstocreatedynamicallylitscenes.WhenIworkedwithlightinginCycles,theCyclesrenderpreviewcameinhandyforgettingreal-timefeedbackontheeffectofourlights.AndeveninBlenderInternal,IusedGLSLshadingtogetsomerudimentaryfeedbackonthelightingandshadowsinthescene.
Inthenextchapter,we’llrenderthescenesanddosomefinalcolorcorrectionandcompositingforourprojects.IwillcoverrenderoptionsforbothCyclesandBlenderInternalandhowbesttooptimizerendertimeswhilegettingthebestpossiblerenders.We’lllookatnode-basedcompositingusingBlender’scompositor,aswellascreatingbackgroundsanddoingfinaltweaksinGIMP.
Chapter14.RenderingandCompositing
Inthischapter,wemoveintothefinalstagesoftheprojectsasweturneachofthescenesintorenderedimagesandtweakthemtolooktheirbest.WebeginbylookingatBlender’srendersettings,bothforBlenderInternalandCycles,todeterminehowtogetthebestrenderintheshortesttimepossible.Followingthatdiscussion,I’llcoverusingBlender’snode-basedcompositortofurtherrefine,adjust,andgradetheserendersintofinalimages.Finally,we’llmakeafewtweakstotherendersinGIMP.
TheRenderTabWetouchedontheRendertabofthePropertieseditorwhenweusedittobaketexturesinChapter10.Inthischapter,we’llexaminetheothersettingsavailableinthistab.Manyofthesedependonwhichrendererisbeingused—BlenderInternalorCycles—sowewilllookateachinturn.
RenderingwithBlenderInternalTheRendertabinBlenderInternalisshowninFigure14-1.Let’slookatthesettingsavailableineachpanel.
RenderPanelThiscontainsbuttonsforrenderingyouranimationandplayingbacktheresults.
Image/Animation.Thesebuttonsrenderthecurrentframe(F12)oreveryframeintherangesetbytheFrameRangesettingsintheDimensionspanelasananimation(CTRL-F12).Youcanplaybacktherenderedanimationwiththeplaybutton.
Display.Displayletsyousetwheretherenderedimagewillappear.TheImage
editoroptionwillrendertheimageinanavailableUVImageeditorifpossible,oritwilltemporarilyswitchoneoftheothereditorsintoaUVImageeditorduringrenderingifnecessary.Theotheroptionsallowyoutorenderfullscreen,inanewwindow,orinthebackground(KeepUI).
LayersPanelTheLayerspanelcontainstoolsandoptionsforcreatingdifferentrenderlayersandforchoosingwhichscenelayerscontributetoyourfinalrenders.Atthetopofthepanel,theLayerselectorletsyouselecttherenderlayertoworkon.Usethecheckboxesontherighttoenableordisablerenderingparticularlayers;usethe+and–buttonsontherighttoaddordeleterenderlayers.
Name.Thisallowsyoutonametheselectedlayer.
Scene/Layer/MaskLayer.Thesethreesetsofcheckboxesletyouchoosewhichscenelayersareusedinyourfinalrendersandhow.EnablingalayerunderSceneturnsthelayeroninthe3DViewport(justasthelayerscheckboxesinthe3Dviewportheaderdo).LayersmustbecheckedunderScenetoberenderable.EnablelayersunderLayertomakethemrenderforthecurrentlyselectedrenderlayer;youcanhavemultiplelayersturnedonunderScene,butonlythosecheckedunderLayerwillberendered.LayerscheckedunderMask(butnotunderLayer)willmaskoutgeometryonotherlayers,asshowninFigure14-2.
Light.TheLightoptionletsyouspecifyagroupoflightstobetreatedastheonlylightsinthescenewhenrendered.
Material.AsdiscussedinClayRendersandMaterialOverride,theMaterialsoptionletsyouoverridethematerialsforascenewithasinglematerialwhenrendering.WeusedthisoptioninChapter13toproduceaclayrenderoftheBatCreatureprojectinordertotestthelighting.
Include.Thisoffersanumberofcheckboxesthatdetailthetypesofsurfacesandeffectstoberenderedwiththislayer.Forexample,youcanturnonorofftherenderingofz-transparentmaterials,fur,orsolidmaterials.
Passes.Withinalayer,Blendercanrenderotherkindsofinformationandsplitupaspectsofanimageintodifferentpasses,suchasshadows,environment
Figure14-1.TheRendertabofthePropertieseditor,shownhereinBlenderInternallighting,andz-depth(thedistancefromthecamera).Thispassthencontainsonlythatdatathatcanbeusedincompositingthefinalimage.Forexample,youcouldusethez-depthpassastheinputforaDefocusnodetocreatedepthoffield,oryoucoulduseanambientocclusionpasstoaddextrashadowstoanimage.UsethecheckboxesunderPassestoenableordisablevariouspasses.Somepassescanbeexcludedfromthemainrenderpassbytogglingthecameraicontotherightofthepass’sname.
DimensionsThispanelletsyousetthedimensionsintime(frames)andspace(resolution)ofyourrenderoranimation.TheResolutionsettingsletyouchoosethesizeofyourfinalrender,whiletheFrameRangesettingsareusedtospecifythenumberofframesinyouranimation.AspectRatiosetstheaspectratioforthepixelsintheimage(somevideoformatsusenonsquarepixels,butforstills,alwaysusesquare1:1ratiopixels).
Figure14-2.Usinglayersasmasklayers.Herethemonkeyobjectisplacedonlayer2,witheverythingelseonlayer1.Ontheleft,bothlayersarecheckedunderLayer,andeverythingrendersasexpected.Ontheright,layer2isusedasamasklayerinstead,soyouseeatransparentholewherethemonkey
headobscurestheotherobjects.
YoucanusetheBorderandCropsettingstorenderasmallpatchofyourimageratherthanthewholething.Todoso,switchtothecameraviewinthe3DViewport(NUMPAD0).ThenpressSHIFT-Banddragoutarectangleovertheareayouwishtorestricttherenderto.ThiswillautomaticallyenabletheBorder
setting.UsetheCropsettingtoreduceanimage’sdimensionstothesizeofyourborderregion;otherwise,theremainingareawillbefilledwithblack.
Anti-AliasingandMotionBlurAliasingisanartifactinapixel-basedimagewheresharpboundariesmaylookjaggedduetothefiniteresolutionoftheimage(seeFigure14-3).Aliasingisoftenmostobviousontheoutlinesofobjectsorshadows,butitcanalsocropupintexturesorspecularhighlights.Anti-aliasingaddressesthisproblembytakingmultiplesubsamplesofeachpixelwithslightlydifferentoffsetsandblendingthem,resultinginasmoother-lookingboundary,asyoucanseeinthefigure.
Figure14-3.Anti-aliasingreducestheappearanceofjaggededgesinrenders.Left:Noanti-aliasing.Right:Anti-aliasingturnedonwiththenumberofsubsamplessetto8.
UsethenumbersontheleftoftheAnti-Aliasingpaneltodeterminehowmanysampleswillbetaken(moresampleswillresultinsmootherrendersbutlongerrendertimes).Thedrop-downmenuontherightsetsthetypeoffilterusedtoblendthesamples:ThedefaultofMitchell-Netravaligivesgoodresultswithouttakingtoomuchsharpnessoutoftherender,butwhenworkingwithhigher-resolutionimages,tryGaussian.UsetheFullSampleoptiontomakeBlendermaintaineachsampleseparately,evenduringcompositing,whichcanhelpwithaliasingissuesatthecompositingstage.
Sampledmotionblurissimilartoanti-aliasinginthatmultiplesamplesaretakenperpixelbutatdifferenttimesratherthandifferentlocations.Thisresultsin
motionblurforfast-movingobjectsoncethesamplesareblendedtogether.(Essentially,theimageisrenderedmultipletimes,andtheresultsareblended.)ThenumberofsamplesisdeterminedbytheMotionSamplessetting,andtheamountoftimeinframesoverwhichthesamplesaretakenisdeterminedbytheShuttersetting.
ShadingTheShadingpanelletsyouturnonandoffdifferentrenderingoptions,includingTextures,Shadows,SubsurfaceScattering,EnvironmentMapping,andRay-Tracingoptions.Tospeeduprenders,turnoffunneededshadingoptions.
TheAlphadrop-downmenuletsyouchoosehowtorenderthebackgroundofyourimage.Skyrenderstheskycolorsandtexturessetinyourglobalsettings.TheStraightAlphaandPremultipliedoptionsrenderthebackgroundofyourimageastransparent.InthecaseofPremultiplied,theRGBvaluesoftransparentorpartiallytransparentpixelsaremultipliedbythealphavalueonoutput.Thismethodofencodingalphavaluesisalsoreferredtoasassociatedalphaandisrequiredforsomeimageformats,likeTIFFandPNG.It’salsousefulforcompositingbecausecombiningimagesthiswaygivesbetterresults,thoughBlender’scompositorhastoolsforworkingwithbothpremultipliedandunpremultipliedalpha.StraightAlphaskipsthisstepandrendersunassociatedalphaimagesinstead.
NOTEIftheabovediscussionondifferentmethodsofencodingalphavaluesseemscomplex,it’sbecauseitis.I’vecovereditonlyverybrieflyhere,butit’sactuallyaprettydeeptopic.Formoreinformation,trysearchinghttp://www.blender.org/andtheBlenderwikiforColorManagement.
PerformanceThePerformancepanelcontainsanumberofoptionsthatcanaffecthowfastBlenderwillrenderandhowmuchimpactrenderingwillhaveonyourcomputer’sresources.Blendersplitsupimagestoberenderedintomultipletiles,whicharethenrenderedindividually.ThemostimportantsettingsareThreadsandTiles.WhensettoFixed,thesesettingsletyouspecifyhowmanytileswill
berenderedatonce(uptotwicethenumberofprocessorcoresyouhave).
TheTilessettingsdeterminehowtheimagetoberenderedisbrokenupintotilesalongthex-andy-axes.Tilesarerenderedoneatatimeperthread,meaningthatifyouhaveeightthreads,youwillbeabletorendereighttilessimultaneously.
TweakingtheTilessettingscanmakeabigdifferenceinyourrendertimes.Usingtoofewtilescanmeanthatprocessorthreadsareleftidleonceallavailabletilesarebeingrendered,evenifthereisplentyofyourimagelefttoberendered.Usingtoomanytilesusesmorememorywithoutspeedinguptherender.Theoptimumnumberoftilesisgenerallybetween16(4×4)and64(8×8),withmorecomplexscenesbenefitingfrommoretiles.
Theothersettingsinthispanelareevenmoretechnicalandcanusuallybeleftattheirdefaults.Formoreonthesesettings,tryhttp://wiki.blender.org/.
PostProcessingThePostProcessingsettingsdeterminethepostprocessingeffectsappliedtoyourimage.TherelevantonesarethecheckboxesthatturnonCompositingandtheSequencer(Compositingshouldbeturnedon).Ditheraddssubtlevariationtothecolorsofpixels,preventingcolorbandinginimageswithsmoothgradients.TheEdgesettingdrawscartoonlinesaroundanimage’sgeometry,withthestrengthofthelineeffectdeterminedbytheThresholdsettingandthecolorofthelinesdeterminedbythecolorselectordirectlybelowtheThresholdsetting.
StampTheStampsettingsletyoustampyourimagewithdataabouttherender,suchasthetimeitwasrendered,thefilename,theframenumber,andsoon.Stampisoftenusefulwhenrenderinganimations,butit’snotofmuchusetousforourprojects.
OutputTheOutputsettingsdeterminewheretheoutputofyourrendersissavedandinwhatformat.Animationframesaresavedautomatically,butsingle-frameimagesmustbesavedmanually.Thedefaultoutputdirectory(/tmp/onMacandLinuxsystemsortheTempfolderonWindows)determineswhereanimationframesaresaved,butyoucanchangethistoadirectoryofyourchoosing.Theoutput
formatisdeterminedbythedrop-downmenu,whichincludesoptionsforwhatcolorinformationtosave(blackandwhite,RGB,orRGBandalpha).
BakeThesesettingsarediscussedindetailinChapter11.
RenderingwithCyclesManyoftheRendertaboptionsremainthesameinCycles,soIwilljustcovertheimportantdifferenceshere.
SamplingTheSamplingpaneldetermineshowmanysamplestocalculateforeachpixelintheimage,whichisthemainwayCyclesdeterminesthequalityandnoisinessofyourfinalimage.TheRenderandPreviewoptionsdeterminehowmanysamplestorenderforeachpixelinanimagebeforeterminatingtherender.(UseRenderforproperrendersandPreviewfortheCyclespreviewinthe3DViewport.)Morepasseswillresultinlessnoise,butthenumberofpassesrequiredtogetanoise-freeimagewillvarywidelyaccordingtothecontentsofyourscene.SeedsetsarandomvalueforCyclestouseforsampling,anddifferentseedswillproducedifferentnoisepatterns.
YoucanusetheClampoptiontopreventfireflies,whichareoverlybrightpixelscausedbynoisefrombrightlightsorspecularhighlights.Todoso,setthemaximumbrightness(theclampvalue)forasampletoanonzeronumber(avalueofaround3workswell).Thiskeepsoverlybrightsamplesfromthrowingofftheaveragevalueofapixeltoomuch,thoughitcomesatthecostofsomeaccuracyinrendering.(Ifyouleavethisatthedefaultof0,thisfeaturewillnotbeused.)
LightPathsTheLightPathspanelsupplementstheoptionsintheSamplespanel,allowingyoutogodeeperintohowCyclesrendersyourscene.SpecificallytheLightPathspanelletsyoudeterminewhattypesofraystorenderandhowmanybouncestocalculatebeforeterminatingaray.Morebouncesgivemoreaccurate(andslightlybrighter)renders,atthecostofextrarendertime.
TheTransparency,LightPaths,andBouncesettingsdefinethemaximumnumberoflightbouncesthatCycleswillcalculateforeachtypeofinteractionwithlight.TheMaxsettingsetstheoverallmaximumnumberofbounces,whiletheothersettingsrestrictspecifictypesofraystofewerbounces.TheMinsettingforTransparencyandOverallBouncesenablesearlyterminationofrefractedrays,resultinginfasterrenderingwiththelossofsomeaccuracy.
TheNoCausticsandShadowsoptionsletyouturnonandoffcausticsandray-tracedshadowstospeeduprendering.Causticsareraysthathavebeenreflectedorrefractedbyglossysurfacesthatthencontributetodiffuseillumination.Examplesincludethebrightpatternsofsunlightinaswimmingpoolandlightfocusedbyamagnifyingglassontoasurface.
FilmYoucanusetheFilmpanel’sExposuresettingtochangetheexposureofyourrendertoeitherbrightenordarkenscenesoverall.(However,it’sbesttochangethesettingsonyourlampsinsteadforfinercontrol.)TheTransparencycheckboxdetermineswhetheryourbackgroundrendersastransparentorusesyourglobalsettings.Thedrop-downmenuontherightsetsthepixelfiltertype(withthewidthofthefilterbelowit).Smallerwidthsproducesharper-lookingedgesbutcancausealiasing.Largerwidthsgivesmootherrendersattheexpenseofasmallamountofblurring.
LayersCyclesworksmuchthesameasBlenderInternalwhenitcomestolayers,butitsuppliesadifferentrangeofpasses.Cycleswillsplitupeachkindoflightray(diffuse,glossy,andtransmission)intoseparatepassesandcansplitupthosepassesfurtherintodirectandindirectpasses.Thesefeaturescanbeusefulwhencompositing.
BalancingRenderTimeandQualityWhenrenderinganyCGscene,theaimistogetthenicestrenderpossibleintheshortestamountoftime.Thiscanbetrickygiventhenumberofvariablesyoucanchange,allofwhichaffecthowlonganimagewilltaketorender.Still,therearesomegeneralprinciples.
Startsimpleandbeorganized.Organizeyourobjectsontolayerstomakeiteasiertorenderdifferentaspectsofthescene.Also,makesureyoudon’thaveanyunneededobjectsinyoursceneonvisiblelayerswhenrendering.
Experiment.Ifyourrendersareslow,trychangingonesettingatatimetoseewhatmostaffectsyourrendertimes.Forexample,changearendersettingorthenumberofsamplesonalamp.Orenableordisablesomeaspectofamaterial,suchassubsurfacescatteringorray-tracedreflections.Changingonethingatatimewillletyouseeexactlywhatmakesthemostdifference,whereaschangingmultiplesettingsforcesyoutoguesswhichonealteredyourrendertime.Ifyoufindthatsomethinginparticularisslowingdownyourrenderswithoutcontributingmuchtothefinalimage,getridofit.
Minimizesurplusgeometry.Onceyouhavethecameraanglethatyouwant,startgettingridofobjectsthatwon’tbeseeninyourrenderbydeletingthemortemporarilyshiftingthemtootherlayers.ThiswillreducetheamountofgeometryBlenderhastokeeptrackofwhenrenderingandwillspeedupyourrenders!Thistrickisoftenhelpfulwhenworkingwithenvironments.
Simplifylighting.Trytosimplifythesettingsonyourlampsandseewhetheryoucaneliminatesome.Inparticular,lookattheshadowsettings:Willasmallershadow-bufferresolutionreallymakemuchdifference,ordoesaray-tracedlampneedquitesomanysamples?
AsyoubecomemorefamiliarwithBlender,you’llsoonlearnwhichsettingsimpactrendertimefordifferentaspectsofscenes.Inthemeantime,thetimeyouspendexperimentingandsimplifyingyourscenewillalmostalwaysspeeduprendertimes.
TheCompositorYou’vepressedF12torender,andyourimageisfinished,right?Notquite.Nowit’stimetopostprocessthefinalrendersusingBlender’scompositorandGIMP.Blender’scompositorisnodebasedandusestheNodeeditor(whichweexploredinEditingNodeMaterials).Inthissection,I’llshowyouhowtousethecompositortoapplyeffectssuchasdepthoffield,bloom,andcolorgradingandtocombineseparaterenderlayersintoonefinalimage(seeFigure14-5).I’llalsoshowyouhowtouseGIMPforpaintingandtouch-up.
RenderingandCompositingtheBatCreatureIwantedtoshowthefinalBatCreatureonadarkbackgroundwithalittlecolorgrading.Tofacilitatethis,Isplittherenderingintotwolayers:oneforthefurandonefortherestofthebody.Iplannedtocreateasimple,dark-coloredbackgroundinthecompositorwithaslightvignettetodarkenthecornersandkeepthefocusonthebat.
RenderLayersAsthefirststeptowardsplittingtheBatCreatureintotworenderlayers,Isplitmysceneintofourscenelayers.On(scene)layer1,Iplacedthebody(withSubdivisionSurfaceandDisplacemodifiers)andtheteethandnails.Onlayer2,Iplacedtheeyeobjects,alongwiththeHemilightIcreatedtolightjusttheeyes(usingtheThisLayerOnlyoptionforthelamp).Onlayer3,IplacedtheduplicatedbodythatIhadusedtocreatethehair(withEmitterturnedoffintheRenderpaneloftheParticlestabsothatonlythehairrendered).Finally,onlayer4,Iplacedmylamps,thecamera,andmyfloorplane.
Next,Isetuptworenderlayers.Onthefirst,IdisabledStrandundertheIncludesettingsoftheLayerspanel.Fortheother,IdisabledSolidsothatnormalmesheswouldn’tberenderedwhilemystrandhairwould.Inamedthefirstlayerbodyandthesecondstrand.
Forthebodylayer,IenabledanambientocclusionpassunderPassesintheLayerspanel.Theresultwhenrenderedwastwoseparatelayers,asshowninFigure14-4.Whenlookingattherender(chooseRenderResultfromtheimageselectordrop-downmenu),youcanswitchbetweentheselayersusingthedrop-downmenuintheheaderoftheUVImageeditor.
IntheLayerspanel,theoptionsandsettingsyouchooseapplyonlytothecurrentlyselectedrenderlayer.InotherpanelsoftheRendertab,optionsapplyacrossallrenderlayers.IsettheAlphaoptionintheShadingpaneltoStraightAlphaandturnedoffRayTracingtospeeduprenders.(Ididn’tneedtouseraytracingsinceIwasusingbufferedshadowsformyspotlampsandapproximateambientocclusion.)Isettherendersizeto2200×3000pixelsintheDimensionspanel,andpressedRender(F12)tostartrendering.
CompositingthePassesAfterrendering,IusedBlender’scompositortocombinethelayers.Iwantedtoachievecertaineffectswiththecompositor,inthefollowingorder:
1. Addsomeextraambientocclusiontothebodyrenderlayer.
2. Combinethebodyandfurlayersintooneimagewithaplainbackground.
3. Softenthelightingintheimageusingabloomeffect.
4. Applysomebasiccolorgradingtotheimage.
5. Addavignettetotheimage.
Figure14-4.ThetworenderpassesfortheBatCreature
Theseeffects(aswithallthingsinthecompositor)needtobeappliedinaparticularorder.Becauseeachnodeisprocessedintheorderitisconnected,changingtheorderinwhichyouapplynodestoyourimagecanmakeabig
difference.Tobegincompositing,makesurethatUseNodesisenabledandthatyouareeditingthecompositingnodes(notamaterialortexture).ThedefaultcompositingnodetreeshouldlooklikeFigure14-5.
TheinitialRendernodewillusethefirstrenderlayeryoucreatedintheLayerspanel,whichinmycasewasthebodylayer.IaddedasecondRenderLayernode(SHIFT-A▸Input▸RenderLayer)toholdmystrandrenderlayer,selectingitfromthedrop-downmenuatthebottomoftheRenderLayernode.
Figure14-5.ThedefaultnodetreeforBlender’scompositorisprettybasic.WhateveryouconnecttothesocketsoftheCompositenodewillbecomethefinaloutputofyourrender.
ExtraAmbientOcclusionNext,IusedaMixnode(SHIFT-A▸Color▸Mix)toincreasethestrengthoftheambientocclusioneffectonthebodyrenderlayer.IsettheBlendmodeoftheMixnodetoMultiplyandusedtheImageoutputofthebodyrenderlayerasthefirstinput.Iusedtheambientocclusionpass(fromthesocketlabeledAO)asthesecondinput.
Toincreasetheeffect,IdarkenedtheambientocclusionpasswithaCurvesnode
beforemultiplyingitwiththeimage.Todoso,IaddedanRGBCurvesnodeandinserteditbetweentheambientocclusionoutputoftheRenderLayernodeandtheMultiplynode.Todothisquickly,dragthenodeovertheconnectionbetweentwoothernodes(youshouldseetheconnectionhighlight)andreleaseittoinsertitinachainbetweentheothertwonodes.
Finally,ImadethecurveontheRGBCurvesnodeabitsteeper(seeFigure14-6).
CombiningtheBodyandFurNext,IaddedanAlphaOvernode(SHIFT-A▸Color▸AlphaOver),connectingthebodyasthefirstinputandthefurasthesecond.Togetthecorrectresultswhencompositinglayerswithstraightalpha,whichIselectedwhenchoosingtheRendersettingsearlier(seeRenderLayers),IenabledConvertPremultiplyforthisnode.Thisshouldproducetheexpectedresultwithoutanydarkfringing.
ToplacetheBatCreatureonadarkgraybackground,IusedasecondAlphanodewithanRGBnodeasthefirstinput(settogray)andmynewlymergedbodyandhairlayersasthesecondinput,asshowninFigure14-6.
Figure14-6.AddingextraambientocclusiontothebodyrenderlayerwithaMultiplynode.Thehairisthenmergedoverthetop,andthecompositeisplacedoveragraybackgroundusinganAlphaOver
node.
BloomNext,Iaddedsomebloom.BloomisacommoneffectinbothrealandCGimagery,wherelightbleedsoutfrombrightareasintodarkerones,effectivelylighteningtheimagearounddarkerareas.Thereal-worldeffectarisesfromimperfectionsinlenses,butIcouldmimicthisbyblurringmyimageandoverlayingitontheoriginalinput.
Togeneratebloom,IcreatedaBlurnode(SHIFT-A▸Filter▸Blur)andsetitstypetoFastGaussian.IalsoenabledtheRelativeoption,whichwouldallowmetospecifytheblurradiusrelativetothewidthoftheimage.Thisoptionisusefulifyoudon’tknowwhatfinalresolutionyouwanttouseforyourrender,becausetheamountofblurringwon’tappeartochangeifyoumaketherendersmallerorlarger.(Itwouldifyoudefinedtheradiusinpixels.)
Isetthexandyradiito2percentandselectedYunderAspectCorrectiontomakesuretheblurhadthecorrectaspectratio.(Thisappliesonlywhenusingrelativeblur.)Then,IusedanAddnodewithafactorof0.2tosubtlyaddtheresultoftheblurredimageontopoftheoriginal.
Theinitialeffectwastoobright,soIusedanotherRGBCurvesnodetodarkenthedarkerregionsoftheimagebeforeitwasblurredsothatonlythebrightestregionswouldcontributetothebloom.TheresultingnodetreeisshowninFigure14-7.
ColorCorrectionNext,IappliedsomebasiccolorcorrectionusingtheColorBalancenode.Thisnodeisreallyusefulforapplyingarangeofcolor-gradingeffectstoyourrenders.First,IaddedtheColorBalancenode.Then,Iconnectedmycomposite-in-progresstoitsimageinputandturnedthefactordownto0.6.(TheColorBalancenodecanproduceastrongeffect,soturningthefactordownisaneasywaytomakeitmoresubtlewithouthavingtomakeverysmalladjustmentstotheothercontrols.)
Figure14-7.Mybloomeffectandthenodetreeresponsible.ThecompositedhairandbodyarefirstputthroughanRGBcurvesnodetoaddsomecontrast,thenblurredandaddedbackontopoftheoriginal
composite.
TheColorBalancenodehasthreesetsofcontrols,eachofwhichsetsanRGBcolor.Youcanseteachinputbyusingthecolorwheeltocontrolthehueandsaturationandusingtheverticalslidertocontrolthecolor.Thecoloryouselectisshownbelowinthecolorpicker.YoucanalsoclickthecolorpickertouseBlender’sdefaultcolorpickerortosetRGBorHSVvaluesmanually.
TheColorBalancenodeinputsarenamedlift,gamma,andgain,andtheycanbethoughtofasaffectingtheshadows,midtones,andhighlightsofanimage.Thus,togiveanimagelessprominenthighlights,youcouldturndownthebrightnessoftheliftinput.Togiveitsaturatedredhighlights,youcouldsetthegaincolortowardred.Ingeneral,settingopposingcolorsfortheliftandgaininputsoftenresultsinanimagewithnicecolorharmoniesbetweenthelightsanddarks.
InmanyHollywoodmovies,theshadowsaretealorblue,whilethemidtonesandhighlightsarepushedtowardorange—acolorschemethatworkswellwiththepinkish-orangeofmostlighterskintones.FortheBatCreature,Ioptedforaslightlyblueliftcolorandaslightlyyellowgaincolor.TheeffectisshowninFigure14-8.
AddingaVignetteNext,Iaddedavignettetomyimagetoslightlydarkenitscornersanddrawtheviewer’sattentiontothecenteroftheframe.Tocreatethiseffect,Itookthealphachannelofmybodylayerandranitthoughtalensdistortionfilterwithadistortvalueof1.Thisdistortedtheimageintoacircularshapewithblackcorners,whichwasalmostwhatIneeded.
Then,IusedaBlurnodesettoFastGaussianBlurwitharelativeradiusof50percenttoblurtheoutputoftheLensDistortionnode.Thisgavetheimageasoftgradientoutfromthemiddle,whichIthenoverlaidontothecolor-correctedrender.
Finally,IaddedaSharpennodewithaverylowFactorsetting(around0.05)totheendofthenodetreeandconnectedtheoutputtotheCompositenode.ThefinalnodetreeisshowninFigure14-9,andtheresultisshowninFigure14-10.
CompositingFeedbackandViewerNodesCreatingafinalcompositefromyourrenderscanbealongprocessthatrequiressomeexperimentation.Toaidintheprocess,Blenderautomaticallyrecompositesyourfinalrenderwhenyouchangethenodetree.AnalternativewaytogetafeelforhowyournodesetupisworkingistousetheViewernode,asecondaryoutputnodethatletsyouviewanystageinyournodetree.
Figure14-8.AddingcolorgradingtotherenderoftheBatCreature.Left:Beforegrading.Middle:TheColorBalancenode.Right:Aftergrading.
Figure14-9.ThecompositingnodetreefortheBatCreature
Figure14-10.ThecompositedoutputfortheBatCreature
TocreateaViewernode,pressSHIFT-A▸Output▸ViewerintheNodeeditor.WhateverisconnectedastheinputforthisnodewillthenshowupintheUVImageeditorifyouselectViewerNodefromthedrop-downmenuorcheckBackdropinthebackgroundoftheNodeeditorheader.
ToquicklychangewhichnodetheViewernodeisconnectedto,SHIFT-clickanynodeinyoursetup.Thisallowsyoutoeasilygothroughyournodetree,SHIFT-
clickingeachnodeinturntoseehowitaffectsthecomposite.(YoucouldcreatemultipleViewernodes,butthismethodkeepsyournodetreeclean.)
OrganizingNodeTreeswithFramesandNodeGroupsNodesetupsforcompositingcanbecomequitecomplexasyouaddmoreandmorenodes.Ifyoudon’tkeepthemorganized,itcanbedifficulttocomebacklatertodeterminewhat’sgoingoninyournodetree.Tohelpwiththis,BlenderletsyouorganizenodesasFramenodesandnodegroups.
FrameNodesFramesarelarge,rectangularnodeswithnoinputsoroutputsoftheirown;youplaceothernodesontopofthem,whichthen“stick”totheframenode,allowingyoutomovecollectionsofnodestogetherasone.YoucanlabelFramenodestomarkthepartsofyournodesetup(seeFigure14-11)byeditingthenode’snameinthePropertiesregion(N).Tounstickanodefromaframe,youcanusetheshortcutALT-P,oryoucanuseALT-Ftounstickthenodeandautomaticallygrabittomoveitaround.
NodeGroupsNodegroupsaredifferentfromframes.Tocreateanodegroup,selectoneormorenodesandpressCTRL-Gtogroupthemintoasinglenode.ThenewGroupnodeshouldcontainalloftheselectednodeswiththeinputsandoutputsrequiredbythegroupassockets.YoucanexpandthegroupandlookinsidewithTABtomodifyitsnodesandaddextrainputsandoutputs.
Figure14-11.Usingframestoorganizenodes.Onceassignedtoaframe,multiplenodescanbedraggedaroundtogether,makingiteasiertokeepthemorganized.
Whenyouexpandanodegroup,itsinputsandoutputswillbeshownontheleftandrightsidesofthegrouprespectively(seeFigure14-12).Toaddaninputoroutput,dragaconnectionfromoneofthenodesinthegrouptothisborder;toremoveaconnection,clicktheXnexttoit.Usethearrowsnexttoeachinputoroutputtoreorderthemandtidyupthegroup.
Likeallnodes,nodegroupscanbeduplicatedandreused.Onceduplicated,theybehavelikelinkedduplicateobjects:Achangewithinoneinstanceofthegroupaffectsallinstancesthesameway,whichmeansthatyoucangroupcommonlyrepeatedchainsofnodesandeditthemallatonce.Nodegroupscanalsobelinkedorappendedfromother.blendfiles,allowingyoutoreusepartsofyour
existingcompositingsetups.
RetouchinginGIMPOnceyou’rehappywithyourcomposite,youcancallitfinalandsaveitasanimage.FormatslikePNG,TIFF,andTargaaregoodforthis,beinglosslessformats(forsavingimageswithoutlosingquality).ForpostingtotheWeb,youmaywanttousetheJPEGformat,whichcompressesimagesmuchmore,givingyouasmallfileattheexpenseofasmalllossinimagequality.FortheBatCreature,though,IoptedtofixsomethingsinGIMPbeforecallingitfinal.Iwantedtosoftensomeofthespecularhighlightsonthenailsandlightentheeyesabit.IsaveditasaTarga(.tga)file(F3intheUVImageeditor)andopeneditinGIMP.
Figure14-12.Workingwithnodegroups
Tolightentheeyes,IcreatedanewlayerandsetitsBlendmodetoOverlay.Then,Ipaintedwhiteovertheeyes.Ialsoaddedsubtlehighlights,paintingsomedistortedreflectionsbyhandonaseparatelayer(thistimewiththeBlendmodesettoNormal).
Onthesamelayerasthereflections,Ialsodarkenedthehighlightsonsomeofthenails,pickingcolorsfromnearbyareaswiththecolorpickerandpaintingoverthebrighthighlights.(MakesuretoturnonSampleMergedinthetooloptionstoallowyoutosamplelayersbelowthecurrentonewithoutswitchingtothem.)Finally,ontheoriginalrenderlayer,IusedtheBlurtooltoslightlyblursomeofthehaironthefeetinordertodrawattentionawayfromwhereitlookedabittoocoarse.
InFigure14-13,youcanseetheretouchedeyes.Figure14-14showsthecompletedBatCreatureproject.
RenderingandCompositingtheSpiderBotTofinalizetheSpiderBot,Iwantedtoaddcolorgradingtothelighting(fromChapter13),showsomedepthoffieldtocommunicatetherobot’ssmallscale,andaddsomebloom.
Depthoffieldisareal-worldphenomenonthathappenswithimagesseenthroughalens,whetherthat’sacameraorthehumaneye.Lensescanonlyfocusperfectlyonobjectsthatareacertaindistanceawayfromthem,adistanceknownasthefocallength.Objectsoutsidethisdistancebecomeprogressivelymoreoutoffocus.Theeffectcanbesubtle(evennotworthbotheringwith)orsignificant.Ingeneral,depth-of-fieldeffectsaremostapparentwhenviewingobjectsatsmallscales.
Figure14-13.RetouchingsomeareasofthecompositeinGIMP.Iaddedsomehighlightstotheeyeswithonelayerandbrightenedthemoverallwithasecond(withtheBlendmodesettoOverlay).
Figure14-14.TheretouchedBatCreature
DepthofFieldinCyclesTherearetwowaystocreatedepthoffieldwhenrenderingwithCycles.OneistousetheDefocusnodeinBlender’scompositor.ThisworkswithbothBlenderInternalandCyclesandwillbeusedfortheJungleTemplescenelaterinthischapter.TheotherwayistouseCycles’s“real”depthoffieldasaCamerasettingwhenrendering.
Touserealdepthoffield,dothefollowing:
1. Selecttheactivecamera.
2. IntheDepthofFieldpanelontheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor,setadistancefromthecameratothefocalplane(thedistancewhereobjectsappearinfocus).
3. Setanaperturesizetodeterminetheamountofblurring.ThiscanbespecifiedintermsofeitheraradiusoranumberofF/Stops.HighernumbersgivemoreblurwithradiusorlesswithF/Stops.FortheSpiderBot,Iusedradiustosetthedepthoffieldtoabout0.3.
NOTECyclescanalsomimictheshapeofanapertureliketheoneyoumightfindonarealfilmordigitalcamera.Todothis,setBladestothenumberofsidesoftheapertureshapeandsetRotationtorotatetheshape.
Whensettingthedistanceforthedepthoffield,youcaneithersetanumbermanuallywiththeDepthsettingorspecifyanobjectusingtheselectorunderFocus.ThiscausesthecameratoignoretheManualDepthsettingandfocusontheobject’scenterinstead.It’susuallyeasiesttocreateanemptyobject,placeitwhereyouwantthescenetobeinfocus,andthensetthisemptyobjectasthedepth-of-fieldtargetintheCamerasettings.
Tobettervisualizethedepth-of-fielddistance,enabletheLimitsoptionintheDisplaypaneloftheCamerasettings.Blenderthendisplaysalinepointingoutfromthecamera(describingtheclippingdistances)withayellowcrossatthedepth-of-fielddistance.
RenderSettingsfortheSpiderBotWithdepthoffieldsetup,Iwasreadytorender.Isettheresolutionoftherenderto2600×3600,andintheIntegratorpaneloftheRendertab,IsetRenderSamplesto1000andClampto2toreducethenumberoffirefliesinthescene.
Iwantedlighttobouncearoundmysceneandilluminatetheshadows,butalmostallofthesceneisindirectlight,soIdidn’tneedtorelyonbouncedlighttooheavily.IsetMaxBouncesto32(withaminimumof4toallowearly
termination)andthethreeLightPathssettingsto32aswell.Ididn’tneedanyrenderlayersorextrapasses,soIlefttheLayerspanelaloneandpressedRender(F12).
CompositingtheSpiderBotNext,Iaddedsomecolorgradingandbloomtomyfinalrender.WhileCyclesprovidessomedifferentrenderpasses,theprocessofcompositingisessentiallythesameaswhenusingBlenderInternal.IaddedbloomasIdidwiththeBatCreature,usingaBlurnodetoblurtheimageandanAddnodetoaddtheresultbackontotheimage.Again,IaddedanRGBCurvesnodebeforetheBlurnodetoincreasethecontrastandslightlydarkentheimagetobeblurred.
Forcolorgrading,IaddedaColorBalancenode:IchoseapurplishcolorfortheLiftColorandagreenishtintfortheGain.IsettheGammatoslightlybluishandbrightenedupthehighlightsoftheimageabitbysettingthevalueofthegainslightlyhigherthan1.0.(YoucansetnumericalvaluesfortheRGBorHSVcolorsforLift,Gamma,andGainbyclickingthecolorpicker.)IthenconnectedtheoutputoftheColorBalancenodetotheimagesocketCompositeoutputnode.ThefinishednodetreeisshowninFigure14-15andtheresultingcompositeinFigure14-16.
RenderingandCompositingtheJungleTempleTheJungleTemplewasacomplexscene,andmyRendersettingshadamuchgreaterimpactonrendertimesforthisproject.Isettherendersizeoftheimageto2880×3840;thenumberofRenderSamplesintheSamplingsettingsto5000;andClampto3.0totrytoreducenoiseabitmorequickly.
NOTEAlthough5000samplesisalot,Iwasn’tparticularlyconcernedabouthowlongmyrendertook.Primarily,thishighnumberwasnecessarybecausetherewerealotofsoftshadowsinthescene.Forgoodresultswithfewersamples,youcantryturningdowntheSizesettingonsomeofthelampsinyoursceneatthecostofharder-edgedshadows.
Forbounces,IsettheMaxto128andMinto8toallowforprobabilisticray
termination.BecauseIwantedtocompositethefinalrenderonabackgroundimageofcloudsandsky,IturnedonTransparentunderFilmoptions.
IlefttheotherRenderoptionsattheirdefaultandpressedF12torender.
BackgroundRequiredWhencompositingtheJungleTemple,Iwantedtoaddbloom,depthoffield,andsomecolorgrading.ButfirstIneededtocompositemyrenderoverabackground,whichmeantcreatingabackgroundinGIMPandthenimportingitintoBlenderwithanImageTexturenodeforfurthercompositing.
Figure14-15.ThenodetreeforcompositingtheSpiderBot
Figure14-16.ThecompositedSpiderBot
PaintingtheSkyinGIMPTocreateaskybackground,IfirstsavedmyuncompositedrenderfromBlender’sImageeditorasa.pngimagewithtransparency(whensaving,remembertochooseRGBAnexttothefiletypetosavethetransparencyaswell).Then,IopenedtheimageinGIMP.Tocreateabackgroundforthetopright-handcorner,IopenedaskytexturefromCGTexturesasalayer(seeFigure14-17)andputitbelowtherenderinmylayerstack.Ithenscaledandpositionedthebackgroundtoputanicebitofcloudinthetopcorner(asyoucanseeinthefirstimageinFigure14-17).Tocreateanighttimebackground,IusedtheCurvestooltoreallydarkenthecloudslayer,whileusingtheHue-Saturation
andBrightnesstools(Colors▸Hue-Saturation)toreducethesaturationofthelayerabitsothatthecolorsdidn’tlooktoosaturated.
Next,IaddedsomeembellishmentstothecloudimageusingtheDodge/Burntool(settoDodge)andaddedhighlightstotheedgesofsomecloudsusingasoft-edgedbrush.IalsocreatedanewtransparentlayerandsetitsBlendmodetoOverlay.Ithenusedthisnewlayertoincorporatesomeextracolorsaroundtheclouds:alightbluearoundtheedgesoftheleavesonthetempleandsomegreensandyellowstowardthecorner.Throughout,mygoalwastoendupwithabackgroundthathadacolorpalettesimilartothatofmyrenderedimage.
Finally,Ihidtherenderlayer,savedthebackgroundonitsownasan.xcffile(CTRL-S)sothatIcouldedititlater,andexporteditasa.tgaimage(CTRL-E).ThebackgroundimageanditsvariousstagesareshowninFigure14-17.
CompositingtheTempleWithmybackgroundcreated,IreturnedtoBlender’scompositor.First,Ihadtoaddmybackgroundbehindmyrender.Todoso,IusedtheAlphaOvernodewiththebackgroundasthefirstinputandmyrenderasthesecond(seeFigure14-18).
Figure14-17.CreatingabackgroundfortheJungleTempleinGIMP,usinganearly,noisyrenderasaguide.Thebackgroundwasmadewiththesamedimensionsasthefinalimage,butonlythecorner
showingtheskyisshownhere.(Therestofthebackgroundimagewasblack.)Therender(onaseparatelayer)washiddenbeforesavingthebackground.
Figure14-18.CompositingthebackgroundinGIMPwithanAlphaOvernode.IalsoaddedaCurvesnodetodarkenitslightly.
DepthofFieldNextcamesomedepthoffield.WhenaddingdepthoffieldtotheSpiderBot,Iusedphysicallycorrect,rendereddepthoffield.However,fortheJungleScene,I
usedthecompositor’sDefocusnode.Thismethodgivesslightlylessaccurateresultsthanrendereddepthoffield,butitallowsformorecontroloverwhichareasareblurredandwhicharenotandletsuschangethefocusafterwefinishrendering,whichgivesusmoreflexibility.
TheDefocusnoderequirestwoinputs:theimagetobeblurredandablack-and-whitemaskthatdetermineshowmuchtoblurdifferentpartsoftheimage.Forthemask,youcanuseeitherthez-bufferdirectly(checktheUsez-bufferinputcheckbox),oryoucanuseanyblack-and-whiteimageasasimplemaskbyleavingitunchecked.Ifyouchoosetousethez-bufferdirectly,Blenderwillusethecamera’sdepth-of-fieldsettingsfoundintheObjectDatatabofthePropertieseditor.Regionscloserorfartherthanthedepth-of-fielddistancewillbeblurred.Ifyouturnthisoptionoff,Blenderwillusethevalueoftheinputtodeterminetheamountofblurringsothatwhiteregionswillbethemostblurredandblacktheleast.
FortheJungleTemplescene,Ioptedtousethez-bufferdirectly,butIaddedaBlurnode(witharadiusof6pixels)betweenthez-bufferoutputandthez-inputoftheDefocusnodetoblurthesevaluesslightly.Thismethodreducesthecreationofartifactsonforegroundobjects,whereobjectsthatshouldbeblurredappeartohavesharpedges.
Figure14-19.Addingdepthoffieldandbloomtothecomposite
AddingBloomandVignettingNext,Iaddedsomebloom.Aswiththeotherprojects,IblurredtheimageandcombineditbackovertheimagewithanAddMixnode.Iappliedsomevignettingbytakingthealphachanneloftherender,distortingitwiththeLensDistortionnode,blurringitwiththeBlurnode,andthenoverlayingthisontopoftheimage.ThenodesforthesestagesareshowninFigure14-19.
ColorGradingToaddcolorgrading,Iusedtwodifferentnodes.First,IputtheimagethroughaHueCorrectnode,whichletmeadjustthesaturation(orhueorvalue)ofspecificcolorswithintheimage.BecauseIwantedtoplayuptheorangesandgreensbeforeapplyingsomeextragrading,IadjustedthecurveoftheHueCorrectnode
byclickingthecurveanddraggingtoaddanewpoint,raisingtheprofileofthecurveintheorangeandgreenareas,andloweringitslightlyintheblues.Thisincreasedthesaturationoftheorangelightfromthetempleentranceandthegreenoftheleaves,makingthemmoreprominent.IrantheresultthroughaColorBalancenode,addingsomebluestotheshadowswithabluishliftcolorandsomeyellowandorangetothemidtonesandhighlightswithveryslightlyorangegammaandgaincolors.
Finally,IaddedaFilternodeattheendofthenodetree,justbeforetheCompositeoutputnode.IsetthistoSharpenwithafactorof0.05toaddsomeveryslightsharpeningtotheimage.
ThiscompletesthecompositingfortheJungleTemplescene.ThecompletenodesetupisshowninFigure14-20.
Figure14-20.ThenodetreeforcompositingtheJungleTemple,organizedwithframenodes
Asafinaladjustment,IopenedthecompositeimageinGIMPandcleaneduponeortworemainingdepth-of-fieldartifactsbyhandwiththeBlurtool.Ialsocroppedtheimageslightlytoimprovethecomposition.TheresultisshowninFigure14-21.
InReview
ThismoreorlesscompleteseachoftheprojectsIsetouttocreateforthebook.Inthischapter,ItookthefinalscenesandrenderedthemusingeitherCyclesorBlenderInternalasrenderengines.ThenItooktherenderoutputandusedGIMPandBlender’scompositortotweakandrefinetheseresultsintomyfinalimages.TheresultisrendersoftheprojectsthatIcannowcallfinished.
Ofcourse,there’salwaysanothertweakthatcanbemade,andinChapter15,we’lllookatafewmorethingsthatcouldbedonewiththeseprojectstotakethemfurther.
Figure14-21.ThefinalresultfortheJungleTemple
Chapter15.GoingFurther
Inthischapter,welookatsomepossibleadditionstothefinalprojects,potentialwaystodevelopthem,andwheretofindtheinformationonhowtodoso.BothBlenderandGIMPhavemanyusesbeyondthosediscussedinthisbook.Butasafull3Danimationsuite,Blenderhasanumberoffeaturesthatwehaven’thadtimetoexamine,soI’llconcentrateonhowwecanuseBlendertotakeourprojectsfurther.
Forexample,oneBlenderfeaturewecanusetoexpandtheprojectsistheArmatureobject,whichgivesmodelsakindofskeletonthatallowsthemtobemovedorposed.Theprocessofcreatinganarmatureforamodelandsettinguptheconnectionsthatmakethearmaturecontrolthemeshisknownasrigging,andtheresultingarmatureisknownasarig.Riggingcanbecomplex.Coveringitinfulliswellbeyondthescopeofthisbook,butIwillbrieflyreviewtheprinciplesofriggingtheSpiderBot.Onceyouhaveriggedyourcreations,youcananimatethemusingBlender’sanimationtools.Likerigging,animationisatopicthatwouldtakeabookofitsowntocover,soI’lljustsuggestsomeideas,aswellasresourcesforfurtherreading.
Butfirst,let’slookatsomesimplewaystoaddextradetailstotheprojects.
EmbellishmentsIt’softendifficulttofindthepointwhereyou’refinallyreadytocallaprojectfinished.Sometimesaprojectisjustmissingsomething—certaindetailsoradditionalobjectsthatwouldallowyoutogetextramileageoutofyourcreation.Tothatend,herearesomeideasforextraswecouldaddtotheprojects.
AddingtotheJungleTempleTheJungleTemplescenealreadyhasalotgoingon,butthecolorschemeisprettysimple.Onewaytodressitupwouldbetocreateafewfloweringplants
toaddasplashofcolorhereandthere.Iusedfaceduplication(awaytoduplicateoneobjectoverthefacesofanother)toaddsomeflowerstotheIvyGenmesh,andIincreasedthenumberofleavestomaketheplantlifemoreinteresting.Icreatedanew“branch”objectconsistingofafewleavesandflowersandthenreplacedthefacesintheoriginalleafmeshwithaninstanceofthisobject.Conveniently,thisbranchobjectalsorendersquickly:Cyclesrecognizesthateachinstanceoftheduplicatedbranchsharesthesamemeshdata,soitstorestheobjectonlyonce,keepingthememoryrequirementsforrenderingreasonablylow.
CreatingtheBranchObjectTocreateabranch,Ibeganbysubdividingaplaneandgivingitaslightlycurvedshape.Thisformedthebasisofmyleaf,whichIduplicatedafewtimesandarrangedinanarchinggroupoffiveleaves.Icreatedaflowerusingafive-vertexcircle,whichIthenfilledinandextrudedouttocreatethepetals.Next,Iunwrappedtheflowerandtheleaf.Iusedthesametextureandmaterialfortheleavesofthebranchasbefore.Fortheflower,IusedaflowerphotofromCGTextures.IcreatedatextureandmaterialfromitasIhaddonefortheleaves.Ialsomodeledsomebasictwigsforthenewleavestoattachtobycreatingacubeandextrudingfromittoroughlylineupwiththeleaves.Intheend,Icreatedtwobranchobjects:onewithflowersandonewithout,asshowninFigure15-1.
Figure15-1.ThebranchobjectsIusedtoincreasethecomplexityofthefoliageintheJungleTemple.Above:Thebranchobjectsinthe3DViewport.Below:Thebranchobjectsrendered.
DuplicatingwithFaceDuplicationTousethebranchobjecttocreatesomeextrafoliage,IturnedonFaceDuplicationintheDuplicationpanel,whichyoucanfindintheObjecttabofthePropertieseditor.Toduplicateabranch,Iparentedit(selectingthebranch,thentheIvyGenmesh,andhittingCTRL-P)totheIvyGenleafmesh.Then,IsettheduplicationtypetoFacesintheDuplicationpanel.ThiscreatedaduplicateofthebranchobjectforeachfaceoftheIvyGenmesh.
Theobjectsmusthavethesameoriginortheduplicateswillbeoffsetfromtheparentmesh,soIselectedmybranchobjectandsnappedmycursortoit(SHIFT-S▸CursortoSelection).Next,IselectedtheIvyGenleafmesh,clickedOriginoperatorinthe3DViewportToolShelf,andselectedOriginto3DCursor,givingthetwoobjectsthesameorigin.
Faceduplicationallowseachduplicatetoinheritthescaleofthefaceitisduplicatedfrom.ItookadvantageofthisbyenablingScaleintheDuplicationpanelandthenaddingsomerandomvariationtothescaleoftheIvyGenfaces.Todoso,IusedSelect▸RandominEditmodetoselectarandomsampleofthefacesinthemesh.Next,IscaledthemdownslightlywiththePivotPointsettoIndividualFacesinthe3DViewportheader(sothefaceswouldscaledowntowardtheircenters).Thisscaleddownarandomselectionofthefaces.Then,Irepeatedtheprocess—thistimeselectingdifferentfaces—andscaledthemupabit.
Tocreateamixbetweenthetwobranchobjects,IsplittheIvyGenmeshbyselectingit,switchingtoEditmode,andsettingtheselectionmethodtoFacesfromthe3DViewportheader.Then,IusedSelect▸Random—againchoosing20percentofthefacesinthemesh(youcanadjustthepercentageintheToolOptionspaneloftheToolShelf)—andpressedPtopartthemfromthemeshandturnthemintotheirownobject.Next,IparentedthebranchwithoutflowerstotheoriginalIvyGenobjectandthebranchwithflowerstothenewone,creatingsomebrancheswithflowersandsomewithout.TheresultisshowninFigure15-2.
CreatingPebblesTogivethegroundinthescenealittlemorevariation,Iusedanotherparticlesystemtoscatterpebblesontheground.Icreatedagroupofpebbleobjects,asIdidforthegrass.Then,Iaddedanewparticlesystemtotheground,settingitupsimilarlytothegrasssystem.Thistime,though,IusedSimpleChildparticlestoscatterthepebblesinsmallclustersaroundthescene.Figure15-3showsarenderofthescenewiththeadditionoftheextrafoliageandthepebbles.
Figure15-2.IncreasingthenumberofleavesbyduplicatingmultiplebranchobjectsforeachoriginalfaceintheIvyGenleafmesh
AddingtotheBatCreatureIdecidedthattheBatCreaturemightbenefitfromhavingsomethingtostandon,soIcreatedarockyplinthtogivehimaplatform.Ialsoexperimentedwith
addingawispycloudaroundhisfeet.
Figure15-3.ArenderoftheJungleTemplescenewithsomeextrafeaturesadded
CreatingtheRockTocreatetheplatform(arock),Ifirstmodeledaroughshapebyscalingandextrudingoutfromacube.Next,IusedBlender’ssculpttoolsandaMultiresolutionmodifiertosculptthisroughshapeintoarockyone.TheClay
TubesandScrapeFlatbrushfromChapter6wereparticularlyusefulforthispurpose(seeFigure15-4).IusedtheseamlessrocktexturefromChapter11(thatIcreatedfortheJungleTempleproject)ontopofthesculpteddetailsasadisplacementmap.
ImadeamaterialfortherockusingthesamerocktexturesIcreatedinChapter11,andIaddedanotherlightbehindtherocktolightupitstoprimfromthecamera’sperspective.IsetthislighttoThisLayerOnlyintheLampssettingssothatitwouldlightonlytherock,whichwasonitsownlayeralongwiththelamp.IthenshiftedthecameradownslightlyandangledituptogiveadifferentperspectiveontheBatCreature,andIadjustedthepositionsofhisfeettomakehimstandontherockcorrectly.
Figure15-4.CreatingtherockfortheBatCreaturetostandon
AddingCloudsTocomplementthemoodoftheimage,Iaddedsomecloudsaroundtherock.Blenderhassomefantastictoolsforrenderingvolumetricmaterialslikeclouds.Afulldiscussionwouldrequireitsownchapter,butthankfullyforourpurposes,it’ssimpleenoughtosaythataterrificadd-oncalledCloudGeneratorwilldomostofthework.EnabletheaddonfromtheUserPreferenceseditor.
TousetheCloudGeneratorscript,Ifirstsketchedtheroughvolumeofmycloudusingcubes.Then,IusedtheGenerateCloudbutton,whichcanbefoundintheToolShelf,toautomaticallygeneratecloudobjectswiththeroughshapeofthecubeobjectsselectedandtosetupappropriatematerials(seeFigure15-5).
Ileftthegeneratedmaterialalmostasitwasmadebytheadd-on,exceptthatIturnedonExternalShadowsintheLightingpaneloftheMaterialstabandsetthescaleofthecloudstexturebelongingtothematerialabitlowertogivethecloudsomemoredetail.Irenderedthecloudonitsownrenderlayerandcompositeditintomyimageafteraddingthebackgroundinmycompsetup(beforethebloomandcolorgradingwereapplied).TheresultsareshowninFigure15-6.
Figure15-5.CreatingcloudswiththeCloudGeneratorscript
Figure15-6.Thefinishedcloudscompositedintomyscene
DifferentLooksAnotherwaytogetmoreoutofaprojectistoconsidersomedifferentlooksforyourfinalrenders.Thismightinvolvefindingnewcameraanglesortryingdifferentlightingschemes.IexperimentedwithsomedifferentlooksforlightingtheSpiderBot,aswellasdifferentcameraangles,asshowninFigure15-7.
RiggingandAnimationOfcourse,themostdramaticwaytotakeyourprojectsfurtheristoanimatethem.Onesimplewaytoanimateasceneistorenderaturntablebyrotatingthecameraaroundthesubjectandkeyingitspositionandrotationasitmovesinacircle.Anotherwayistorenderafly-through,withyourcameramovingaroundthescenetoshowdifferentpointsofinterest.Morecomplexanimation—forexample,animatingyourcharacter’smovements—involvescreatingrigsforanymovingelementsandthenkeying,orstoring,thedifferentpropertiesandpositionsoftheseelementsthroughtime.
Figure15-7.AlternaterendersoftheSpiderBot,withdifferentlightingandcameraangles
Riggingrequiresaddinganarmatureobjecttoyoursceneandeditingittocreatea“skeleton”foryourmodel.Next,youmustbindyourmodeltothearmature,eitherbyparentingthemodel’sobjectstospecificbonesor,preferably,byusingtheArmaturemodifiertoassigndifferentvertexgroupswithinobjectstothedifferentbonesofthearmature.Onceyou’vecompletedthesesteps,youcanswitchtoPosemodewiththearmatureselectedtobeginmovingandposingyourmodel(seeFigure15-8).
Inadditiontocreatingbonestodirectlycontrolpartsofyourmodel,youcanalsocreateconstraintsandhelperbonestoformakindofuserinterfaceforyourrig.Thesecouldincludecontrolstomakesurethatlimbsreachforaspecificpointautomaticallyorcontrolstomakethemodelperformcertainactions.Forexample,inFigure15-8,thebonesshownhighlightedinyellowandgreenarethosethathavehadconstraintsappliedtomakeposingthelegseasier.Thisisacomplexprocess,though.Tolearnmoreaboutrigging,lookattheresourcesavailablefromtheBlenderFoundationShopandontheBlenderwiki.
Figure15-8.Workingwitharmatures.Top:ThearmaturefortheSpiderBotseenonitsownfromabove,inB-Boneview(oneofthedisplayoptionsforarmatures).Middle:PosingtheSpiderBotusingtherig.
Bottom:TheposedSpiderBotshownonitsown.Onceyourmodelisrigged,youcanbeginanimatingyourcreation.Bykeyingthetransformationsofthebonesinyourrigs,orstoringtheirposes,andthenmovingthroughBlender’stimeline,changingtherig’spose,andkeyingitagain,youcanbuildupasequenceofpositionsandposesforyourrigtomovethrough.Whenplayedback,yourmodelwillthenperformthesequenceofmovementsdefinedbytheposesyoucreated.
InReviewOverthecourseofthisbook,wehaveprogressedfromtheinitialinspirationforourprojectstofinalimagesandbeyond.AfterintroducingBlenderandGIMPinChapter1andChapter2,welookedathowtogather,create,andusereferenceandconceptartinChapter3,andmovedontoblockinginthefundamentalsofourscenesintheformofroughgeometryandbasemeshesinChapter4.InChapter5,Chapter6,andChapter7,weexpandedupontheseroughformswithfurthergeometryandwithBlender’ssculptingandretopologytools.InChapter8,weunwrappedthemodelsfortexturing.
Withthemodelslaidout,weaddedfurtherdetailswithparticlesystemsinChapter9andtexturesinChapter10andChapter11.InChapter12andChapter13,webeganturningourcollectionofmodelsandtexturesintoarenderablescenewithmaterialsandlighting,andinChapter14,weturnedour.blendfilesintofinishedrenders.
Ihopethatthischapterhasgivenyouafewideasforwaysyoucanenhancethefinishedprojectsinthisbookoryourownprojects.I’vecoveredaddingextradetailstoscenesandproducingextrarenderswithdifferentsceneryormoods.I’vealsotouchedontheideaofanimatingandriggingprojects,movingfromtherealmofstillimagesintomovingpictures.
Throughoutthisbook,I’veusedmythreeprojectstoillustratewhatpowerfultoolsBlenderandGIMPareandhowtheirdiverserangeoffunctionscanbeused.Eachtoolhastremendousdepthandcanbedauntingatfirst,butonceyougettoknowthetools,they’refantasticforbringingyourideastolife.Ihopeyou’llenjoyusingtheskillsyou’velearnedinthisbooktodojustthat.
AppendixA.
BlenderMasterClassissetinNewBaskerville,Futura,andDogma.ThebookwasprintedandboundatSheridanBooks,Inc.inChelsea,Michigan.
AppendixB.AbouttheProjectFiles
Forinstructionsondownloadingthefilesfortheprojectsinthisbook,visithttp://www.nostarch.com/blendermasterclass.htm.Thefilesincludeseparate.blendfilesforeachproject(correspondingtoeachchapterinthebook)andeachprojectinitsfinalstateattheendofeachchapter(whererelevant).Theseresourcesshouldallowyoutolookin-depthattheworkingsofeachprojectandtoexaminehoweachonetakesshape.Alsoincludedarethetexturesusedforeachproject,.blendfileswithsomeusefulbrushesforsculptingandMatCapmaterials,andaGIMPbrushthatyoucanuseinyourownprojects.LinkstothetexturesfromCGTextures(http://www.cgtextures.com/)arelistedinatextfile.
ThefilesarelicensedundertheCreativeCommonsnoncommercialattribution(CC-BY-NC)license.
Index
ANOTEONTHEDIGITALINDEXAlinkinanindexentryisdisplayedasthesectiontitleinwhichthatentryappears.Becausesomesectionshavemultipleindexmarkers,itisnotunusualforanentrytohaveseverallinkstothesamesection.Clickingonanylinkwilltakeyoudirectlytotheplaceinthetextinwhichthemarkerappears.
Symbols
2Dcurve,EditMode
2Dimageediting,IntroductiontoGIMP
3Dcursor,Scenes
3Dcurve,EditMode
3DViewport,AboutBlender,MultipleLayouts
backgroundimagesin,UVImageEditor
coordinatesin,The3DViewport
customizing,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
displaymodesin,The3DViewport
Editmode,EditMode
navigating,The3DViewport
regionsin,LayoutandUITerminology
Sculptmode,Sculpting
TexturePaintmode,TexturePainting
TexturedSolidshadingoptionin,ImagesandTextures
3d.sk,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
A
activeobject,Scenes
AdaptiveRendereroption,forhairparticlesrendering,EmissionPanel
Adaptive/ConstantQMCsetting,forray-tracedshadow,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
Addblendingmode,AddingaLight
AddbrushinWeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp,ParticleMode
AddShaderNode,forCyclesrenderer,CyclesMaterials,PeachFuzz
add-ons,enabling,BakingDiffuseColorsandTextures
Airbrushtool(GIMP),TheToolbox
aliasing,Dimensions
Aligntool(GIMP),TheToolbox
aligningorthographicreferences,TestingCompositionsinBlender
AlphaOvernode,ExtraAmbientOcclusion
alphas
astextures,TextureMapTypes,CombiningLeavesontoaSingleTexture
forsculpting,BrushOptions,Detailing
AmbientColor,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
ambientocclusion
adjustingcurvestoaddcolor,GeneralTipsforBakingMaps,LayerModesandOpacity
baking,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
asmask,GroundTexture
forBatCreature,AdjustingColors
forJungleTemplescene,GeneralTipsforBakingMaps
forSpiderBot,BakingMapsforMultipleObjects
inWorldsettings,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
texturetype,Texture-BakingControls
Ambientoption,formaterialshading,BlenderInternalMaterials
anatomy
insculpting,SculptingConcepts,CoarseAnatomy
ofskull,SculptingNatural-LookingFaces
Anchoredstrokeforsculpting,BrushOptions
angles,snappingviewporttospecific,The3DViewport
animated.gihGIMPbrush,AddingVariationtoaBrush
animation,GoingFurther,DifferentLooks
Animationlayout,LayoutandUITerminology
anti-aliasing,Dimensions
Appearancepanel,inSculptmode,BrushOptions
appending,Datablocks
ApplyBaseoperator,TheMultiresModifier
ApplyCameraImage,inTexturePaintmode,ProjectPaint
ApproximateGathermethod,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettings
inBlenderInternal
arealamp,Lighting
AreaPlane,ofbrush,ScrapeFlat
armatureobject,GoingFurther,DifferentLooks
Arraymodifier,Modifiers,Plants,IvyGen
AspectRatiosetting,forBlenderInternalrenderer,Dimensions
associatedalpha,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Attenuationsetting,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal
AutoclipStart/Endsetting,forshadowbuffers,LampObjectsinCycles
AverageIslandsScaleoperator,SharingUVSpaceEfficiently
axes
constrainingsculptingto,BrushOptions
displayoptionforobjects,ApplyingTransforms,ApplyingTransforms
forMirrormodifier,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh
guidelinesin3Dviewport,switchingoff,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
in3Dspace,The3DViewport
inUVspace,EditingUVCoordinates
of3Dmanipulatorwidget,ManipulatingObjects
restrictingoperatorsto,Modifiers
B
B-Splinemethod,forhairstrandrendering,Render
backlight,TheFillLight
forJungleTemple,TempleEntranceLighting
backgroundcolor
inGIMP,TheToolbox
OnlyRenderoptionand,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
backgroundimages
conceptartas,Snapping
in3DViewport,UVImageEditor
backgroundofscene,The3DViewport
forJungleTemple,DepthofFieldinCycles
renderoptionsfor,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Backgroundshader,forCyclesrenderer,CyclesMaterials
baking,TextureBaking
(seealsotexturebaking)
Bakemode,ImagesandTextures
Bakepanel,BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMesh
displacementtoretopologizedmesh,AboutDisplacementMaps
basemeshes,Snapping
(seealsoBatCreature:basemesh)
BatCreature
ambientocclusiontexturemapfor,AdjustingColors
basemesh
applyingtransforms,ApplyingTransforms
finishedbody,ApplyingTransforms
handsandfeet,PosesforModelingCharacters
head,ModelingtheHandsandFeet
loopcutsandfaceandedgeloops,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh
posesformodeling,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops
proportionalediting,ModelingtheHead
BlenderInternalrenderer,torender,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
clouds,CreatingtheRock,DifferentLooks
compositedoutput,CompositingFeedbackandViewerNodes
compositingnodetreefor,CompositingFeedbackandViewerNodes
compositingpasses,BalancingRenderTimeandQuality
diffusetexture,SpecularMap
addedtoskinmaterial,FurtherTextures
lighting,WorldSettingsinCycles
eyes,ShadowsandFur
floorshadows,ShadowsandFur
materials,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
fur,SubsurfaceScattering,Fur
peachfuzz,PeachFuzz
skin,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
teeth,nails,andeyes,SubsurfaceScattering
modelingdetails,Coupling
nailsandteeth,AdjustingColors
peachfuzzfor,PeachFuzz
platform,CreatingPebbles
renderlayers,BalancingRenderTimeandQuality
renderingandcompositing,BalancingRenderTimeandQuality
retopologyfor,RetopologizingtheJungleTempleTrees
body,RetopologizingtheBody
decimation,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
shadowbufferspotlamps,ShadowsandFur
shapingandstylinghair,ParticleMode
texturebakingfor,TextureMapTypes
ambientocclusionbaking,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
bitdepthandtextures,BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMesh
displacementfromsculpttofinalmesh,TextureMapTypes
displacementmapapplied,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
normalmapbaking,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
texturepainting,TexturingtheBatCreature,InReview
eyes,SpecularMap,TexturingtheEyes
layergroups,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
layermasks,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
layermodes,AddingaLight
materialsandUIsetup,TexturingtheBatCreature
seams,FixingSeams
specularandhardnesstextures,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
unwrapping,AssigningUVTextures
UVseams,UnwrappingTools
Worldsettingsfor,WorldSettingsfortheBatCreature
Bevelmodifier,Walls
bevelededge,addingtowallblocks,Walls
Béziercurves,TheToolbox,EditMode,BlockingintheJungleTemple
wiresmodeledfrom,IvyGen
Biassetting
forshadowborders,Shadow-BufferOptions
inRendertab,Bakepanel,ImagesandTextures
BidirectionalScatteringDistributionFunction(BSDF)Shadernodes,BlenderInternalMaterials
BigBuckBunny,AboutBlender
bitdepth,andtextures,BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMesh
BleedoptionforProjectPaintmethod,ProjectPaint
Blend(Color/Texture)setting,forsubsurfacescattering,SubsurfaceScattering
.blendfiles,Datablocks
default,MultipleLayouts,Scenes,Snapping,DragAlpha
hierarchicalstructure,TheNodeEditor
layoutssavedwith,LayoutandUITerminology
packing,Datablocks
Blendtool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Blender
basics,IntroductiontoBlender
userinterface,defaultlayout,AboutBlender
using,TheNodeEditor
Blenderbuilds,availability,AboutBlender
BlenderFoundation,IntroductiontoBlender
openmovieprojectsof,IntroductiontoBlender
BlenderInternalrenderer,Materials
lighting,Lighting
shadows,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
vs.Cycles,Lighting
materialsfor,TransmissionandRefraction
nodesin,TextureNodes,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
vs.Cyclesrenderer,ProjectPaint
BlenderUnitsoption,forstrandrendering,Fur
Blenderwiki,BlenderInternalMaterials
forColorManagement,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Blobbrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushOptions
blockingin,BlockingIn
basemeshes,Snapping
JungleTemple,Modifiers
modifiers,OtherWaystoModel:Curves
bloom,Bloom
addingtoBatCreature,Bloom
addingtoJungleTemple,DepthofField
addingtoSpiderBot,DepthofFieldinCycles
BlurbrushinWeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp
Blurnode,ColorCorrection
Blurtool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Bordersetting,forBlenderInternalrenderer,Dimensions
Bouncesetting,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
Braidoption,forhairparticles,Children
breakingsymmetry,BatCreaturesculpting,ProceduralDetails
brightness,oflamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
brushanglesetting,CreatingCustomBrushes
Brushbrushtype,TexturePainting
BrushDynamicsdialog,AddingVariationtoaBrush
Brushmode,SpecularMap
Brushpanel,BrushOptions
brushes
inBlender
creatingcustom,CreatingCustomBrushes
makingavailablebydefault,DragAlpha
sculptingoptions,Sculpting,BrushOptions
inGIMP,Dialogs
creatingcustom,TexturinginGIMP
BSDF(BidirectionalScatteringDistributionFunction)Shadernodes,BlenderInternalMaterials
Bsurfacesadd-on,UsingSnappingtoRetopologize,Retopologizingthe
JungleTempleTrees
Buckettool(GIMP),TheToolbox
bumpmap,TextureMapTypes,Displacement
C
CageDeformtool(GIMP),TheToolbox
camera
indefaultscene,Scenes
snappingtocurrentview,Modifiers
texturingtocamera,TexturingtoCamera
Cameraoption,forNormalstexturemap,Texture-BakingControls
cancelingselectioninGIMP,Filters
canvas,inGIMP,TheToolbox
Catmull-Clarksubdivision,Topology,TheMultiresModifier
caustics,RenderingwithCycles
CGTextures,AdjustingColors,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP,AddingtotheJungleTemple
Channelsdialog,Dialogs
childparticles,HairLength,Render
forBatCreaturefur,ShapingYourHair
Clampoption,inCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
Classicalshadowbuffers,Shadow-BufferOptions
Classical-Halfwayshadowbuffers,Shadow-BufferOptions
Claybrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushOptions,Volumes
clayrenders,PositioningtheLights,Dimensions
ClayTubesbrush,Body
creating,CreatingCustomBrushes
Clearoption,inRendertab,Bakepanel,ImagesandTextures
ClipStart/Endsetting,forshadowbuffers,LampObjectsinCycles
clipping,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh
Clonebrushtype,TexturePainting
CloneoptionforProjectPaintmethod,ProjectPaint
Clonetool(GIMP),TheToolbox,AdjustingColors,FixingSeams,GroundTexture
closedcurves,EditMode
cloth,simulating,ThePropertiesEditor
cloudtexture,ProceduralDetails,Fur
clumpoption,forchildparticles,Render
coarseanatomysculpting,SculptingConcepts
BatCreature,CoarseAnatomy
color
adjustinginGIMP,LayerModesandOpacity,AdjustingColors
andbackgroundinBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
forshadow,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
lightingand,GeneralLightingTips
swatchesinGIMPToolbox,TheToolbox
ColorBalancenode,Bloom
colorblendsettings,forsubsurfacescattering,SubsurfaceScattering
colorgrading
BatCreature,ColorCorrection
JungleTemple,DepthofField
SpiderBot,DepthofFieldinCycles
ColorMixnode,SocketTypes
colorpicker
inBlender
forlamps,LightinginBlenderInternal
inMaterialstab,BlenderInternalMaterials
inGIMP,TheToolbox,TexturinginGIMP
Combtool,forhairshaping,ParticleMode
compositing
BatCreature,BalancingRenderTimeandQuality
feedbackandviewernodes,ColorCorrection
JungleTemple,DepthofFieldinCycles
layoutfor,LayoutandUITerminology
SpiderBot,RetouchinginGIMP
turningon,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
composition,WhattoLookforinReferenceMaterial
ruleofthirds,Composition
silhouetteandnegativespace,Composition
simplicityandfocus,SimplicityandFocus
testinginBlender,TestingCompositionsinBlender
visualpath,SimplicityandFocus
compositionguides,inBlender,TestingCompositionsinBlender
Compositor,BalancingRenderTimeandQuality
Connectoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
ConstantQMCsetting,forray-tracedshadow,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
ConverttoMeshoperator(ALT-C),IvyGen,Coupling,CreatingaScalp
▸MeshFromCurve/Meta/Text,RetopologizingtheJungleTempleTrees
coordinates,ManipulatingObjects
in3D,The3DViewport
copyingobjects,Datablocks
copyrightforreferencematerial,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
coupling,forSpiderBot,Coupling
Creasebrushtype,Body
inSculptmode,BrushOptions,Volumes
CreaseLazybrush,ScrapeFlat,SculptingtheWings
creasing,StoneCarvings
Cropsetting,forBlenderInternalrenderer,Dimensions
Croptool(GIMP),TheToolbox
CubeProjectionoperator,TheUVGrid
cube,indefaultscene,Scenes
CubicInterpolationoption,formaterialshading,BlenderInternalMaterials
CulloptionforProjectPaintmethod,ProjectPaint
Curloption,forhairparticles,Children
curvehandles,OtherWaystoModel:Curves
Curvemodifier,Modifiers
formeshalongcurve,IvyGen
Curveobject,EditMode
asinputformodifiers,OtherWaystoModel:Curves
convertingtomeshes,IvyGen
typesof,OtherWaystoModel:Curves
Curvepanel,inSculptmode,BrushOptions
curves,EditMode
Curvestool(GIMP),CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
custombrushes
addingvariation,AddingVariationtoaBrush
creatinginGIMP,TexturinginGIMP
customizingBlenderuserinterface,LayoutandUITerminology
Cutoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
forfixingtopology,DealingwithDifficultTopology
Cyclesrenderer,AboutBlender,Materials,BlenderInternalMaterials
lighting,Shadow-BufferOptions
vs.BlenderInternalrenderer,Lighting
mesh-emitterobjectsin,LampObjectsinCycles
preview,PeachFuzz,LightingtheSpiderBot
RenderTaboptionsfor,RenderingwithCycles
screenlayoutforeditingmaterials,AddingTextures
Texturenodes,TextureNodes
vs.BlenderInternalrenderer,ProjectPaint
Worldsettingsin,WorldSettingsinCycles
CylinderProjectionoperator,TheUVGrid
D
DarkenbrushinWeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp
DarkenOnlybrushmode,SpecularMap
datablocks,OtherCoordinateSystems
definingobjectsas,OtherCoordinateSystems
linkingandappendingfromother.blendfiles,Datablocks
namesfor,Datablocks
decals,forSpiderBot,CreatingThreeTextures
decimation,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
Deepshadowbuffers,Shadow-BufferOptions
default.blendfile,Scenes
custombrushesin,DragAlpha
savinglayoutin,MultipleLayouts
defaultlayouts,LayoutandUITerminology
defaultnodetree,CompositingthePasses
Defocusnode,RetouchinginGIMP,DepthofField
DeleteEdgeLoopoperator,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops
Deleteoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
deleting
curvesegments,EditMode
faces,Modifiers
loops,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh
objects,OtherCoordinateSystems
unuseddatablockswhenquittingBlender,Datablocks
depthoffield
andfocus,SimplicityandFocus
forJungleTemplescene,DepthofField
forSpiderBot,RetouchinginGIMP
inCyclesrenderer,RetouchinginGIMP
Descartes,René,The3DViewport
details,addingextra,GoingFurther
(seealsomodelingdetails)
developmentbuilds,AboutBlender
dialogs,inGIMP,Dialogs
Differenceblendmode,FixingSeams
DiffuseBSDFshader,Leaves
forCyclesrenderer,CyclesMaterials
diffusecolors,baking,BakingDiffuseColorsandTextures
Diffusepanel,inMaterialstabofBlenderInternalrenderer,BlenderInternalMaterials
diffusereflection,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
Diffusesetting,forpointlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
directionallighting,oncharacters,GeneralLightingTips
displacementmaps,SculptingAroundtheEyes
applyingtomodel,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
applyingtosculpt,AboutDisplacementMaps
bakingfromsculpttofinalmesh,TextureMapTypes
sizeguidelines,GeneralTipsforBakingMaps
Displacementmodifier,ProceduralDetails,TextureMapTypes
controllingwithvertexgroup,ApplyingDisplacementtotheSculpt
Displacementtexturemap,TextureMapTypes
Display(Percentage)option,forparticlesystem,Render
displaymodes,in3DViewport,The3DViewport
Displaypanel
forparticlesystem,Render
of3DViewportPropertiesregion,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
Dissolveoperator
fortopology,DealingwithDifficultTopology
inEditmode,EditMode
Distancesetting
forAttenuationsetting,worldlighting,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal
forlamps,LightinginBlenderInternal
inRendertab,Bakepanel,ImagesandTextures
Dithersetting,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Dodge/Burntool(GIMP),TheToolbox,DiffuseMap,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP
DragAlphabrush,DragAlpha,Detailing
Drawbrush
inSculptmode,BrushTypes
inTexturepaintmode,TexturePainting
Duplicateoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
duplicating
groupsofobjects,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
linkedduplicates,OtherCoordinateSystems,Plants
objects,OtherCoordinateSystems
simpleduplicates,Plants
SpiderBotlegs,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
withfaceduplication,AddingtotheJungleTemple
E
ears,topologyof,Nose/NasolabialFold
edgeloops,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh
adding,DealingwithDifficultTopology
operators,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops
Edgeoperators,TaggingEdges
EdgeRendering,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
EdgeSlideoperator,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
EdgeSplitmodifier,Walls,StoneCarvings
edges,EditMode
aligningwithform,DealingwithDifficultTopology
extruding,EditMode
rotatingtomovetriangles,DealingwithDifficultTopology
subdividing,PosesforModelingCharacters
tagging,StoneCarvings
Editmode,Datablocks,BlockingIn
3DViewportin,EditMode
switchingto,Modifiers
editabletextinGIMP,TheToolbox
editingUVcoordinates,EditingUVCoordinates
editors,AboutBlender,MultipleLayouts
(seealsonamesofspecificeditors)
switching,LayoutandUITerminology
ElephantsDream,IntroductiontoBlender
EllipseSelectiontool,TexturingtheEyes
Emissionpanel,forparticlesystem,HairLength
Emissionshader,forCyclesrenderer,TextureNodes,LampObjectsinCycles
Emissiontexturemap,TextureMapTypes
Emitoption,formaterialshading,BlenderInternalMaterials
Emittersetting,forhairparticles,EmissionPanel
Emittertype,forparticlesystem,HairLength
empties,image,UVImageEditor
Energysetting,forpointlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
EnvironmentLightingsetting,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal
EnvironmentTexturenode,WorldSettingsinCycles
Erasertool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Errorsetting,forsubsurfacescattering,SubsurfaceScattering
exporting
inGIMP,Filters,AdjustingColors
objectaswavefrontobject,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
Exposuresetting,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
expression,sculptingforBatCreature,ProceduralDetails
.exr(OpenEXR)fileformat,BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMesh
savingdisplacementmapas,BitDepthandTextures
Extrudeoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
extrudingfaces,edges,andvertices,EditMode
eyes
ofBatCreature,Coupling,SubsurfaceScattering
sculpting,SculptingtheWings
texturing,SpecularMap,TexturingtheEyes
topologyaround,DealingwithDifficultTopology,HeadTopology
F
facecount,ThePropertiesEditor
faceduplication,AddingtotheJungleTemple
faceloops,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh
forBatCreaturebody,RetopologizingtheBody
Faceoption,forsnapping,Snapping
faces(geometry),EditMode
deleting,Modifiers
extruding,EditMode
faces(ofcharacters)
expression,ProceduralDetails
sculptingnatural-looking,Legs
topologyfor,HeadTopology
“fake”user,Datablocks
Falloffsettings
forAttenuationsetting,worldlighting,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal
forlamps,LightinginBlenderInternal
forproportionalediting,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
FastNavigate,DragAlpha
Fattenoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
feet,modeling,ModelingtheHandsandFeet
Filemenu,ThePropertiesEditor
▸LoadFactorySettings,MultipleLayouts
▸NewImage,TexturingtheEyes
▸OpenAsLayers,AligningOrthographicReferences
▸UserPreferences,DragAlpha
Fillbrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
filllight,TheFillLight
forJungleTemple,TempleEntranceLighting
Filloperator,inEditmode,EditMode
Fillsetting,EditMode
Filltool,TexturingtheEyes
Filmpanel,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
Filternode,DepthofField
Filtertype,forblendingshadowborders,Shadow-BufferOptions
Filtersmenu(GIMP)
▸Distort▸IWarp,DiffuseMap
▸Distort▸LensDistortion,AligningOrthographicReferences
filters,inGIMP,Dialogs
finedetailsinsculpting,SculptingConcepts
fingers,modeling,PosesforModelingCharacters
fireflies
aslightingartifacts,LampObjectsinCycles
inCyclesrenders,RenderingwithCycles
Flatshadingmode,CreatingtheSpiderBot
Flattenbrushtype,Legs
inSculptmode,BrushTypes
Fliptool(GIMP),TheToolbox,AdjustingColors
FloatLengthparameter,IvyGen
floatinglayers(GIMP),ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
fluids,simulating,ThePropertiesEditor
fly-through,DifferentLooks
focallength,RetouchinginGIMP
focalplane,RetouchinginGIMP
FollowActiveQuadsUnwrapoperator,TheUVGrid,MultipleUVMaps
foregroundcolor,inGIMP,TheToolbox
ForegroundSelecttool(GIMP),TheToolbox
framenodes,CompositingFeedbackandViewerNodes
frame,renderingcurrent,RenderingandCompositing
frontview,snappingto,The3DViewport
FullRendertexturemap,Texture-BakingControls
fur,ThePropertiesEditor
(seealsohairparticles)
forBatCreature,PeachFuzz
materials,SubsurfaceScattering,Fur
tipsfor,HairandFurTips
G
GameLogiclayout,LayoutandUITerminology
Gather(RayTraceandApproximate)settings,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal
GaussianBlurfilter(GIMP),Filters,FixingSeams
.gbrfileformat,TexturinginGIMP
GeometryInputnode,SocketTypes
gestureinsculpting,SculptingConcepts
.gihfileformat,TexturinginGIMP
GIMP,IntroductiontoGIMP
.xcffileformat,Filters,AdjustingColors,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
basics,IntroductiontoGIMP
creatingimage,Dialogs
fixingtextureseamsin,FixingSeams
layers,Filters,AddingaLight
reasonsforusing,IntroductiontoGIMP
referencepreparationin,TestingCompositionsinBlender
retouchingin,NodeGroups
seamlesstexturecreationin,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
texturepaintingin,ProjectPaint
creatingbrushes,TexturinginGIMP
userinterface,WhyGIMP?
GlassBSDFshader,forCyclesrenderer,CyclesMaterials
globalcoordinates,The3DViewport,ManipulatingObjects
GlossyBSDFshader,CyclesMaterials,PeachFuzz,SocketTypes
GLSLShadingmode,TexturingtheBatCreature,TheFillLight
GNUGeneralPublicLicense,IntroductiontoBlender
GNUProject,IntroductiontoGIMP
goldenmean,Composition
Grabbrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
Grapheditor,TheNodeEditor
grass,forJungleTemple,ComplexHaircuts
GreasePencilpanel,Volumes
gridfloor,The3DViewport
coordinatesin,The3DViewport
turningoff,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
ground/soil,IvyGen
texturefor,TexturingtheGroundandTrees
groups,duplicating,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
Grungebrush,AdjustingColors
H
hairparticles,ThePropertiesEditor,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
childparticles,Render
choosingobjectforaddinghair,HairandParticleSystems
density,HairDensity
tipsfor,HairandFurTips
vertexgroupsfor,CreatingaScalp,Children
hair-lengthvertexgroup,HairDensity
haircuts,complex,PeachFuzz
handles,typesof,OtherWaystoModel:Curves
hands,modeling,PosesforModelingCharacters
hardnessmap,SpecularMap
hardnesstextures,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages,FurtherTextures
forBatCreature,TexturingtheEyes
hardnessvalueformaterials,BlenderInternalMaterials
andspecularreflections,BlenderInternalMaterials
head
modeling,ModelingtheHandsandFeet
proportionsfor,Legs
topologyof,HeadTopology
Headerregion,LayoutandUITerminology
in3DViewport,LayoutandUITerminology
inPropertieseditor,The3DViewport
Healtool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Helpmenu,ThePropertiesEditor
Hemilamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
hiding
objects,OtherCoordinateSystems
partsofmeshes,SculptingHard-to-ReachAreasUsingShapeKeys
Holdoutshader,forCyclesrenderer,TextureNodes
HorizonColorssetting,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
horizontalguides(GIMP),TheToolbox
HueSaturationValuenode,SocketTypes
Hue-Saturationtool(GIMP),CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
I
imageediting(seeGIMP)
imageempties,UVImageEditor
Imagemenu(GIMP)
▸CanvasSize,AligningOrthographicReferences,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
▸Guides▸NewGuidebyPercent,TexturingtheEyes
▸Mode▸Grayscale,TexturinginGIMP
▸OpenImage,AligningOrthographicReferences
ImageTexturenode,PeachFuzz
images
assculptbrushtextures,CreatingCustomBrushes
assigningtoUVcoordinates,ImagesandTextures
bitdepth,BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMesh
creatinginGIMP,Dialogs
findingMatCap,CreatingaMatCapMaterial
forGIMPbrushes,TexturinginGIMP
importingsculptsintoMeshLab,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
incidentlight,TransmissionandRefraction
indexofrefraction(IOR),TransmissionandRefraction,CyclesMaterials
setting,forsubsurfacescattering,AddingaNormalMap
IndirectLightingsetting,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal
Inflatebrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes,Volumes
InfluencepanelofMaterialstab,MappingCoordinates
Infoeditor,AboutBlender,ThePropertiesEditor
header,TheNodeEditor,TheMultiresModifier
Inktool(GIMP),TheToolbox
InsetFacesoperator,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
Integratorpanel,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
Interpolateoption,forhairstrands,ParticleMode
invertingselectioninGIMP,Filters
IOR(indexofrefraction),TransmissionandRefraction,CyclesMaterials
setting,forsubsurfacescattering,AddingaNormalMap
Irregularshadowbuffers,Shadow-BufferOptions
IslandSelectionmode,inUVImageeditor,PinningVertices
iStockPhoto,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
IvyGenadd-on,Plants
textureforleavesgeneratedby,DiffuseMap
IWarptool,DiffuseMap
J
Jittered/Randomsettingforhairparticles,EmissionPanel
JPEG(.jpg)fileformat,AdjustingColors,NodeGroups
inGIMP,Filters
JungleTemple
blockingin,Modifiers
Cyclesrendererfor,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
details,Legs,GoingFurther
grassfor,ComplexHaircuts
lighting,LightingtheSpiderBot
materials,OtherMaterials
foregroundrocksandsoil,Leaves
ground/soil,Ground
leaves,Leaves
puddles,Leaves
statues,Displacement
stone,Ground
modelingdetails,DealingwithDifficultTopology
ground/soil,IvyGen
IvyGenadd-on,Plants
plants,Plants
statues,Walls
stonecarvings,StoneCarvings
walls,Walls
renderingandcompositing,DepthofFieldinCycles
sky,paintinginGIMP,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP
texturebakingfor,MaterialUtilsAdd-On,GeneralTipsforBakingMaps
texturepainting,TexturingtheEyes,InReview
hardnessvs.roughness,TexturingtheEyes
leaves,TexturingtheLeaves
seamlesstextures,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
statues,GroundTexture
texturingtocamera,TexturingtoCamera
trees,retopologyfor,RetopologizingtheJungleTempleTrees
UVunwrapping,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
leavesandgrass,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
multipleUVmaps,MultipleUVMaps
sharingUVspacebetweenobjects,MultipleUVMaps
statues,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
stoneblocks,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
trees,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
K
keylight,Three-PointLighting
keyboardshortcuts,Scenes
Kimball,Spencer,IntroductiontoGIMP
Kinksetting,forhairparticles,Children,PeachFuzz
L
Lambertshadermodel,BlenderInternalMaterials
lamps
indefaultscene,Scenes
numberinscene,ThePropertiesEditor
samplingbackgroundas,WorldSettingsinCycles
LassoSelecttool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Latticemodifier,Modifiers
Layerbrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
layermasks,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
convertingselectionto,TexturingtheEyes
Layermenu(GIMP),▸AddAlphaChannel,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
layermodesinGIMP,AddingaLight
LayerWeightnode,Ground
layers
inBlender,MultipleLayouts,The3DViewport
organizingobjectsforbaking,BakingMapsforMultipleObjects
scene/render/mask,Dimensions
inGIMP,Filters
layergroups,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
moving,TheToolbox
Layersdialog(GIMP),Dialogs,AddingaLight
layouts,AboutBlender
multiple,LayoutandUITerminology
savingasdefault,MultipleLayouts
switching,MultipleLayouts
leaves
combiningonsingletexture,DiffuseMap
texturing,TexturingtheLeaves
UVunwrapping,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
Lengthoption,forchildparticles,Children
Lengthtool,forhairstrands,ParticleMode
lensdistortionfilter(GIMP),AligningOrthographicReferences
lensesforphotographingreference,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
Levelstool(GIMP),FixingSeams
licensing,forreferencematerial,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
LightColorsetting,forpointlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
LightPathspanel,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
LightenbrushinWeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp
LightenOnlybrushmode,SpecularMap
lighting,Lighting
andcomposition,SimplicityandFocus
basicforCyclesrenderpreview,PeachFuzz
basicfortexturepainting,TexturingtheBatCreature
BatCreature,WorldSettingsinCycles
eyes,ShadowsandFur
floorshadows,ShadowsandFur
BlenderInternalrenderer,Lighting
shadows,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
vs.Cycles,Lighting
impactonperformance,BalancingRenderTimeandQuality
inCyclesrenderer,Shadow-BufferOptions
JungleTemple,LightingtheSpiderBot
ofreferencematerial,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
outdoor,WorldSettingsinCycles
SpiderBot,WorldSettingsfortheBatCreature
three-point,Three-PointLighting
tipsfor,GeneralLightingTips
LightmapPackoperator,TheUVGrid
Linkfeature,Datablocks
lips,SculptingNatural-LookingFaces
loadingfiles,Datablocks
localcoordinates,ManipulatingObjects
ofobjects,ApplyingTransforms
origin,andmanipulatorwidget,Scenes
log,ofactions,ThePropertiesEditor
Logiceditor,TheNodeEditor
LoopCuttool,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
loopcuts,addingmultiple,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops
losslessfileformats,NodeGroups
M
MagicSelecttool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Mainregion,inPropertieseditor,The3DViewport
MakeDuplicatesRealoperator,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
MakeLocaloperator,Datablocks
manipulatorwidget
functionsof,ManipulatingObjects
localcoordinateoriginofobjectand,Scenes
Mapnodes,Ground
maps,texture,ImagesandTextures
Marginoption,inRendertab,Bakepanel,ImagesandTextures
MarkSeamfeature,UnwrappingTools
mask,FixingSeams
masklayers,LayersPanel
Maskoption,formaterialtransparency,BlenderInternalMaterials
MatCapmaterials,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
findingimages,CreatingaMatCapMaterial
MaterialOutputnode,forCyclesmaterial,BlenderInternalMaterials
MaterialOverrideoption,PositioningtheLights
Materialsettings,inRenderpanel,EmissionPanel
MaterialUtilsadd-on,BakingDiffuseColorsandTextures
materials,Materials
assigning,Datablocks,ImagesandTextures
creating,BakingDiffuseColorsandTextures
forBatCreature,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
fur,SubsurfaceScattering,Fur
peachfuzz,PeachFuzz
skin,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
teeth,nails,andeyes,SubsurfaceScattering
forBlenderInternalrenderer,TransmissionandRefraction
forJungleTemple,OtherMaterials
foregroundrocksandsoil,Leaves
ground/soil,Ground
leaves,Leaves
puddles,Leaves
statues,Displacement
stone,Ground
forparticlehair,HairandFurTips
forSpiderBot,PeachFuzz
fortexturepainting,TexturingtheBatCreature
MatCap,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
overrideforrendering,LayersPanel
tipsfor,GeneralTipsforCreatingMaterials
MaterialstabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor,OptimizingSculptingPerformance,ImagesandTextures
deletingmaterialslots,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
forBlenderInternalrenderer,BlenderInternalMaterials
Strandpanel,Fur
Mathnode,SocketTypes
mattesurfaces,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
Matthis,Peter,IntroductiontoGIMP
Maxcurve,inSculptmode,BrushOptions
MaxIvyLengthparameter,IvyGen
Maxsetting,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
measurementunits,forrulers,TheToolbox
memoryrequirementswhensculpting,DragAlpha
menus,ThePropertiesEditor
foreditors,LayoutandUITerminology
mesh,EditMode
assigningparticlesystemto,HairandParticleSystems
decimating,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
deformingwithcurves,OtherWaystoModel:Curves
hidingparts,SculptingHard-to-ReachAreasUsingShapeKeys
retopologizing,SculptingAroundtheEyes
sharingdataacrossmultipleduplicates,Plants
topology,ModelingtheDetails
vertexorderin,TheMultiresModifier
MeshLab,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
metaballs,EditMode
MirrorColorstexturemap,TextureMapTypes
MirrorIntensitytexturemap,TextureMapTypes
Mirrormodifier,OtherWaystoModel:Curves,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
forwings,ApplyingTransforms
mirrorreflection,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
Mitchell-Netravalifilter,Dimensions
MixbrushinWeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp,HairDensity
MixShader,forCyclesrenderer,TextureNodes
modeling,BlockingIn
(seealsoblockingin)
basicterms,BlockingIn
handsandfeet,PosesforModelingCharacters
head,ModelingtheHandsandFeet
posesforcharacters,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops
proportionalediting,ModelingtheHead
wings,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
modelingdetails,ModelingtheDetails
BatCreature,Coupling
JungleTemple,DealingwithDifficultTopology
ground/soil,IvyGen
IvyGenadd-on,Plants
plants,Plants
statues,Walls
stonecarvings,StoneCarvings
walls,Walls
SpiderBot,IvyGen
modes,switching,Datablocks
modifiers,ThePropertiesEditor,OtherWaystoModel:Curves
applyingtoSpiderBot,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
Array,Modifiers,Plants,IvyGen
Bevel,Walls
Curve,Modifiers
formeshalongcurve,IvyGen
Displacement,ProceduralDetails,TextureMapTypes
controllingwithvertexgroup,ApplyingDisplacementtotheSculpt
EdgeSplit,Walls,StoneCarvings
Lattice,Modifiers
Mirror,OtherWaystoModel:Curves,BuildingtheBatCreatureBaseMesh,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
Multires,Snapping,TheMultiresModifier,TextureMapTypes
subdividingbeforeadding,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
Shrinkwrap,Modifiers,SculptingAroundtheEyes,UsingSnappingtoRetopologize
Solidify,Modifiers
SubdivisionSurface(Subsurf),OtherWaystoModel:Curves,CreatingtheSpiderBot,Topology,StoneCarvings,TextureMapTypes
motionblur,Dimensions
MotionTrackinglayout,LayoutandUITerminology
mouse,fornavigating3DViewport,The3DViewport
mouth
creatingcavity,RetopologizingtheBody
sculpting,SculptingNatural-LookingFaces
topology,HeadTopology
MoveDeformmode,inIWarp,DiffuseMap
Moveoperator,ManipulatingObjects
Movetool(GIMP),TheToolbox
multipleobjects,selecting,Scenes
Multiplyblendingmode,AddingaLight
MultiplybrushinWeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp
Multiresmodifier,Snapping,TheMultiresModifier,TextureMapTypes
subdividingbeforeadding,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
N
n-gons,EditMode
avoiding,Topology
inbasemesh,problemsfrom,PosesforModelingCharacters
nails,ofBatCreature,Coupling,SubsurfaceScattering
names
fordatablocks,Datablocks
ofbrushes,BrushOptions
oflayersforrendering,LayersPanel
navigating3DViewport,The3DViewport
Negativesetting
forpointlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
inMaterialstab,Influencepanel,MappingCoordinates
negativespace,Composition
NeoGeo,IntroductiontoBlender
NewLayerfromVisibleoption(GIMP),FixingSeams
NewTexturedialog,TexturingtheBatCreature
NoCausticsoption,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
Nodeeditor,TheNodeEditor
forCyclesmaterials,CyclesMaterials,PeachFuzz
nodegroups,CompositingFeedbackandViewerNodes
nodesockets,AddingTextures
nodetrees
default,CompositingthePasses
forBatCreature,CompositingFeedbackandViewerNodes
forJungleTemple,ColorGrading
forSpiderBot,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP
organizingwithframesandnodegroups,CompositingFeedbackandViewerNodes
nodes,inBlenderInternalrenderer,TextureNodes
None/Path/Object/Groupsetting,forhairparticlesrendering,EmissionPanel
Normalblendingmode,AddingaLight
NormaloptionforProjectPaintmethod,ProjectPaint
Normalvalues,forhairparticlesvelocity,EmissionPanel
normals,EditMode
Blendercalculationof,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
Normalstexturemap,Texture-BakingControls
adding,AddingaNormalMap
baking,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
nose/nasolabialfold,topology,HeadTopology
NotANumber,IntroductiontoBlender
Nudgebrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
numberpadkeys,The3DViewport
NURBSsurfaces,EditMode
O
.objfileformat,TheMultiresModifier,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
ObjectConstraintstabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor
ObjectDatatabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor,OtherCoordinateSystems
forcurveobject,EditMode
lampicon,LightinginBlenderInternal
UVCoordinatespanel,TexturingtheStatue
VertexGroupspanel,ApplyingDisplacementtotheSculpt
Objectmode,Scenes,Datablocks
addingplanein,Modifiers
displaylevelfor,TheMultiresModifier
duplicatingmeshin,Plants
ObjectModifierstabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor
Objectoption,forNormalstexturemap,Texture-BakingControls
ObjecttabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor,Testing
CompositionsinBlender
Axessetting,ApplyingTransforms
Duplicationpanel,AddingtotheJungleTemple
objects,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
(seealsogroupsofobjects)
addingtoscene,Scenes
asdatablocks,OtherCoordinateSystems
assigningimagesto,ImagesandTextures
assigningmaterialsto,ImagesandTextures
bakingmapsformultiple,BakingAmbientOcclusion
centeringviewonselected,The3DViewport
copying,Datablocks
deleting,OtherCoordinateSystems
hiding,OtherCoordinateSystems
manipulating,Scenes
selecting,Scenes
visibilityofUVcoordinatesof,MultipleUVMaps
OccludeoptionforProjectPaintmethod,ProjectPaint
Offsettool(GIMP),CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
OnlyRenderoption,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
OnlyShadowsetting,forlamps,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
OpacitysettingofGIMPlayer,LayerModesandOpacity
openmovieprojects,ofBlenderFoundation,IntroductiontoBlender
OpenEXR(.exr)fileformat,BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMesh
savingdisplacementmapas,BitDepthandTextures
OpenGLshading,tweaking,TweakingOpenGLShading
opening
filesinBlender,Datablocks
imagesinGIMP,Dialogs
operators,OtherCoordinateSystems,EditMode
frequentlyusedmeshoperators,EditMode
OrenNayarshadermodel,BlenderInternalMaterials
origin,The3DViewport,ManipulatingObjects
andapplyingtransforms,ApplyingTransforms
localcoordinateorigin,ManipulatingObjects
orthographicreferences,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
aligning,TestingCompositionsinBlender
orthographicview,snappingto,The3DViewport
outdoorlighting,WorldSettingsinCycles
Outliner,AboutBlender
Outputsettings,forrenderer,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Overlayblendingmode,AddingaLight,TexturingtheStatue
P
packing
externalfilesinto.blendfile,Datablocks
UVislandsintosinglegrid,PinningVertices
PaintDynamics(GIMP),Dialogs
PaintDynamicseditor(GIMP),AddingVariationtoaBrush
Painttool(GIMP),TexturingtheEyes
Paintbrushtool(GIMP),TheToolbox
painting,TexturePainting
(seealsotexturepainting)
inGIMP,Dialogs
panels,LayoutandUITerminology
PaperSkysetting,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
Parentparticles,EmissionPanel
Particlemode,ParticleMode
particlesystems,ThePropertiesEditor
(seealsofur;hairparticles)
adding,HairLength
controllingwithtextures,ComplexHaircuts
forhair,HairandParticleSystems
forpebbles,AddingtotheJungleTemple
objectrotationand,CreatingaGrassParticleSystem
tipsfor,HairandFurTips
usesfor,ComplexHaircuts
ParticlesPerFacesettingforhairparticles,EmissionPanel
ParticlestabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor,HairLength
Partingcontrols,forchildparticles,Children
passes
asrenderoutputs,LayersPanel
forApproximatesetting,worldlighting,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal,WorldSettingsfortheBatCreature
inCyclesrendering(samples),RenderingwithCycles
Pathsdialog(GIMP),Dialogs
Pathstool(GIMP),TheToolbox
peachfuzz,forBatCreature,PeachFuzz,PeachFuzz
pentablet,pressure-sensitive,AddingVariationtoaBrush
Penciltool(GIMP),TheToolbox
performance
balancingtimeandquality,RenderingwithCycles
BlenderInternalrenderervs.Cyclesrenderer,Materials
impactofmirrorreflections,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
OpenGLshadingand,TweakingOpenGLShading
optimizinginsculpting,DragAlpha
Rendertabsettingsfor,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
softshadowsand,TempleEntranceLighting
Perspective
andbackgroundimages,UVImageEditor
andcomposition,SimplicityandFocus
switchingbetweenorthographicandcamera,The3DViewport
PerspectiveClonetool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Perspectivetool(GIMP),TheToolbox
photos,fortexturing,AdjustingColors
PhysicstabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor
Pinchbrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
pinningvertices,forUVunwrapping,PinningVertices
PivotCenteroption,Scenes
pivotpoints,for3Dmanipulatorwidget,ManipulatingObjects
placeholders,BlockingIn
PlaneOffset,ofcustomsculptbrush,ScrapeFlat
plane,adding,inObjectmode,Modifiers
planesinsculpting,SculptingConcepts
BatCreature,Volumes
plants,Plants
.pngfileformat,NodeGroups
Pointlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
pointofview,ofreferencematerial,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
pole,Topology
splittingoreliminating,DealingwithDifficultTopology
Polishbrush,inSculptMode,Legs
polycountofscene,TheMultiresModifier
polygon,EditMode
Posemode,DifferentLooks
posing,BatCreature,ProceduralDetails
Post-Processingsettings,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Premultipliedalphaoption,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
preparation,Preparation
composition,WhattoLookforinReferenceMaterial
ruleofthirds,Composition
silhouetteandnegativespace,Composition
simplicityandfocus,SimplicityandFocus
testinginBlender,TestingCompositionsinBlender
visualpath,SimplicityandFocus
conceptartandreferences,Preparation
referencesinGIMP,TestingCompositionsinBlender
pressure-sensitivepentablet,AddingVariationtoaBrush
Previewoption,inCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
proceduraldetails,Detailing
proceduraltextures,Fur,GeneralTipsforCreatingMaterials
ProjectfromView(Bounds)operator,UnwrappingTools
ProjectfromViewoperator,UnwrappingTools
Projectmode,forShrinkwrapmodifier,UsingSnappingtoRetopologize
ProjectPaintmode,TexturinginBlender
Propertieseditor,AboutBlender,The3DViewport
(seealsonamesofspecifictabs)
panels,LayoutandUITerminology
Propertiesregionof3DViewport
3DCursorpanel,Scenes
Transformpanel,Modifiers
proportionalediting,ModelingtheHead
proportions
forhead,Legs
insculpting,SculptingConcepts
puddles,Leaves
Pufftool,inParticleMode,ParticleMode
PythonAPI,ThePropertiesEditor
Q
quad(quadrangle),EditMode
quad-basedmeshes,PosesforModelingCharacters
QuadraticEdgeCollapseDecimationtool(MeshLab),RetopologizingtheBatCreature
QuickEditoptionforProjectPaintmode,ProjectPaint,FixingSeams
QuickMask(GIMP),CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
R
Radialkinkoption,forhairparticles,Children
Rakebrush,forSculptmode,creating,Rake
RAM(randomaccessmemory),requirements,DragAlpha
randomemissionofparticles,EmissionPanel
RandomFalloffoption,forproportionalediting,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
randomrotation,forgrass,CreatingaGrassParticleSystem
randomroughness,forhairparticles,Children
randomseed,forgeneratingchildparticles,Render
randomvalues,forhairparticlevelocity,EmissionPanel
raytracing
forlighting,Lighting
forshadows,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
fortransparency,TransmissionandRefraction,BlenderInternalMaterials
mirrorreflections,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
RealSkysetting,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
RecalculateNormalsoperator,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
referenceimages
creating,finding,andusing,Preparation
factorstoconsider,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences
inBlender,AligningOrthographicReferences
preparationinGIMP,TestingCompositionsinBlender
referencesheet,creating,TestingCompositionsinBlender
referencingdatablocksfromotherfiles,Datablocks
reflection,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
tipsfor,GeneralTipsforCreatingMaterials
refraction,TransmissionandRefraction
regionsineditors,LayoutandUITerminology
in3DViewport,MultipleLayouts
RemoveDoublesoperator,Walls
RenderActiveViewport,TexturingtoCamera
renderengines,Materials
(seealsoBlenderInternalrenderer;Cyclesrenderer)
selecting,ThePropertiesEditor
Renderpanel,forhairparticles,EmissionPanel
RendertabinPropertieseditor,The3DViewport,RenderingandCompositing
Bakepanel,ImagesandTextures
Dimensionspanel,LayersPanel
Layerspanel,LayersPanel
MaterialOverrideoption,PositioningtheLights
Performancepanel,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Renderpanel,RenderingandCompositing
Shadingpanel,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
rendering
balancingtimeandquality,RenderingwithCycles
BatCreature,BalancingRenderTimeandQuality
JungleTemple,DepthofFieldinCycles
SpiderBot,RetouchinginGIMP
subdivisionlevelfor,TheMultiresModifier
repeating
modifiers,UsingSnappingtoRetopologize
objects,Plants
research,Preparation
ResetoptionforUVunwrapping,UnwrappingTools
Reshapeoperator,TheMultiresModifier
Resolutionsettings,forBlenderInternalrenderer,Dimensions
restareas,inreferenceimage,SimplicityandFocus
restoring,originaldefault.blendfile,MultipleLayouts
Resynthesizefilter,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
retopology,Retopology
alternativemethods,UsingSnappingtoRetopologize
forBatCreature,SculptingAroundtheEyes,RetopologizingtheJungleTempleTrees
body,RetopologizingtheBody
decimation,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
forJungleTempletrees,RetopologizingtheJungleTempleTrees
forSpiderBot,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
snappingtosurfaces,Retopology
tipsfor,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
retouching,inGIMP,NodeGroups
RGBRadiussetting,forsubsurfacescattering,SubsurfaceScattering
RGBtextures,FurtherTextures
riggingcharacters,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops,GoingFurther,DifferentLooks
alternativesto,ProceduralDetails
rigidbodyphysics,ThePropertiesEditor
rimlight,TheFillLight
ripplesinwater,Puddles
Roosendaal,Ton,IntroductiontoBlender
Rotatebrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
Rotateoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
Rotatetool(GIMP),TheToolbox,AdjustingColors
rotating
camera,Modifiers
objects,Scenes
Rotationpanel,forhairparticles,EmissionPanel
rotationproperties,forgrass,CreatingaGrassParticleSystem
roughnessmapforSpiderBot,CreatingThreeTextures
ImageTexturenodefor,SocketTypes
Roughnesssetting
forchildparticles,Children
forspecularshadersinCycles,TexturingtheEyes
ruleofthirds,Composition
rulers,forGIMPcanvas,TheToolbox
S
Samples
forray-tracedshadows,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
forshadowbuffers,Shadow-BufferOptions
inCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
forJungleTemple,DepthofFieldinCycles
forSpiderBot,DepthofFieldinCycles
saturation,tipsfor,GeneralTipsforCreatingMaterials
SaveAllEditedoptionforProjectPaintmethod,ProjectPaint
saving
displacementmapasOpenEXRimage,BitDepthandTextures
inBlender,Datablocks
inGIMP,Filters,AdjustingColors
Scaleoperator,Modifiers
inEditmode,EditMode
Scalesetting,forsubsurfacescattering,AddingaNormalMap
Scaletool(GIMP),TheToolbox
scalingoperator,Scenes
scalp,creating,ChoosinganObjecttoAddHairTo
ScatteringColorsetting,forsubsurfacescattering,AddingaNormalMap
ScatteringWeight(Front/Back)setting,forsubsurfacescattering,SubsurfaceScattering
ScenetabinPropertieseditor,The3DViewport
scenes,TheNodeEditor
addingobjectsto,Scenes
creating,TheNodeEditor
informationaboutcurrent,ThePropertiesEditor
polycountof,TheMultiresModifier
scenelayersforfinalrender,LayersPanel
ScissorsSelecttool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Scrapebrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
ScrapeFlatbrush,inSculptmode,creating,ScrapeFlat
Scriptinglayout,LayoutandUITerminology
Sculptmode,Sculpting
creatingcustombrushes,CreatingCustomBrushes
defaultbrushes,BrushTypes
displaylevelofMultiresmodifierfor,TheMultiresModifier
sculpting,Sculpting
advantagesof,Sculpting
applyingdisplacementmap,AboutDisplacementMaps
basics,SculptingConcepts
BatCreature,SculptingConcepts
breakingsymmetry,ProceduralDetails
coarseanatomy,CoarseAnatomy
details,SculptingtheWings,Detailing
expression,ProceduralDetails
eyes,SculptingtheWings
hidingmeshparts,SculptingHard-to-ReachAreasUsingShapeKeys
planes,Volumes
posing,ProceduralDetails
retopologizing,SculptingAroundtheEyes
shapekeysforhard-to-reachareas,CoarseAnatomy
transferringdetailstonewmesh,SculptingAroundtheEyes
volumes,Volumes
wings,SculptingtheWings
faces,natural-looking,Legs
optimizingperformance,DragAlpha
SpiderBot,Expression
seamlesstextures,TheUVGrid
(seealsotileabletextures)
asabasisforfurthertexturepainting,GroundTexture
creating,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
seams,UVUnwrapping,UnwrappingTools
fixing,FixingSeams
searchdialog,withspacebar,AboutBlender
see-throughmesh,in3DViewportEditmode,EditMode
SelectbyColortool(GIMP),TheToolbox
SelectEdge/FaceLoopoperator,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops
Selectmenu
▸Feather,Creating,Finding,andUsingReferences,TexturingtheEyes
▸Random,AddingtotheJungleTemple
SelectSharpoperator,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
SelectedLayersblendingmode,AddingaLight
selectedobjects
centeringviewon,The3DViewport
layerforbaking,BakingMapsforMultipleObjects
SelectedtoActiveoption,inRendertab,Bakepanel,ImagesandTextures
selecting
inEditmode,EditMode
objects,Scenes
Selectiontools(GIMP),WhyGIMP?,Filters
Sequencercheckbox,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Shadelessoption,formaterialshading,BlenderInternalMaterials
Shadernode,forCyclesmaterial,BlenderInternalMaterials
shadingmodes,EditMode,ApplyingTransforms
Shadingpanel,inMaterialstabofBlenderInternalrenderer,BlenderInternalMaterials
shadowbuffers,ShadowsinBlenderInternal,GeneralLightingTips
options,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
Shadowpanel,inMaterialstabofBlenderInternalrenderer,BlenderInternalMaterials
Shadowtexturemap,Texture-BakingControls
shadows
andfur,ShadowsandFur
forBatCreature,ShadowsandFur
inBlenderInternalrenderer,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
tipsfor,GeneralLightingTips
Shadowsoption,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
shapekeysforhard-to-reachareas,CoarseAnatomy
Shapeoption,forstrandrendering,Fur
shapesofGIMPbrushes,Dialogs
Sharpcurve,inSculptmode,BrushOptions
SharpFalloffoption,forproportionalediting,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
Sharpennode,ColorCorrection
Sheartool(GIMP),TheToolbox
Shrinkoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
Shrink/Fattentool,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
Shrinkwrapmodifier,Modifiers,SculptingAroundtheEyes,UsingSnappingtoRetopologize
sideview,snappingto,The3DViewport
silhouette,Composition
simplechildparticles,Render
Simplesubdivisionoption,TheMultiresModifier
Sintel,AboutBlender
Sizeoption
forparticles,Render
forstrandrendering,Fur
ofshadow-buffermap,Shadow-BufferOptions
skeletonformodels,GoingFurther
sketchingtopology,DealingwithDifficultTopology
skincreases,brushtypefor,BrushOptions
skin,forBatCreature,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
skybackground,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
forJungleTemple,paintinginGIMP,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP
SkyTexturenode,WorldSettingsinCycles
SmartUVProjectoperator,TheUVGrid
Smearbrushtype,TexturinginBlender
smoke,simulating,ThePropertiesEditor
Smoothcurve,inSculptmode,BrushOptions
Smoothoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
Smoothshadingmode,ApplyingTransforms,Walls
SmoothStroke,BrushOptions,ScrapeFlat
Smudgetool(GIMP),TheToolbox
SnakeHookbrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
snapping,TheToolbox
forretopology,Retopology
options,Snapping
in3DViewportEditmode,EditMode
viewporttospecificangles,The3DViewport
Snappingtools,forextrudingcurves,BlockingintheJungleTemple
snappingviewport,tospecificangles,The3DViewport
sockettypes,innodeeditor,AddingTextures
softbodyphysics,ThePropertiesEditor
Softsetting,forshadowborders,Shadow-BufferOptions
softshadows,performanceand,TempleEntranceLighting
SoftSizesetting,forray-tracedshadow,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
Softenbrushtype,TexturinginBlender
Solidifymodifier,Modifiers
Spacestrokeforsculpting,BrushOptions
spacebar,forsearchdialog,AboutBlender
SpecularColorstexturemap,TextureMapTypes
SpecularIntensitytexturemap,TextureMapTypes
specularmap
forBatCreature,SpecularMap
forleafimage,DiffuseMap
Specularpanel,inMaterialstabofBlenderInternalrenderer,Blender
InternalMaterials
specularreflection,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
hardnessvalueand,BlenderInternalMaterials
hardnessvs.roughnessand,TexturingtheEyes
Specularsetting,forlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
speculartextures,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
forBatCreature,TexturingtheEyes
forSpiderBot,CreatingThreeTextures
SphereFalloffoption,forproportionalediting,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
SphereProjectionoperator,TheUVGrid
Spheresetting,forlampfade,LightinginBlenderInternal
SpiderBot
alternaterenders,DifferentLooks
armatures,RiggingandAnimation
compositedoutput,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP
creating,CreatingtheSpiderBot
Cyclesrendererfor,RenderEngines:BlenderInternalandCycles
eyes,Coupling
lighting,WorldSettingsfortheBatCreature
materials,PeachFuzz
finished,GeneralTipsforCreatingMaterials
nodesetup,AddingTextures,OtherMaterials
modelingdetails,IvyGen
nodetreeforcompositing,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP
renderingandcompositing,RetouchinginGIMP
retopologyfor,RetopologizingtheSpiderBot
sculpting,Expression
texturebakingfor,BakingAmbientOcclusion
diffusecolorsandtextures,BakingDiffuseColorsandTextures
mapsformultipleobjects,BakingAmbientOcclusion
texturepainting,CombiningLeavesontoaSingleTexture,InReview
decals,CreatingThreeTextures
UVunwrapping,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
spotlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
clippingrange,LampObjectsinCycles
shadowbuffersfor,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
SSS(subsurfacescattering),BlenderInternalMaterials,AddingaNormalMap
Stampsettings,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
statues,Walls
nodesetup,Displacement
texturing,GroundTexture
UVunwrapping,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
Stenciloption
forProjectPaintmode,ProjectPaint,TexturingtheStatue
inMaterialstab,Influencepanel,MappingCoordinates
steppingartifacts,avoiding,BitDepthandTextures
stoneblocks
materialsetup,Displacement
modeling,Modifiers,Walls
unwrapping,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
stonecarvings,StoneCarvings
StraightAlphaoption,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
strandcoordinates,MappingCoordinates,Fur
StrandpanelofMaterialstab,Fur
strandrender,SubsurfaceScattering,Fur
forhairparticles,EmissionPanel
Strengthsetting,forAttenuationsetting,worldlighting,WorldSettingsinBlenderInternal
Strokepanel,inSculptmode,BrushOptions
Subdivideoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
SubdivisionSurface(Subsurf)modifier,OtherWaystoModel:Curves,CreatingtheSpiderBot,Topology,StoneCarvings,TextureMapTypes
subsurfacescattering(SSS),BlenderInternalMaterials,AddingaNormalMap
SubtractbrushinWeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp
Subtractivemode,forsculptbrush,BrushOptions
sunlamp,LightinginBlenderInternal
supportloops,TaggingEdges
SurfaceDiffusesetting,forstrandrendering,Fur
surfacetexture,insculpting,SculptingConcepts
switching
editors,LayoutandUITerminology
layouts,LayoutandUITerminology
modes,Datablocks
symmetrywhensculpting,BrushOptions
breakinginBatCreature,ProceduralDetails
SystemtabofUserPreferences,TweakingOpenGLShading
T
Tpose,LoopCutsandFaceandEdgeLoops
Tangentoption,forNormalmap,Texture-BakingControls
TangentShadingoption
formaterialshading,BlenderInternalMaterials
forstrandrendering,Fur
tangentspacenormalmap,AddingaNormalMap
Targa(.tga)fileformat,Filters,BitDepthandTextures,AdjustingColors,NodeGroups
TearsofSteel,AboutBlender
teeth,ofBatCreature,Coupling,SubsurfaceScattering
testing
compositioninBlender,TestingCompositionsinBlender
lightingwithclayrender,PositioningtheLights
seamlesstextures,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
UVcoordinateswithgridtexture,AssigningUVTextures
Texdrawbrushtype,TexturePainting
textobjects,EditMode
Texttool(GIMP),TheToolbox
texturebaking,TextureBaking
controls,ImagesandTextures
forBatCreature,TextureMapTypes
ambientocclusionbaking,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
bitdepthandtextures,BakingDisplacementfromSculpttoFinalMesh
displacementfromsculpttofinalmesh,TextureMapTypes
displacementmapapplied,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap
normalmapbaking,ApplyingtheDisplacementMap,BakingAmbientOcclusion
forJungleTemple,MaterialUtilsAdd-On,GeneralTipsforBakingMaps
forSpiderBot,BakingAmbientOcclusion
diffusecolorsandtextures,BakingDiffuseColorsandTextures
mapsformultipleobjects,BakingAmbientOcclusion
generaltips,GeneralTipsforBakingMaps
imagesvs.textures,TextureBaking
maptypes,Texture-BakingControls
texturecoordinates,UVUnwrapping
UVcoordinatesas,Leaves
TextureCoordinatesnode,AddingTextures
texturemaps,Texture-BakingControls
Texturenodes,inCyclesrenderer,TextureNodes
TexturePaintmode,TexturePainting,TexturingtheBatCreature
materialsandUIsetup,TexturingtheBatCreature
texturepainting,TexturePainting
BatCreature,TexturingtheBatCreature,InReview
eyes,SpecularMap,TexturingtheEyes
layergroups,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
layermasks,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
layermodes,AddingaLight
materialsandUIsetup,TexturingtheBatCreature
seams,FixingSeams
specularandhardnesstextures,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
inGIMP,ProjectPaint
addingbrushvariation,AddingVariationtoaBrush
creatingbrushes,TexturinginGIMP
inUVImageeditor,ProjectPaint
JungleTemple,TexturingtheEyes,InReview
hardnessvs.roughness,TexturingtheEyes
leaves,TexturingtheLeaves
seamlesstextures,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
statues,GroundTexture
texturingtocamera,TexturingtoCamera
ProjectPaintmethod,TexturinginBlender
SpiderBot,CombiningLeavesontoaSingleTexture,InReview
decals,CreatingThreeTextures
TexturepanelinSculptmode,BrushOptions,TexturinginBlender
forcustombrush,CreatingCustomBrushes
TexturedSolidshadingoption,AssigningUVTextures,ImagesandTextures,BakingAmbientOcclusion
TexturedViewportshading,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
textures
asdatablocks,Datablocks
assigning
toImageTexturenode,withCycles,PeachFuzz
tomaterial,withBlenderInternalrenderer,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
tomodel’sUVcoordinates,PinningVertices,ImagesandTextures
controllingparticleswith,ComplexHaircuts
seamless,creating,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP
tileable,EditingUVCoordinates,TexturingtheEyes
TexturestabinPropertieseditor,ThePropertiesEditor,MaterialsfortheBatCreature
ImageorMoviesetting,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
Texturestexturemap,TextureMapTypes
.tga(Targa)fileformat,Filters,BitDepthandTextures,AdjustingColors,NodeGroups
thinfaces,problemsfrom,PosesforModelingCharacters
ThisLayerOnlysetting
forlamps,LightinginBlenderInternal
forshadow,ShadowsinBlenderInternal
Threadssetting,andrenderingperformance,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
three-dimensional(see3Dentries)
three-pointlighting,Three-PointLighting
Thumbbrushtype,inSculptmode,BrushTypes
.tifffileformat,NodeGroups
tileabletexture110,MaterialUtilsAdd-On,TexturingtheEyes
(seealsoseamlesstexture)
Tilessetting,andrenderingperformance,Anti-AliasingandMotionBlur
Timeline,AboutBlender
ToolOptionsdialog,Dialogs,SpecularMap
ToolOptionspanel,EditMode
ToolShelfin3DViewport,LayoutandUITerminology
Sculptmodeoptionsin,Sculpting
Toolbox,inGIMP,WhyGIMP?
top-downview,snappingto,The3DViewport
topology,EditMode,ModelingtheDetails
(seealsoretopology)
characteristicsofgood,Topology
creating,Snapping
dealingwithdifficult,Topology
ofhead,HeadTopology
sketching,DealingwithDifficultTopology
transferringdetailsbetweenmeshes,SculptingAroundtheEyes
Transformpanel,ofPropertiesregion,Modifiers
Transformationtools(GIMP),TheToolbox
Translateoperator,inEditmode,EditMode
Translucencyoption,formaterialshading,BlenderInternalMaterials
TranslucentBSDFshader,Leaves
forCyclesrenderer,TextureNodes
transmissionoflight,TransmissionandRefraction
Transparencypanel,inMaterialstabofBlenderInternalrenderer,BlenderInternalMaterials
Transparencysetting,forCyclesrenderer,RenderingwithCycles
TransparentBSDFshader,forCyclesrenderer,TextureNodes
trees
proxiesfor,Modifiers
textures,GroundTexture
UVunwrapping,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
tri(triangle),EditMode
avoiding,Topology
hiding,DealingwithDifficultTopology
inbasemesh,problemscausedby,PosesforModelingCharacters
joiningtomakequad,Topology,DealingwithDifficultTopology
TrianglestoQuadsoperator,Walls
turntable,DifferentLooks
U
Undodialog,Dialogs
unitsofmeasurement,forrulers,TheToolbox
universalbrushsize,BrushOptions
Unwrapoperator,SculptingAroundtheEyes
userinterface
forBlender
customizing,LayoutandUITerminology
defaultlayout,AboutBlender
setupforpainting,TexturingtheBatCreature
storingmultiplelayouts,LayoutandUITerminology
forGIMP,WhyGIMP?
canvas,TheToolbox
UserPreferenceseditor,Plants
Systemtab,DragAlpha,TweakingOpenGLShading
toenableadd-on,BakingDiffuseColorsandTextures
UVcoordinates,UVUnwrapping
astexturecoordinates,Leaves
editing,EditingUVCoordinates
mappingtextureto,MappingCoordinates
testing,AssigningUVTextures
UVCoordinatespanel,ofObjectDatatab,TexturingtheStatue
UVEditinglayout,LayoutandUITerminology
UVGrid,EditingUVCoordinates
UVImageeditor,TheNodeEditor,AligningOrthographicReferences,EditingUVCoordinates
for2Dpainting,TexturePainting
forUVcoordinateediting,EditingUVCoordinates
texturepaintingin,ProjectPaint
UVTestGridoptionfornewimage,AssigningUVTextures
UVislands,packingonsinglegrid,PinningVertices
UVMapoption,forstrandrendering,Fur
UVmap,duplicating,TexturingtheStatue
UVunwrapping,UVUnwrapping
assigningUVtextures,PinningVertices
BatCreature,AssigningUVTextures
editingcoordinates,TheUVGrid
JungleTemple,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
leavesandgrass,LeavesandGrass
multipleUVmaps,MultipleUVMaps
sharingUVspacebetweenobjects,MultipleUVMaps
statue,LeavesandGrass
stoneblocks,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
trees,UnwrappingtheBatCreature
packing,PinningVertices
pinningvertices,PinningVertices
seams,UnwrappingTools
SpiderBot,UnwrappingtheSpiderBot
toolsfor,TheUVGrid
V
VBOs(vertexbufferobjects),DragAlpha
Velocitypanel,forhairparticles,EmissionPanel
VelvetBSDFshader,forCyclesrenderer,TextureNodes
vertex,EditMode
count,ThePropertiesEditor
extruding,EditMode
hairparticlesemittedfrom,EmissionPanel
order,TheMultiresModifier
pinningforUVunwrapping,PinningVertices
positionsinLocalcoordinatespace,ManipulatingObjects
proportionaleditingand,ModelingtheHead
vertexbufferobjects(VBOs),DragAlpha
vertexgroup
controllingmodifierswith,ProceduralDetails
fordisplacementcontrol,ApplyingDisplacementtotheSculpt
forhairparticles,CreatingaScalp,Children
forhairdensity,HairDensity
forhairlength,HairLength
Vertexoption,forsnapping,Snapping
verticalguides,inGIMP,TheToolbox
vertices(seevertex)
VideoEditinglayout,LayoutandUITerminology
viewernodes,compositing,ColorCorrection
viewport,snappingtospecificangles,The3DViewport
vignette
forBatCreature,ColorCorrection
forJungleTemple,DepthofField
vines,IvyGenadd-onforcreating,Plants
virtualparentparticles,Render
visibility,ofGIMPlayers,LayerModesandOpacity
visualpath,SimplicityandFocus
Volumeoption,forsnapping,Snapping
volumesinsculpting,SculptingConcepts
BatCreature,Volumes
Voronoitexture,CreatingaGrassParticleSystem
VoronoiTexturenode,Ground
W
walls,Walls
Warpoperator,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
watermaterial,Leaves
Waveoption,forhairparticles,Children
wavefrontobjects,exportingobjectas,RetopologizingtheBatCreature
WavesTexturenode,Puddles
websites
CGTextures,AdjustingColors,CreatingSeamlessTextureswithGIMP,PaintingtheSkyinGIMP,AddingtotheJungleTemple
forBlenderbuilds,AboutBlender
forGIMP,IntroductiontoGIMP
WeightPaintmode,CreatingaScalp
WidthFadeoption,forstrandrendering,Fur
wings
BatCreaturesculpting,SculptingtheWings
modeling,TweakingtheModelwithProportionalEditing
wireframeviewmode,The3DViewport
wiresofSpiderBot,modelingdetails,IvyGen
Worldsettings
forBatCreature,WorldSettingsfortheBatCreature
forBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
forJungleTemple,LightingtheSpiderBot
inCyclesrenderer,WorldSettingsinCycles
WorldSettingstabinPropertieseditor,The3DViewport,OptimizingSculptingPerformance
X
x-axis,The3DViewport
x-coordinate,The3DViewport,UVUnwrapping
.xcf(GIMP)fileformat,Filters,AdjustingColors,ReconcilingFixedSeamsandLayeredImages
Y
y-axis,The3DViewport
y-coordinate,The3DViewport,UVUnwrapping
Z
Ztransparency,TransmissionandRefraction,BlenderInternalMaterials
z-axis,The3DViewport
z-coordinate,The3DViewport,UVUnwrapping
ZenithColor,inBlenderInternalrenderer,WorldSettingsandAmbientLightandOcclusion
.zmtformat,CreatingaMatCapMaterial
Zoomtool(GIMP),TheToolbox
AbouttheAuthorBenSimondsisa3Dartistandco-directorofGeckoAnimationLtd.,ananimationandpost-productioncompanybasedinLondon,England(http://geckoanimation.com/).HefirststartedmessingaroundwithBlenderbackin2005,whenhehadnoideaitwouldeventuallybecomeamajorpartofhisdayjob.Sincethenhe'sauthoredawidevarietyoftutorialsandarticlesforhisownwebsite(http://bensimonds.com/)andotherBlendercommunitywebsites,includingBlenderCookieandBlenderNation.AtGeckoAnimation,heproducesvisualeffects,models,animation,andgraphicsforTVandadvertising.HisworkhasappearedonmajorUKTVchannelsliketheBBC,Channel4,andDave.GeckoAnimation'sinhouseshortanimationAssembly:LifeinMacrospacewonthe2011SuzanneAwardforBestDesignedShortFilmattheBlenderConferenceinAmsterdam.
BlenderMasterClass:ahands-onguidetomodeling,sculpting,materials,andrenderingBenSimondsCopyright©2013BlenderMasterClass.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthecopyrightownerandthepublisher.
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ISBN-10:1-59327-477-7
ISBN-13:978-1-59327-477-1
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2013-02-21T08:48:35-08:00