Blenderart Magazine - 05 - Modeling Techniques & Blender Scripts

Issue 5 Jul y 2006 | Bl e nde rart

M od e l ing Te ch niq ue s & Bl e nd e r Scripts Bl e nde r l e arning m ade e asy

Bl e nde r Mate rialLibrary Ge n3 - Tre e Ge ne rator UV Mapping Te ch niq ue s Bl ue print Se tup Spin Mode l ing

Conte nts

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Cl ick im age /page no to jum p to articl e. EDITOR/DESIGNER Gaurav Naw ani gaurav@ bl e nde rart.org

Bl e nde r Mate rialLibrary (Script)

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Ge n3 Tre e Ge ne rator (Script)

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Mode l ing Rupe rt - "Th e EvilMonk e y"

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Kitch e n W ork s (Spin Mode l ing)

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UV Mapping Te ch niq ue s (Low -Pol y)

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Se tting Up Bl ue prints in Bl e nde r

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MANAGING EDITOR Sandra Gil be rt s andra@ bl e nde rart.org W EBSITE Nam Ph am nam @ bl e nde rart.org PROOFREADING K e rnon D il l on COVER IMAGE Jas on Pie rce W RITERS Mariano H idalgo Edouard de Mah ie u Se rge y Prok h orch uk Roja Andre ia Le alSch e m id & Z ag Die go Re stre po París COPYRIGH T© 2006 ‘Bl e nde rart M agaz ine ’, ‘bl e nde rart’ and bl e nde rart l ogo are copyrigh t Gaurav Naw ani. ‘Iz z y’ and ‘Iz z y l ogo’ are copyrigh t Sandra Gil be rt. Al l products and com pany nam e s fe ature d in th e publ ication are trade m ark or re gis te re d trade m ark s of th e ir re s pe ctive ow ne rs .

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Editorial

Sandra Gil be rt Managing Editor

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As I brow se th e forum s, th e one q ue stion I ofte n se e popping up from ne w com e rs, is al w ays som e variation of “W h at is th e be st w ay/m e th od/te ch niq ue to m ode l. . . (inse rt re l e vant obje ct h e re )?O r e ve n m ore ge ne ric q ue stion l ik e “W h at is th e be st w ay to m ode l ?” I re m e m be r m y ow n frustration in finding th e pe rfe ct answ e r to th at q ue stion and sym path iz e w ith ne w com e rs w h o are curre ntl y trying to find th e pe rfe ct m e th od and w ork fl ow . Th e sh ort answ e r is . . . “w h ate ve r m e th od w ork s be st for your purpose and pe rsonal w ork fl ow ” Not re alh e l pful , now is it?Unfortunate l y, th e l ong answ e r is not m uch be tte r. Th e re ason be ing th at is tim e , e xpe rie nce and m assive e xpe rim e ntation is ge ne ral l y re q uire d in orde r to de cide on an obje ct by obje ct basis w h ich

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m e th od w ork s be st for you. Not e xactl y som e th ing a ne w com e r w ants to h e ar. W el lin th is issue w e w il lsh e d a l ittl e l igh t on w h ich te ch niq ue s to use and w h e n, k e e ping in m ind th at anyth ing can be cre ate d using any of th e te ch niq ue s avail abl e in Bl e nde r, but som e te ch niq ue s l e nd th e m se l ve s m ore re adil y to ce rtain type s of m ode l s. And w h il e th is is obviousl y h el pful to th e ne w com e r, e ve n th e m ore e xpe rie nce d am ong us w il lbe ne fit from be ing re m inde d th at th e re is al w ays m ore th an one w ay to m ode lan obje ct. As m uch as w e re l y on favorite m ode l ing te ch niq ue s, w e ofte n find som e task s are e ith e r too daunting, re pe titive or just a pain to com pl e te m anual l y. Ente r Pyth on scripts to th e re scue . Pyth on scripts al l ow

gre ate r fl e xibil ity and add use fulfunctions and fe ature s to th e Bl e nde r w ork fl ow . Th is issue w e w il le xpl ore som e of th e se w onde rfull ittl e scripts and sh ow just h ow th e y can m ak e your l ife e asie r. sandy@ bl e nde rart.org

Lizzy K now s

Izzy's Tal k on Mode l ing Be fore you can de cide w h ich m e th od of m ode l ing w ork s for you, it h el ps to k now e xactl y w h at options are avail abl e and h ow th e y w ork . Bl e nde r offe rs a gre at se t of core tool s to m ak e w h ate ve r m e th od you use as productive as possibl e. H e re is a l ist of m e th ods and tool s for you to conside r as you start your ne xt proje ct:

Box Mode l ing Ge ne ral l y th e e asie st m e th od w h e n you first start l e arning. You'd be am az e d by h ow m any th ings ge t th e ir start as a cube . Start by adding a pre -m ade prim itive (usual l y a cube , but can be any of th e oth e r prim itive s i.e . Sph e re , Cone , Tube e tc). Th e n e xtrude , de l e te e dge s and ve rtice s as ne e de d to ach ie ve your de sire d sh ape . Th e use of Box Mode l ing is pre fe rabl e if you are abl e to conce ive th e de sire d sh ape in l e sse r am ounts of de tailin th e be ginning.

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Basical l y, you start by cre ating a basic box, th e n de fining de tail s as you carry on.

Ve rte x Push ing Al so re fe rre d to as point-to-point m ode l ing. Th is m e th od re q uire s m ore patie nce but al l ow s for gre ate r pre cision, e spe cial l y w h en cre ating sm ooth Edge Loops for anim ation. Start w ith one ve rte x, e xtruding and/or adding ve rtice s one -by-one , adjusting and re fining your sh ape untilyour m ode lis com pl e te d. Th is m e th od is in contrast to th e box m ode l ing te ch niq ue . It suits pe opl e w h o are abl e to conce ive th e sh ape and de tail s in advance , inste ad of adding de tail sl ate r.

Curve s Al l ow s you to cre ate sm ooth sh ape s and com pl e x ge om e try. Gre at for l ogos.

Nurbs O ne of th e m ore difficul t m e th ods of m ode l ing. You cre ate patch e s th at are th e n stitch e d toge th e r to cre ate sm ooth se am l e ss m ode l s. Gre at for organic m ode l ing.

Me tabal l s Much l ik e w ork ing w ith cl ay. You add additionalm e tabal l s w ith varying infl ue nce (can be positive or ne gative infl ue nce ) to buil d up your m ode l .

Tool s th at can be use d in conjunction

w ith m ost m ode l ing m e th ods. Extrude : [E k e y] Ve rtice s, Edge s and Face s can al lbe e xtrude d to buil d your m ode l s. K nife : [K k e y] can be use d to cre ate additionalEdge s and Face s, use fulin adding m ore de tailonce your basic m ode lis cre ate d. Ve rte x/Edge /Face Se l e ct: (Toggl e buttons on th e 3D w indow H e ade r Bar [l ook s l ik e dots/l ine /triangl e ]) Use fulfor se l e cting just th e are a you ne e d. Loop Se le ct: [Al t + MMB] al l ow s you to se l e ct an e ntire l oop for m odification. Subsurf: (Subdivision Surface s found in th e Modifie rs pane lof th e Edit buttons w indow ) Subsurf sm ooth s th e h ard angl e s of your m ode l , m aintaining l ow pol ygon counts w h il e m ode l ing. Th e re are actual l y m any m ore use fultool s incl ude d w ith in Bl e nde r, but th e se are th e one s use d m ost ofte n. More inform ation on Bl e nde r's tool s and m e th ods, as w e l las various tutorial s can, of course , be found in th e Bl e nde r w ik ibook found at: h ttp://m e diaw ik i.bl e nde r.org/inde x.ph p/Main _Page

Ne w s Fl as h

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Artw e ave r 0 .4 re leas e d

Ink s cape 0 .44 re leas e

A ne w e r ve rsion of Artw e ave r 0.4 w as re l e ase d on Jul y 18th . Th e ne w update brings al ot of ch ange s to Artw e ave r. It now sports a m uch im prove d inte rface for h andl ing brush e s. Al so, th e re are a fe w ne w tool s in th is re l e ase : Erase r, Stam p and Pe rspe ctive Grid. Th e arrange m e nt of th e Tool s and O ptions dial ogs pre se nt a cl e an inte rface com pare d to e arl ie r ve rsions.

Fig. Artw e ave r 0 .4 Im prove d inte rface

Th is update al so brings num e rous im prove m e nts to th e Ink scape UI. Notice abl e im prove m e nts are th e Col or Pal e tte Bar at th e bottom and an incl usion of m ore options on th e top tool bar. Al so im pl e m e nte d is th e Laye rs dial og box. Th e ove rh aulof th e Pre fe re nce s dial og box m ak e s m odifying pre fe re nce s a bre e z e . And, th e re 's th e addition of Ke yboard configuration.

Al so m ak ing an appe arance are a fe w ne w fil te rs such as Ligh ting Effe cts, Fish Eye Le ns, and Drop Sh adow . Now , saving and l oading of se l e ctions is al so possibl e . In addition to th e se fe ature s, a l ot m ore are avail abl e (incl uding a conside rabl e am ount of bug fixe s). Re ad th e Re l e ase Log for de tail s.

Th e re are pl e nty m ore im prove m e nts and l ots and l ots of ne w fe ature s pack e d into th is re l e ase . Go to h ttp://ink scape .org and dow nl oad th e l ate st re l e ase to l e arn m ore about al lth e ne w fe ature s.

You can ge t th e l ate st copy at h ttp://artw e ave r.de

Fig. Ink scape 0 .44

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Earl ie r th is m onth , th e Ink scape te am re l e ase d one of th e ir m ost l ongaw aite d re l e ase s. It w as im portant be cause th e y h ave im prove d l ots of issue s th at h ad h ounde d Ink scape in th e past. Th e m ost prom ine nt be ing th e sl uggish ne ss w h e n e diting obje cts at h igh e r z oom l e ve l s. Th is re l e ase brings a re fre sh ing im prove m e nt in spe e d w h e n h andl ing l arge r and m ore com pl e x obje cts. Th e node e diting is about 30% faste r and obje ct m ove m e nt on th e canvas h as al so gotte n a boost in spe e d. Using th e cal l igraph ic pe n is al so faste r in ce rtain case s.

3D W ork s h op - Using th e Blende r M ate rialLibrary Script

- b y M ariano H id al go Le ve l:Inte rm e diate 'Bl e nde r Library' is a pyth on s cript for Bl e nde r inte nde d to provide an e as y w ay to s tore , m anage and re trie ve fre q ue ntl y us e d ite m s ; s uch as m ate rial s , te xture s , obje cts , e tc. It al so trie s to de fine a s tandardiz e d w ay of s h aring s tuff be tw e e n th e re s t of th e Bl e nde r com m unity, w ith buil t- in im port and e xport functional ity (Th is fe ature ne e ds a ful lPyth on ins tal l ation for th e com pre s s e d s upport, pl e as e re ad be l ow for w ork around). Since th e s cript is m e re l y an inte rface buil t on top of th e curre nt Bl e nde r appe nding s ys te m [Sh ift+ F1] it w il lbe m os t l ik e l y com patibl e w ith al lfuture e nh ance m e nts in upcom ing Bl e nde r re l e as e s . As an e xam pl e th e m ate riall ibrary w as code d be fore th e de ve l oping of th e ne w M ate rialNode s and w ith out ch ange s in th e s cript it can now s tore m ate rial s w ith node s .

Se tting itup: Grab th e s cript from h e re .

h ttp://us e l e s s dre am e r.bye th os t32.com /s cripts /bl e nde r _l ibrary.py

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O nce dow nl oade d, jus t pl ace th e s cript in your Bl e nde r's s cripts fol de r and s tart or re s tart Bl e nde r (you can al s o us e (Scripts >> Update Me nus ) to re fre s h your s cripts ). Th e s cript w il l now be l is te d in th e (Scripts >> Obje ct>> Bl e nde r Library) s cripts m e nu. O n th e firs t run it w il las k you to ch oos e a l ocation for th e l ibrary fol de r. Pl e as e try to ch oos e a dire ctory not too de e p in your fil e s ys te m , th is w il l avoid pos s ibl e probl em s w ith Pyth on's path h andl ing, e ve n th ough us e rs re port th at th is is no l onge r an is s ue in l ate s t ve rs ions of th e s cript.

Firs ts te ps

Th e s cript s tarts in brow s ing m ode . At th e top, th e re are th re e dropdow n m e nus . Th e uppe rm os t one is th e curre ntl y brow s e d l ibrary, th e oth e r tw o are cate gorie s and s ubcate gorie s . Sub cate gorie s are optional , but th e y be com e us e fulonce you s tart fil l ing th e l ibrary w ith Fig2. Th e M ate riall ib rary in b row sing m od e .

l ots of s tuff. Th e l ittl e arrow s on th e s ide of th e m e nus al l ow to q uick l y brow s e th e conte nt.

Th at's it! your l ibrary is re ady to be fil l e d w ith ite m s . Fig1. Initiald ial og.

Untilyou ge t com fortabl e w ith th e s cript th e re is a conte xt h e l p fe ature , and if you l e ave it ope n it w il lcons tantl y s h ow tips and advice as you ope n m e nus and navigate th e form s . O nce you h ave m as te re d e ve ryth ing, you can cl os e it by Jus t cl ick ing on th e l ittl e button on top w ith an inte rrogation m ark . So th e s cript w indow ge ts s m al l e r and don't e at th at m uch s pace on your s cre e n.

Now you can s tart e xpe rim e nting w ith th e s cript. Eith e r add s om e s tuff you h ave (re ad be l ow ), or go to Bl e nde r Stuff (h ttp:\ \ bl e nde rs tuff.bye th os t32.com ) and dow nl oad s om e re ady to us e ite m s . D ow nl oade d ite m s can be im porte d one by one or in a batch m ode . If you dow nl oade d s e ve ralite m s , jus t ch oos e "Im port a Fol de r" acce s s ibl e from th e 'Righ t Cl ick ' M e nu and point it to th e fol de r w h e re th e ite m s re s ide . O nce you re ach a cate gory w ith ite m s on it, a row w ith e xtra buttons w il lappe ar, al ong w ith a pre vie w im age and a drop- dow n m e nu to q uick l y jum p to oth e r ite m s in th e cate gory.

3D W ork s h op - Using th e Blende r M ate rialLibrary Script

Th e buttons above th e pre vie w are : • Th e LOAD button. It w il lpop a m e nu w ith diffe re nt l oading options , de pe nding of th e type of ite m . • Th e INFO button, to dis pl ay a m e nu w ith e xte nde d inform ation about th e curre nt ite m . If you [Ctrl+ LMB] in ite m 's nam e or de s cription you can ch ange th e m . Auth or's inform ation is dis pl aye d be l ow and can't be ch ange d for th e m om e nt. To m anage th e conte nt, th e s cript provide s s e ve raloptions in th e M ANAGE m e nu. You can re nam e , de l e te or m ove th e conte nt to oth e r cate gorie s . You can al s o im port a cus tom pre vie w im age to re pl ace th e curre nt one . Afte r th e s e fis t s te ps , it w il lbe coolto ope n up th e pre fe re nce s dial og, w h e n you can e nte r your pe rs onalinform ation. Th e n, w h e n adding ite m s you can us e th e FILLbutton in th e AD D form to autom atica l l y e nte r your data, s aving you s om e typing e ve ry tim e you m ak e ne w ite m .

Fig3. Ad d ing stuffto th e l ib rary

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Adding Ite m s

To add your ow n s tuff to th e l ibrary, cl ick in th e Add button at th e bottom of th e s cript. A form w il ls h ow up. Se l e cting th e de s ire d ite m s w ork s a bit diffe re nt de pe nding on w h ich l ibrary your are on. Th e 'O bje ct' and 'Lam p' l ibrarie s can s tore s e ve ralBl e nde r's databl ock s in th e s am e ite m , s o you are not l im ite d to s tore s ingl e m e sh e s. You can s tore and s h are a ful lch aracte r, com pl e te w ith props and arm ature , an e ve n s h ape k e ys attach e d. By s toring s e ve rall am ps in th e s am e ite m you can cre ate l am ps s e ts to ach ie ve re us abl e l igh ting e nvironm e nts or on cl ick - to- s e tup fak e gl obalil l um ination. Ch oos e th e de s ire d obje cts or l am ps on th e 3D Vie w and th e n type a nam e for th e ite m in th e SET NAM E: l abe l . For th e re s t of th e l ibrarie s you s e l e ct th e de s ire d ite m from a m e nu acce s s e d from th e righ t pointing arrow ne xt to th e NAM E l abe l . In th is cas e th e l abe lw il lbe auto fil l e d w ith ch os e n databl ock 's nam e . D e s pite th is , al l re l ate d s tuff to th e ch os e n ite m is al s o adde d. If you add a m ate rial , it's te xture s and Ipos are al s o adde d, and s o on. For s om e l ibrarie s you can turn on th e ENABLE RAY button, in cas e you w ant a ray trace d pre vie w im age , and for m ate rial s you can al so ch oos e th e s h ape of th e pre vie w obje ct from a drop- dow n m e nu.

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Now its tim e to cl ick th e Add Ite m button to finis h th e proce s s . Th e s cript w il lw arm you about th e ne e d to re ope n th e curre nt bl e nd fil e afte r adding. Th is is a s m al ll im itation (w h ich m ay dis appe ar in future ve rs ions ) s o pl e as e s ave your bl e nd be fore adding s tuff to th e l ibrary. If you accide ntal l y forgot to s ave and l os e w ork , you can s e arch for th e q uit.bl e nd fil e , th at is a Bl e nde r fe ature to re cove r bl e nd fil e , w h ich Bl e nde r autom atical l y cre ate s for s afe ty. Afte r re l oad, run th e s cript again and th e ite m you h ave jus t adde d w il lbe th e re for q uick re us e . If you pl an to s h are your ite m s , and to prote ct your righ ts as a cre ator it is pos s ibl e to bundl e a Lice ns e Te xt w ith e ve ry ite m you add to th e l ibrary. To do th is , h ave your l ice ns e te xt ope ne d in th e curre nt .bl e nd and th e n s e l e ct it from th e drop dow n m e nu. W h e n pe opl e l oad your ite m , th e s cript w il lw arn th e m about th e pre s e nce of th e l ice ns e and its te xt w il ll oad into th e proje ct.

Exporting Ite m s

If you w ant to s h are your cre ations w ith oth e r pe opl e , us e th e Export Ite m option in th e M anage m e nu. You can e xport com pre s s e d TAR pack age s onl y if you h ave a ful lPyth on ins tal l ation.

3D W ork s h op - Using th e Blende r M ate rialLibrary Script

As an al te rnative you can run a s e arch on googl e or you favorite s e arch e ngine and l ook for th e s e tw o fil e s : s h util .py and tarfil e .py; dow nl oad and pl ace in your Bl e nde r's fol de r. Now you can e xport and im port com pre s s e d ite m s . W h e n you e xport com pre s s e d ite m s th e s cript give s you a JPG im age al ong w ith th e TAR pack age . Th e im age is not ne e de d to im port th e ite m back , rath e r it provide d s naps h ot w h ich you can s h ow as pre vie w in th e forum s or w e bs ite s w h e n you m ay be pos ting your s tuff. If you are e xporting uncom pre s s e d ite m s , th e n th e th re e re s ul ting fil e s are ne e de d and you s h oul d dis tribute th e m al l . It w oul d be a good ide a to pack th e m m anual l y as a TAR fil e by h and.

Th e Librarie s

Le ts tak e a l ook at s om e of th e l ibrarie s . Th e Mate rialand Te xture Libs Th e m ate rial l ibrary is th e s tar of th e s h ow . It can s tore re gul ar m ate rial s , m ate rial s w ith node s and e ve n m ate rial s w ith IPO s attach e d. If th e m ate rialus e s Im age ' te xture s , th e im age fil es w il lbe autom atical l y pack e d. Th e te xture l ibrary is coolfor s torage of proce durals e ttings and e nvironm e nt m aps . As a pl us , te xture s of type Bl e nd can be us e d to s tore col or bands . Th e (Gam e ) Logic Lib Th is is inte nde d for gam e de ve l ope rs and is a q uick w ay to s tore l ogic brick s . Th is w ay you can s tore your k e yboard m appings or th e brick s ne e de d to m ak e a pan and rotate vie w tooland q uick l y re us e th e m l ate r. To s tore gam e m ode l s is be tte r to us e th e O bje ct l ibrary ins te ad, th e TEXFACE button w il l al l ow you to ge t a righ t pre vie w for UV te xture d m ode l s. Th e Sce ne Lib Al lth e tim e pe opl e dow nl oad from th e ne t bl e nds w ith e xam pl e s and conce pts , us ual l y w ith a s ingl e s ce ne . W ith th is l ib you can e as il y catal og th at fil e s and al s o its a good pl ace to s tore s e ve ralas s orte d ite m s you m ay w ant to l oad at once .

Fig4. Exporting ite m s

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Th e Particl e Lib. Can s tore s tatic (h air, fur, gras s ) or anim ate d particl e s ys te m s , th e l ate r w ith attach e d force fie l ds and de fl e ctors .

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For th e l ate r to w ork , you ne e d to nam e e ach force fie l d and de fl e ctor be ginning w ith th e nam e of th e particl e obje ct, pl us a dot, pl us th e ir nam e (for e xam pl e : PARTICLEO BJECT.FO RCEFIELD , PARTICLEO BJECT.D EFLECTO R.001) Th e Arm ature , Action, Pos e and IPO Libs . Favorite s for anim ators , th e y s tore anim ation re l ate d databl ock s and e ve n s ingl e pos e s . Th e pos e l ibrary curre ntl y doe s n't s tore th os e pos e s w h ich us e attach e d Targe t IK s , but th is m ay ch ange in future ve rs ions . Th e autom atic IK w ork s jus t fine . Fig5. A com pl e te anim ate d particl e sy ste m justone cl ick aw ay

Th e W orl d Lib

It is pos s ibl e to s tore anim ate d w orl ds , a ve ry coolfe ature for pe opl e us ing Bl e nde r for adve rtis ing or m ul tim e dia de s ign. In th e l ate s t ve rs ion of th e s cript, you can al s o ch oos e to jus t l oad Particl e or M is t s e ttings , to m e rge w ith your curre nt w orl d.

3D W ork s h op - Using th e Blende r M ate rialLibrary Script

Extra Functional ity

O nce you s tart col l e cting ite m s , you'l lne e d th e Se arch function, w h ich can be acce s s e d from th e 'Righ t Cl ick ' M e nu. It w il ll e t you s e arch a s pe cific l ibrary for m atch ing ite m s both by ite m 's nam e and auth or's nam e . O nce found, th e m atch ing ite m s w il lbe s h ow n jus t l ik e in th e brow s ing m ode , re ady to be l oade d in your curre nt proje ct. Al s o re m e m be r th at m os t us e d ite m s can be adde d to favorite s for q uick acce s s and th e y w il lbe l is te d at th e bottom of th e LO AD m e nu. To re m ove a favorite jus t [Ctrl+ LMB]on it's nam e . Round D ow n Curre nt ve rs ion of th e s cript is 1.3.4. For future ve rs ions th e s m al l im pl e m e ntationalq uirk s m ay be gone and h ope ful l y th e re w il lbe no l onge r ne e d to re ope n th e .bl e nd afte r adding s tuff. Al s o, m aybe giving th e s cript a cus tom s pace w il lbe a cool ide a.

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H ope th e Bl e nde r H e ads around th e w orl d find th is toolus e fuland w e 'l ls oon s tart cre ating a h uge com m unity of pe opl e s h aring al lk ind of gre at Bl e nde r conte nt. - Se e ya around M ariano H id al go

M ariano H idal go A.K.A. use l e ssdre am e r

Fig6. Look ing for m ate rial s in th e se arch pane l

You can vis it th e Bl e nde r Library th re ad at Bl e nde rArtis ts forum to pos t doubts q ue rie s or fe ature re q ue s ts . You can al s o tak e a l ook at m y s ite h ttp://us e l e s s dre am e r.bye th os t32.com for m ore s cripts .

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

I'm a graph ic artist, de signe r and m usician from Bue nos Aire s, Arge ntina. Som e tim e s I code for fun and I m anage to ge taw ay w ith it;)

3D W ork s h op - Ge n3 th e Tre e M ode lGe ne rator (Script)

- b y Se rge y Prok h orch uk Le ve l- Inte rm e diate M anual l y cre ating re al is tic tre e m ode l s is a h ard tas k in 3D /CG. To s im pl ify th is tas k , various pl ug- ins and program s , w h ich can be us e d to cre ate 3D pl ant m ode l s autom atical l y, w e re cre ate d. Th e s e program s al l ow th e us e rs to de s cribe pl ant s tructure by inputing s om e param e te r s e ttings w h ich are us e d to ge ne rate th e 3D m ode l . For Bl e nde r us e rs , [LSys te m ]and [Arbaro], are th e tw o com m on pl ant ge ne rators . [LSys te m ]is a pyth on- bas e d s cript for Bl e nde r w h ich ge ne rate s pl ant m ode l s bas e d on th e "Ls ys te m " al gorith m - th at's w h y th e nam e "Ls ys te m ". [Arbaro]is a s tand- al one Javaappl ication, w h ich ge ne rate s pl ants us ing th e m ode lde s cribe d in [W e be r9 5]. Ge n3 is a re l ative l y ne w tre e ge ne ration pl ugin/s cript for Bl e nde r. Its firs t ve rs ion (v0.1) w as re l e as e d on June 17th of 2006. To ge ne rate tre e s tructure s , it us e s m ode l s de s cribe d in [W e be r9 5](th e s am e m ode lth at Arbaro us e s ).

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

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Th e am ount of incl ude d param e te rs de s cribing tre e fe ature s are vas t. Broadl y, th e s e param e te rs al l ow th e us e r to de s cribe th e trunk and branch e s s iz e s , th e ir s pl it probabil itie s , branch l ocations re l ative to e ach oth e r and s o on. Curre ntl y, th e inte rface is not us e r- frie ndl y and m ay s care off ne w us e rs , but th e UI re im pl e m e ntation is a pos s ibil ity for future re l e as e s .

Afte r copying th e fil e s , you are re ady to us e th e s cript.

Ins tal l ation

Afte r l aunch ing th e s cript, you w il ls e e al lth e control s w h ich al l ow you to controlparam e te rs affe cting th e m ode lof th e tre e . You can find com pl e te de s cription of al lth e s e param e te rs in th e [W e be r9 5]pape r.

To ins tal lGe n3, you s h oul d dow nl oad th e l ate s t ve rs ion of th e s cript from h e re [Ge n3]. (At th e tim e of th is w riting, th e l ate s t ve rs ion avail abl e is 0.5) Unpack th e dow nl oade d arch ive Fig1. Scriptacce ss m e nu

to a te m porary dire ctory and copy th e fil e ge n3.py and th e “gt” s ub- dire ctory to your Bl e nde r s cript dire ctory (W h ich can be l ocate d in th e Bl e nde r ins tal l ation path ). It is h igh l y re com m e nde d to e ns ure th at th e ve rs ions of th e 's tandal one Pyth on Ins tal l ation' and th e Bl e nde r Pyth on ve rs ions are th e s am e and w e re com pil e d w ith th e s am e buil d options . Th is re q uire m e nt is ne ce s s ary as Ge n3 us e s s om e m odul e s w h ich are part of th e Pyth on l ibrary.

Us age

You can acce s s th e Ge n3 s cript via (Scripts >>Mis c>>Ge n3) s e e fig1. If you do not s e e "Ge n3" e ntry in th e Scripts m e nu th e n s e l e ct (Scripts >>Update Me nus ) - it w il lupdate th e l is t of avail abl e s cripts .

Th e re are s e ve ralbuttons at th e bottom part of s cript's GUI, of w h ich th e m ain button is th e "Ge ne rate " button. Upon cl ick ing th is button, th e s cript s tarts ge ne rating a 3D m ode l . To m ak e th ings e as ie r for you, th e re are s om e buttons w ith th e nam e of tre e type s on th e m . Th e s e buttons w il lfil lup pre de fine d param e te rs for th e s e l e cte d tre e w h ich can be a good pl ace for you to s tart e xpe rim e nting. For a q uick s tart, you can pre s s th e "Q uak e As pe n" button and th e n pre s s th e “Ge ne rate " button. Afte r a w h il e (tim e w il lvary de pe nding on your com pute r configuration), you w il ls e e a ge ne rate d tre e m ode lin th e 3D vie w w indow .

3D W ork s h op - Ge n3 th e Tre e M ode lGe ne rator (Script)

Im porting param e te rs from [Arbaro]

Since Ge n3 us e s th e s am e al gorith m as Arbaro, it is pos s ibl e to im port tre e param e te rs ge ne rate d by Arbaro. Notice th at th e im port fe ature is avail abl e onl y if th e Bl e nde r pyth on inte rpre te r h as acce s s to th e xm l .dom .m inidom m odul e , w h ich is a part of Pyth on l ibrary.

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Cre dits

I'd l ik e to th ank Jas on W e be r and Jos e ph Pe nn for th e ir e xce l l e nt pape r on pl ant s tructure s . Al s o, I w ant to s ay th ank s to al lm e m be rs of th e h ttp://bl e nde rartis t.org forum for th e ir re s pons e s , advice s and s ugge s tions . Th ank s to al lw h o've h e l pe d in th e de ve l opm e nt of Ge n3. b y - Se rge y Prok h orch uk

If it is ins tal l e d prope rl y th e n, you w il ls e e th e "Im port" button righ t unde r th e "Ge ne rate " button. To im port param e te rs , s im pl y pre s s th e "Im port" button and s e l e ct th e Arbaro ge ne rate d XM Lfil e to im port param e te rs . O ne th ing th at m us t be note d is th at s om e Arbaros pe cific param e te rs are not s upporte d in Ge n3, s o th e ge ne ration of tre e s m ay diffe r.

Cus tom l e ave s us age

Ge n3 al l ow s th e us e of any m e s h /obje ct as a te m pl ate for l e af ge ne ration. To us e a cus tom m e s h /obje ct as a l e af te m pl ate , you m us t add a pre fix "Le af" to its nam e ("Le afSm al l " for e xam pl e ). To re fre s h avail abl e l e af te m pl ate s for th e s cript, pre s s th e "P" button l ocate d ne ar th e "Le afSh ape " drop- dow n l is t. Afte r re fre s h ing, al lm e s h e s w h ich h ave th e "Le af" pre fix in th e ir nam e w il lbe avail abl e in th e "Le afSh ape " drop- dow n l is t. Se l e ct th e ne e de d obje ct in th e l is t and it w il lbe us e d during th e ge ne ration of l e ave s .

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

Fig2. Ge n3 UI e xpl aine d

Link s [Arb aro] h ttp://arb aro.source forge .ne t [LSysInfo] h ttp://e n.w ik ipe dia.org/w ik i/Linde nm aye r_ syste m [LSyste m ] h ttp://jm sol e r.fre e .fr/util /b l e nde rfil e /im age s/l syste m /l syste m .h tm [Ge n3] h ttp://ge ocitie s.com /b ge n3 [W e b e r9 5] Jason W e b e r, Jose ph Pe nn, "Cre ation and R e nde ring of R e al istic Tre e s", Proce e dings of ACM SIGGR APH 19 9 5: pp. 119 - 128.

3D W ork s h op - Ge n3 th e Tre e M ode lGe ne rator (Script)

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L-Sys te m L-s ys te m is a m e th od ofde s cribing s e l f-s im il ar s tructure s , itcan be vague l y com pare d to fractal s . L-s ys te m de finition cons is ts of: 1. Se tofs ym bol s from s om e al ph abe t. 2. Production rul es. 3. Me anings attach e d to e ach s ym bolfrom th e al ph abe t. Th e m ain partofL-s ys te m is a s tring re w riting m odul e , w h ich appl ie s production rul e s to s om e initials tring. Th e Re w riting proce dure is appl ie d to th e s tring in a re curs ive m anne r. Afte r s om e ite rations , re s ul ting s trings can de s cribe ve ry com pl exsel f-s im il ar s tructure s . Since m any pl ants h ave s e l f-s im il ar prope rtie s , Ls ys te m can be us e d to de s cribe th e m . Note , th atL-s ys te m can al s o be us e d for ge ne rating m any oth e r com pl e x s tructure s and th e re fore is notre s tricte d to jus tpl ants .

Jas on W e be r and Jos e ph Pe nn's tre e ge ne ration m ode l Jas on W e be r and Jos e ph Pe nn's tre e ge ne ration m ode linform ation box --Th is m ode l , unl ik e th e L-s ys te m , is orie nte d s pe cifical l y for 3D pl antge ne ration. In th is m ode l , tre e s are de s cribe d unde r trunk and s e ve rall e ve l s ofbranch e s . Th e m ode lde s cribe s param e te rs and form ul as w h ich are us e d to ge ne rate onl y tre e m ode l s . Som e param e te rs appl y to m ode l s in ge ne ral , s om e to trunk , branch e s or l e ave s onl y. Th e param e te r s e ttings are rich e nough for com pl e x tre e fam il ie s . Th e s e s e ttings al l ow configuration ofs iz e s and orie ntations , trunk s and branch e s , s h ape s , probabil itie s of s te m s s pl itting, l e afs h ape s and s o on. Param e te rs de s cribing trunk fl aring, l obe s and tre e s h ape pruning are al s o pre s e nt. Since th is m ode lw as cre ate d s pe cial l y for tre e m ode lge ne ration, itcan be unde rs tood and m odifie d m ore e as il y th an m ode l s bas e d on th e L-s ys te m . A ful lm ode lde s cription can be found in [W e be r9 5].

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

Se rge y Prok h orch uk I am a softw are de ve l ope r atViaSoftLtd, Uk raine . Since I h ave som e e xpe rie nce in C/C+ + and Pyth on program m ing, I try to use itin diffe re ntare as of 3D-graph ic. O th e r com pute r-re l ate d are as I'm inte re ste d in are : program m ing th e ory, artificialinte l l ige nce and cryptograph y.

3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

- b y Sand ra Gil b e rt

Ch il dre n’s toys m ak e w onde rfulre fe re nce m ode l s for ch aracte rs . Th e y provide a w ide range of ch oice s from col orfulfantas y type s to re al is tic ch aracte rs and e ve ryth ing in be tw e e n. Eve n if th e ch aracte r you h ad in m ind is n’t to be found in th e toy ais l e , m os t l ik e l y you can find s om e th ing cl os e to ge t you s tarte d and th e n you can al te r it from th e re to m atch w h at you h ad in m ind. In th is tutorial , I'm going to s h ow you h ow I w e nt about m ode l ing an e vilm onk e y. Th e re fe re nce m ode lI'm us ing com e s from a ve ry popul ar l ine of toys by H as bro, “M y Littl e s t Pe t Sh op”. Th e y are ve ry s im pl e ch aracte rs bas e d on a w ide range of anim al s . (And ye s , I h ave m os t al lof th e m , for m ode l ing re fe re nce of cours e )

Le ve l- Inte rm e diate Ch aracte r m ode l ing is one of m y favorite activitie s in Bl e nde r. I ge t th e bigge s t k ick out of cre ating a ch aracte r and w atch ing it com e to l ife . Since m y s tyl e of m ode l ing l e ans tow ard toon- s tyl e ch aracte rs (obvious l y I s pe nt w ay too m uch tim e w atch ing Loone y Tune s as a ch il d), and I adm itte dl y don’t draw as w e l las I w ant, I find m os t of m y ins piration for ch aracte rs in th e toy ais l e of m y l ocalde partm e nt s tore .

13

In Ph otos h op (GIM P can be us e d jus t as w e l l , and or any oth e r im age program th at you fe e l com fortabl e w ith ), I put both im age s s ide - bys ide , m ak ing s ure th at th e s iz e of e ach m atch e d up. Ne xt, l e t’s ge t h im into Bl e nde r. In th e front vie w [Num pad 1], go to (Vie w > > Vie w Back ground). A dial og box w il lpop up (fig 1). Brow s e to w h e re you h ave s tore d your im age of Rupe rt. Il ik e to w ork in a s pl it- s cre e n l ayout, w ith one s cre e n for front vie w and one for s ide vie w , s o I re pe ate d th e pre vious s te p for m y s ide vie w s cre e n [Num pad 3]. You s h oul d now h ave an im age of Rupe rt in both s cre e ns to w ork from .

Th is tutorialis a be ginne r to inte rm e diate range tutorial . Al th ough I do as s um e th at you can at l e as t ge t around fairl y com fortabl y in Bl e nde r, I w il ldo m y be s t not to s k ip s te ps th at I th ink are com m on k now l e dge . Th at be ing s aid, l e t’s ge t s tarte d. M ak e s ure you h ave a cl e an w ork s pace , if you norm al l y h ave a cube or pl ane by de faul t, de l e te it.

Firs tw e ne e d to ge tour re fe re nce im age into Bl e nde r For m y purpos e s , I took a front and s ide ph oto of m y m onk e y, w h o I h ave nam e d “Rupe rt”. Fig1. R upe rtin Bl e nd e r b ack ground

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

Le t’s ge tm ode l ing: H e ad

Th e re a coupl e of te ch niq ue s th at coul d be us e d h e re . Al th ough I norm al l y us e box m ode l ing, for th is m ode l , w e are going to e xpl ore pointto- point (or ve rtice ) m ode l ing, in an atte m pt to cre ate nice e dge l oops for pos s ibl e anim ation (LO Lal th ough I am ful l y aw are th at th is probabl y coul d be de m ons trate d be tte r by s om e one m ore s k il l e d at it). Al s o, I pre fe r to m ode lone h al f of a ch aracte r firs t, m irror it and th e n add variations to both s ide s .

14

In front vie w [Num pad 1], s e l e ct al lth e ve rtice s and m ove th e m to th e ce nte r of Rupe rt’s face (fig 3).

Ne xt, [Ctrl+ LMB] cl ick additionalve rtice s around Rupe rt’s e ye , m ak ing s ure you adjus t from both front and s ide vie w s , al s o cre ate a l ine of ve rtice s going from h is nos e , dow n acros s h is ch e e k and around h is e ye . (fig 5)

Fig3. Positioning ve rtice s

Fig2. Ad d ing ve rtice s for h e ad

M ak e s ure al lve rtice s are de s e l e cte d [A], s e l e ct th e ve rtice righ t at th e s pot w h e re Rupe rt’s face ch ange d from tan to brow n, th e n ControlLM B cl ick around th e tan face are a. I s tarte d in s ide vie w [Num pad 3] and th e n in front vie w , I m ove d e ach ve rtice untilit m atch e d th e tan are a in front vie w al s o. (fig 4)

Fig5. Ad d ing e y e

Le t’s finis h cre ating l ine s for h is ch e e k and m outh are a, th e n w e can s tart fil l ing in th e face s in th e front of h is h e ad. (fig. 6)

H e ad

Go to m e nu (Add>> Pl ane ), s e l e ct and de l e te 3 of th e 4 ve rtice s . In s ide vie w [Num pad 3] RM B cl ick to s e l e ct th e re m aining ve rtice , [G k e y]to grab and m ove th e ve rtice to th e tip of Rupe rt’s nos e . [Ctrl+ LMB] cl ick around Rupe rt’s h e ad to cre ate an outl ine to w ork from . Se e figure 2 for re fe re nce .

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

Fig4. Positioning ve rtice s

Fig5. Ad d ing m ore d e tail s

3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

Fil l ing in ofFace s

Tim e to cre ate th e back ofh is h e ad

Th is part ge ne ral l y tak e s a l ittl e adjus ting for m e . Th e goalis to l ine up al lyour nice e dge s into cl e an 4 s ide d pol ygon face s . Th e be s t w ay to go about it is to jus t jum p in and s tart fil l ing th e m up. I pre fe r h aving m ore controlove r th is proce s s s o I do th e m one at a tim e , fixing probl e m are as as I go. To fil lin face s , s e l e ct 2 ve rtice s and cre ate an e dge be tw e e n th e m [F], continue to cre ate e dge s untilyou h ave a cl os e d box (or pol ygon). O nce you h ave a cl os e d are a, s e l e ct al lfour ve rtice s and h it [F] again to fil lth e pol ygon. (fig 7)

Fig7. Fil l ing th e face s

Continue cre ating e dge s and fil l ing in face s untilyour m ode lre s e m bl e s (fig8). M os t l ik e l y you w il lrun into s am e probl e m as I did. O n s om e of th e e dge l ine s , I didn't cre ate e nough ve rtice s for e ve ry th ing to l ine up nice l y.

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

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It w il lbe jus t l ik e cre ating th e e dge s for h is face . ControlLM B cl ick to cre ate ne w ve rtice s fol l ow ing al ong th e re fe re nce ph oto, m ak ing s ure to adjus t from both front and s ide vie w s to cre ate a nice s m ooth , rounde d h e ad. (fig. 9 ) M ak e s ure to m ode laround w h e re th e e ar w il l go. If you cove r it up now , it w il ljus t be adde d s te ps to attach th e e ar l ate r.

Fig8. R upe rtafte r face fil l ing

I fixe d it by s e l e cting 2 ve rtice s to e ith e r s ide of th e probl e m are a and h itting (W >> Subdivide ) in 'Edit M ode ' to cre ate additionalve rtice s . For th e m os t part, I m anage d to cre ate cl e an four- s ide d pol ygon face s . Th e re are a fe w triangl e s th at coul dn’t be h el pe d and h ope ful l y w on’t caus e a probl e m . If th e y do, w e w il lde alw ith th e m l ate r. At th is point, you can ch e ck your progre s s in s ol id m ode [Z ]. M ak e s ure you h ave s e l e cte d your m ode land h ave pus h e d th e 'Se t Sm ooth ' button in th e 'Edit buttons ' w indow . Al s o, at th is point you m ay h ave norm al s facing th e w rong w ay. To fix th at, s e l e ct al lve rtice s w h il e in 'Edit M ode ' and pre s s [Ctrl+ N] to s e t th e m al lin th e s am e dire ction. Rupe rt is l ook ing pre tty good at th is s tage . If you w ant, you can tak e a l ook at h im w ith Subs urf on (re m e m be r, Subs urf h as be e n m ove d to th e M odifie r s tack in Bl e nde r2.4x).

Fig9 . Sm ooth surface

Th e e ye s s ay ital l

Since m y re fe re nce ph oto is e ntire l y too cute for an e vilm onk e y, w e are going to m odify h is cute ne s s factor. And s ince th e e ye s s ay it al l , th at is w h at w e are going to m odify.

3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

Se l e ct th e ve rtice s jus t above th e e ye s ock e t (fig. 10). Grab th e m [G]and m ove th e m forw ard to cre ate a m ore prom ine nt brow l ine and th e n rotate in both s ide and front vie w to give it a m ore s inis te r l ook . D o th e s am e th ing w ith th e row of ve rtice s jus t above th e one you jus t al te re d (fig. 11).

16

Ne xt, it is tim e to re fine th e e ye s ock e t. Se l e ct al lth e ve rtice s around th e e ye s ock e t. Pre s s [E k e y] to e xtrude , do not m ove th e m ous e and im m e diate l y pre s s [S k e y] to s cal e th e ve rtice s sl igh tl y s m al l e r th an th e s ock e t. Pre s s [E k e y] to e xtrude again, th is tim e m ove th e ne w row of ve rtice s back into th e h e ad and th e n pre s s [S k e y] to s cal e it s l igh tl y s m al l e r. At th is point you can add in your e ye bal l . Th e re are m any good tutorial s on cre ating e ye s , s o I’m not going to cove r th at h e re . M y favorite by far is th e Pixar e ye tutorial (you can do a googl e s e arch for it). So us e th e e ye bal lof your ch oice and pl ace it into th e s ock e t. (Q uick re nde r of e ye bal ladde d, fig. 12)

Ears

You coul d e ith e r m ode lth e e ar s e parate l y and attach it l ate r or m ode lit dire ctl y on th e h e ad. Se e ing as h ow th e e ar l ook s l ik e a m odifie d s ph e re , I am going to m ode lit s e parate l y and th e n attach it. Firs t (Add>> Me s h >> UVSph e re )- {8 s e gm e nts : 8 rings }. Scal e it dow n to fit th e e ar. (fig. 13) Se l e ct e nd pol e ve rtice and th e firs t ring, w ith proportionale dit [O k e y]on {us e Sm ooth Fal l off}. Pre s s [G k e y]to m ove th e ve rtice s back into th e s ph e re , th e n s e l e ct a coupl e of th e outs ide ve rtice s and m ove th e n back (fig. 14)

Fig10 . R e fining e y e sock e t

Fig13. Ad d ing e ar

Fig11. R e fining e y e sock e t Fig12. R upe rt's 'e y e '

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

17

Ne xt, w e w il lbe w ork ing on th e body. Rupe rt’s h air w il lbe adde d as a finalcos m e tic m odification w h e n w e h ave finis h e d.

Le t’s ge tm ode l ing: Body

At th is point you s h oul d be re ady to m ode lth e tail , jus t k e e p e xtruding, fol l ow ing th e s h ape of th e tail .(fig. 18) Paus e and tak e a l ook at your m ode lfrom al ls ide s , adjus ting are as th at l ook

At th is point, th e e xtrude tool[E k e y]is going to be our be s t frie nd. W e w il lbe e xtruding out from th e bottom of th e h e ad to cre ate a s e am l e s s fl ow into th e body.

Ne ck & Body Fig14. Ed iting e ars

M ove th e e ar furth e r into th e e ar h ol e , join th e e ar to th e h e ad, k e e p pre s s e d [Sh iftk e y]th e RM B cl ick to s e l e ct both obje cts and th e n pre s s [J k e y]. Start m e rging [Al t+ M]ve rtice s w h e re th e y l ine up. O nce w e h ave th e e ar firm l y conne cte d, w e w il lde l e te unne e de d ve rtice s from ins ide th e h e ad. (fig. 15) Se e ing as h ow e ars are difficul t to e xpl ain, pl e as e l ook at th e incl ude d bl e nd fil e for pl ace m e nt and e ar- type tw e ak ing of th e s ph e re .

Se l e ct th e 4 bottom ve rtice s of th e h e ad. Th is w il l be w h e re w e s tart cre ating th e ne ck (fig. 16) and e xtrude dow n, adjus ting ve rtice s as ne e de d to m atch up w ith th e im age . You w il lnotice th at a l ittl e adjus ting w il lbe ne e de d w h e re it m e e ts th e h e ad as w e l l . Continue to e xtrude th e ne w ve rtice s dow n, s h aping it to th e re s t of th e body, s cal ing and rotating as ne e de d to cre ate th e rounde d body s h ape . (fig. 17) Fig16. Ad d ing ne ck

Fig18. ad d ing tail

al ittl e off. I fatte ne d up h is body from th e front vie w (s e l e ct al lbody ve rtice s and pre s s [Al t+ S], drag your m ous e h oriz ontal l y to th e s cre e n), you can al s o grab ve rtice s in th e front and back h ip are as and pul lth e m out a l ittl e to cre ate a m ore rounde d body. Turn on Subs urf to ch e ck for s m ooth ne s s and a pre vie w of h ow Rupe rt l ook s (fig. 19 ).

Fig15. Joining e ars to th e m ain m e sh

Bas ical l y you w il lw ant to pus h and pul lth e ve rtice s ins ide th e e ar to cre ate th e il l us ion of fol ds and ridge s . Th at concl ude s th e buil ding of th e h e ad. Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

Fig19 . Ch e ck ing m e sh in Sub surf Fig17. Extrud e d b od y

3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

Le t’s ge tm ode l ing: Le gs

Now w e ne e d s om e l e gs , w e w il lbe box m ode l ing h is l e gs and attach ing th e m l ate r to h is body.

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You w il lne e d to adjus t ve rtice s in both th e front and s ide vie w s to ge t your cube to l ine up w ith th e im age . (fig. 21)

M ove th e s e l e cte d ve rtice s to l ine up rough l y w ith w h e re th e front l e g w il lgo, do th e s am e for th e back l e g. (fig. 20) Ne xt, ge t out of 'Edit m ode ' [Tab k e y]and th e n de s e l e ct th e m onk e y. W e w il lbe buil ding h is l e gs s e parate l y and th e n attach ing th e m l ate r. Go to l aye r 2 to cre ate th e l e gs ( it w il lbe e as ie r to s e e w h at w e are doing w ith out h is body be ing in our w ay)

I h ave s toppe d jus t s h ort of th e h and for th e front l e g. Since I pl an on anim ating Rupe rt at a l ate r date and tim e , e ve ntual l y I am going to actual l y m ode la h and and curlit up us ing arm ature s . You can e ith e r m ode la com pl e te h and or jus t m ode lth e h and curl e d up as in th e im age de pe nding on your ne e ds . For th e s cope of th is tutorial , I w il ljus t m ode lh is h and curl e d up. (fig. 23)

Fig21. Ad d ing h and s

Box m ode l ing al l ow s for q uick buil d up of a m ode l . Extrude th e bottom four ve rtice s dow n th e l e ngth of Rupe rt’s arm , adjus ting ve rtice s (s cal ing and rotating) as ne e de d to ach ie ve th e bas ic s h ape . (fig.22) Fig23. Finish ing h and s

Us ing th e s am e m e th od, cre ate th e back l e g. (fig. 24) Re m e m be r to cre ate toe s w h e n you ge t to th e foot. It is an e as y m atte r to e xtrude out 3 re gions for th e individualtoe s . Al th ough de pe nding on h ow you e xtrude d from th e top of th e l e g, you m ay h ave to m ak e s om e Loop Cuts [K k e y] to cre ate 3 e q uals e gm e nts at th e front of th e foot.

Fig20 . Ad d ing l e gs

Now do (Add> > Cube ). Pos ition it jus t ove r th e front l e g of our im age . Scal e it dow n s o th at it m atch e s th e im age . Fig22. Ad d ing h and s

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3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

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Us ing th e Sm ooth button (found in th e 'M e s h tool s ' pane lof th e 'Edit buttons ' w indow ), s e l e ct any parts of your m ode lth at l ook a l ittl e too s h arp or bum py and th e n cl ick th e Sm ooth button a fe w tim e s to s m ooth th os e are as . W h e n you h ave finis h e d s m ooth ing out and tw e ak ing your m ode l , h e s h oul dl ook s om e th ing l ik e th is . (fig. 27) Fig24. Finish e d l e gs

Fig25. M oving to anoth e r l ay e r

Now com e s th e re al l y fun part (ins e rt h e avy s arcas m ). W e ne e d to attach th e l e gs to th e body. Firs t th ing w e ne e d to do is ge t th e l e gs on th e s am e l aye r as th e body. So, s e l e ct both l e gs and pre s s th e [M k e y](m ove to ne w l aye r) (fig. 25) and pus h th e Laye r 1 button. Your l e gs s h oul d now be on th e s am e l aye r as your body. W ith th e l e gs s til ls e l e cte d (and w h il e in 'O bje ct M ode '), s e l e ct th e body m e s h al s o and pre s s [Ctrl+ J] to join al lth e pie ce s toge th e r. Sw itch to 'Edit M ode '. Now com e s th e fun part. You are going to be m atch ing up individual ve rtice s from th e l e gs to th e body. It m igh t be h el pfulat th is point to s e l e ct e ve ryth ing not ne e de d for th is ope ration and h ide it us ing th e [H k e y](fig. 26) Th e re is no re ale as y w ay to e xpl ain h ow to do th is part. Save your fil e be fore you s tart. Start se l e cting individualve rtice s from th e l e g and th e cl os e s t m atch ing one from th e body.

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Fig27. Th e b od y in 'sol id sh ad e vie w m od e '

Putting ittoge th e r Fig26. Al igin ve rtice s

Pre s s [Al t+ M]to m e rge th e ve rtice s . You w il l ne e d to de l e te s om e unne e de d ve rtice s from both th e body and th e l e gs once you are finis h e d. D on’t ge t ups e t if you h ave to go back to your s ave d fil e and s tart ove r a fe w tim e s . It tak e s a l ittl e e xpe rim e ntation to ge t it l ine d up jus t righ t. O nce you h ave attach e d your l e gs , turn on Subs urf (it is in th e M odifie r s tack in th e 'Edit buttons ' w indow ) and l ook at your m ode l .

Wel l , w e h ave h al f a m onk e y, w h ich in its e l f coul d be l ots of fun, but not ove rl y us e ful . Tim e to M irror and join th e tw o h al ve s to m ak e a w h ol e m onk e y.

Mirroring

W e w il lbe us ing th e 'M irror M odifie r' to cre ate Rupe rt’s oth e r s ide . Firs t off, w h il e in front vie w , m ak e s ure your obje ct ce nte r is on th e ins ide e dge of Rupe rt. Th is w il lal l ow th e M odifie r to accurate l y pl ace Rupe rt’s oth e r s ide (fig. 28)

3D W ork s h op - M ode ling R upe rt th e "EvilM onk e y"

Ne xt, s e l e ct al lth e ins ide e dge s of Rupe rt. Pre s s th e [S k e y], th e n th e n [Al tk e y] w h il e m oving th e m ous e h oriz ontal l y, to s cal e th e m into a s traigh t l ine

Fig28. M irroring

As you can s e e , th e de faul t s e ttings in th e 'M irror M odifie r' s h ow a m inor probl e m w ith putting Rupe rt toge th e r. H is e dge s are n’t l ining up re al l y nice l y at al l . So, turn off th e dis pl ay in th e M irror M odifie r w h il e w e fix h im up. (If you s til lh ave th e Subs urf m odifie r on, turn it off al s o) Se l e ct th e top ve rtice s of Rupe rt’s body and tail , e xtrude once from top vie w [Num pad 7), l ine it up w ith th e ve rtice s from h is h e ad. (fig. 29 )

Now turn your 'M irror M odifie r' back on, h is e dge s s h oul dl ine up nice r now . You m igh t ne e d to m ove th e obje ct ce nte r of Rupe rt a l ittl e cl os e r to h is ins ide e dge . (To m ove an obje ct ce nte r, s e l e ct a ve rtice on th e ins ide e dge of Rupe rt, pre s s [Sh ift+ S]. Se l e ct “Curs or to Se l e ction” on th e popup m e nu. Ne xt, go to th e 'Edit buttons ' w indow and ch oos e , “Ce nte r to Curs or” in th e M e s h Pane l .) If Rupe rt l ook s al lnice and l ine d up, go ah e ad and appl y th e 'M irror M odifie r'. If not, adjus t th e obje ct ce nte r s om e m ore untilh e l ine s up nice l y. O k ay, now tak e a l ook at Rupe rt from al l angl e s . Th e re are a fe w m is s ing face s th at w e ne e d to fil lin (Se l e ct s urrounding ve rtice s and pre s s [Sh ift+ F] to fil lal lof th e m ). Al s o at th is tim e , s m ooth aw ay any w e ird angl e s w ith th e “Sm ooth Button” in th e M e s h Tool s pane l .

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And be s t of al l , you ge t to de cide h ow you w il l te xture h im . W il lyou go for toon s h ading?Fur? M aybe fe ath e rs , jus t to be diffe re nt. It's up to you. Pe rs onal l y, I’m jus t gonna give h im a s im pl e col oring, e nh ance d w ith Ram p s h ade rs , s o th at h e m atch e s up w ith s om e oth e r ch aracte rs I am al re ady doing.

Fig30 . Ee e k !! th e 'e vilm onk e y is al ive '

Adjus t and tw e ak any are as th at jus t don’t l ook righ t. Your finalm ode ls h oul d re s e m bl e s om e th ing cl os e to (Fig. 30). (I did go back and se l e ct h is tailand s cal e d it to be a l ittl e th inne r, but th at is a pe rs onalch oice I w il ll e ave up to you.)

Fig29 . Line ning up ve rtice s

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

At th is point you are te ch nical l y done , now you can put h im in your favorite jungl e and w h e re ve r h e th ink s h e ne e ds to be . You can add arm ature s and s w ing h im on a vine .

Fig31. R upe rtafte r te stre nd e r

3D W ork s h op - Kitch e n W ork s (Spin M ode ling)

By And re ia Le alSch e m id Engl ish transl ation b y Z ag.

Le ve l- Inte rm e diate H ow coul d w e de fine 3D - M ode l ing? 3D - M ode l ing is a s e t of te ch niq ue s and m e th ods us e d to cre ate a com pl e x, re alor im aginary m ode l . Us ing th e tool s e t of a 3D m ode l ing program , w e s tart from s im pl e ge om e trie s , com bining and organiz ing th e m in s uch a m anne r th at th e y facil itate th e cons truction of th e m ode l . Th e re is a l ot to tal k about th is is s ue .Practical l y, w e can im agine one te ch niq ue for e ach toolor m e th od th at w e h ave in Bl e nde r. Th e re fore , s om e of th e m are ge ne ral - us e te ch niq ue s and can be us e d in m os t w e l l - de ve l ope d 3D program s . Th e firs t q ue s tion th at w e h ave to as k ours e l ve s is , “W h ich is th e be s t m ode l ing te ch niq ue to us e ”? Wel l , it de pe nds on your k now l e dge of th at te ch niq ue and your s k il l s at us ing it, but any artis t or de s igne r w il ls ay: "Your m ode l , bas ical l y, w il lde fine th e te ch niq ue th at m us t be

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

us e d to ach ie ve th e be s t re s ul ts ". Th e re are no be tte r te ch niq ue s , in th e be ginning s tage s of 3D m ode l ing, th an tak ing an anal yticall ook at your de s igns and as k ing s om e pre l im inary q ue s tions : Som e ge ne ralq ue s tions : • W il lI ne e d pre cis ion in m y w ork ? • W il lth is m ode lbe anim ate d? • W h atl e ve lofde tailis ne e de d? Som e s pe cific q ue s tions : • W il lth e m ode lbe s ym m e trical ? • Sh oul d itbe as s e m bl e d from s im pl e parts , pre m ade m e s h e s or w il litbe a one -pie ce m e s h ? • H ave w e s om e s tructure s or parts th atare re pe ate d?Sh oul d w e us e dupl ication to cre ate th e s e parts ? • W h ats tyl e is be s tfor m y m ode l ? • W il lth e m ode lbe pre dom inantl y curve -bas e d or ve rte x-bas e d? • Can bas ic form s be us e d to s tartth e m ode l ing? Th rough out th e m ode l ing proce s s , ne w q ue s tions and ne w de cis ions w il lpop up th at m us t be addre s s e d. So, h ow can w e s urvive in th is ne ve r- e nding proce s s w ith out giving up?Th e ans w e r is O RGANIZ ATIO N! O rganiz e your proje ct, your re s ource s , your bas ic ide as , and m os t im portantl y: K now Your tool s and your s k il l s.

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Spin tool

Th e Spin toolis s im pl e to us e and unde rs tand. In th is articl e from Proce duralM agaz ine - th e firs t PD F M agaz ine in Braz il , K H A (nick nam e of Lady Andre ia Le alSch e m id), w e w il ldis cus s s om e difficul tie s re l ate d to th is m e th od and th e s ol utions to de alw ith good w ork in "Spin M ode l ing". In th is articl e , w e 'l lcons truct a m ode lof a w ine gl as s , util iz ing th e Spin te ch niq ue . Spin is a ve ry s im pl e toolth at al l ow s us to q uick l y re m ak e al lof th e m e s h or adjus t it by m oving s om e ve rtice s w h e n ne ce s s ary. Th is coul d re duce a l ot of m ode l ing w ork .

Furth e rm ore , th e re s ul ting m e s h w il lbe total l y s ym m e trical . Th e Spin toolcre ate s a 3D m e s h by rotating a s h ape around an axis . (bl ue l ine on fig 2).

3D W ork s h op - Kitch e n W ork s (Spin M ode ling)

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Fig2. Sping m od e l ing

Th e firs t th ing w e ne e d is a s h ape to w ork on. In th e front vie w [Num pad 1], add a pl ane [Space bar >> Add >> Pl ane ] as you s e e in figure 4.

Fig5. R e m oving th e ve rtice s

Now s e l e ct th is ve rte x w ith th e [RMB]and m ove it to a ve rticall ine [Ctrl+ LBM]cl ick (th e ce ntral bl ue l ine ) Im age 6- 7. in th e front vie w .

Fig6- 7. Extrud ing th e ve rtice

Fig8. Th e sh ape ofth e gl ass

Startth e Sh ape draw ing

Fig4. Ad d ing a pl ane

As w e are in th e Edit m ode , w e w il lde l e te th re e of th e four ve rtice s of th e pl ane . Us e [Sh ift+ RMB]to m ul tipl e se l e ct ve rtice s , and [X Ke y] or [De lKe y]to re m ove th e s e l e cte d ve rtice s . Se e th e figure 5.

Bl e nde rartM agazine - Jul y 20 0 6

W ith th e ve rte x s e l e cte d, pre s s and h ol d [CRTL]. W ith th e l e ft m ous e button, cl ick and ge ne rate m ore ve rtice s in a s e q ue nce . You coul d us e Grab [G Ke y] to m ove th e ne w ve rtice s and cre ate a s h ape as you s e e in th e figure 8. Anytim e you m ak e m is tak e s , us e [U Ke y]to undo th e e rror and k e e p on w ork ing. Re m e m be r, th at w h e n w e are m ode l ing an e m pty obje ct,

Fig9 . Num b e r ofve rtice s in th e sh ape

W e h ave to draw th e e xte rnaland th e inte rnal l ine s to obtain th e th ick ne s s . Anoth e r im portant point is th at th e s tarting ve rte x and th e final one m us t l ine up ve rtical l y. Th e num be r of ve rtice s m ay vary;I h ave us e d 53 ve rtice s in total . As a rul e , us e m ore ve rtice s in th e m ore curvace ous parts of th e s h ape .

3D W ork s h op - Kitch e n W ork s (Spin M ode ling)

Th e Pos ition ofth e 3D Curs or

Th e 3D Curs or pos ition w il lde fine th e pos ition of th e rotation axis . Th e n, w ith th e s h ape finis h e d, m ove th e 3D Curs or ove r th e ve rtical bl ue l ine . To do th at, cl ick th e [LM B]on th e bl ue l ine , pre s s [Sh ift+ S]and in th e Snap pop- up, s e l e ct [Curs or>> Grid]. Se e fgure 10.

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Ch anging th e Vie w to Rotate

Th e curre nt vie w w il lde fine w ith axis th at w il l be us e d for rotations . Th e n go to th e top vie w [Num pad 7]. Pre s s [F9 ]and in th e "M e s h Tool s" pane lof e dit buttons , s e t th e param e te rs for th e Spin tool . (figure 12)

Fig13. Th e cre ate d m e sh afte r 'spin'

O bs e rve th at th e s tart s h ape is s til ls e l e cte d, and th e finals h ape of th e rotation and initial one are coincide nt. But, th e m e s h is not a cl os e d m e s h .

Fig12. Se ttim g th e 'spin tool '

Fig10 . Th e 3D Cursor m uststay in th e sam e l ine ofth e startand e nd points ofth e sh ape Al s o, be s ure th at th e 3D Curs or is on th e O bje ct Ce nte r in th e top vie w [Num pad 7] as you s e e in th e figure 11.

Fig11. Th e top vie w of3D Cursor position

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D e fine [D e gr]to 360, to h ave a com pl e te turn of th e s h ape . Th e num be r of Ste ps to 12. Th e num be r of Turns to 1. Cl ick [Spin]to s tart. You m igh t pre fe r to m ak e your m e s h w ith m ore Ste ps . To do th at, jus t pre s s [U]. Th e n, m odify th e Ste ps num be r and [Spin]. I pre fe r to k e e p it s im pl e and, afte rw ards , us e Subs urf to s m ooth th ings out for th e Re nde r. Anoth e r im portant th ing is to ve rify th at th e [Cl ock w is e ]button is pre s s e d. O ur m e s h w il lbe autom atical l y form e d.

Fig14. Cl ose up ofse l e cte d sh ape s

To cl os e it, w e ne e d to s e l e ct th e ve rte x in th e initialand in th e finals h ape s us ing th e box se l e ction tool[B K e y]. Pay atte ntion to not s e l e ct th e pink ve rte x too. W ith al lth e ve rtice s se l e cte d, ve rify th e totalnum be r of s e l e cte d ve rtice s . In m y e xam pl e , I h ave 128 w h ich is gre ate r th an 106(53x2). s e e th e figure 15

3D W ork s h op - Kitch e n W ork s (Spin M ode ling)

Fig15. W rong num b e r ofve rtice s

W h at's w rong?M aybe th e s tart and e nd points coul d not be pe rfe ctl y al igne d in a ve rticall ine and th e n w e cre ate a circl e w h e re w e ne e d jus t a point. Se e figure 16.

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Fig18. O nl y startand e nd ve rtice s are se l e cte d

W e s e e a pop- up m e nu inform ing h ow m any ve rtice s w e re re m ove d;in th is cas e , 53 - s e e figure 20

Now , s e l e ct onl y th e ve rtice s form ing th e circl e and l ook at th e num be r of ve rtice s s e l e cte d. In m y e xam pl e , th e re are 24. Se e fig 21.

Fig21. Countofve rtice s

In th e front vie w ,[Num pad 1]w e can s e e th at th e s e ve rtice s be l ong to tw o diffe re nt circl e s. Se e figure s 22 and 23.

Fig16. Th e startand e nd ve rtice s are not al igne d and th e rotation ge ne rate s a circl e Fig19 . Joining th e ve rtice s

To s ol ve th is , s e l e ct e xcl us ive l y th e ve rtice s in th e s tart and e nd s h ape s . You s h oul d h ave se l e cte d 106 ve rtice s in total .D e - se l e ct th e ve rtice s th at form th e circl e (figure 17) and be s ure th at th e oth e r ve rtice s are s til ls e l e cte d (figure 18).

Fig22- 23. Tw o se rie s

Fig17. O nl y startand e nd ve rtice s se l e ction

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Fig20 . Now th e m e sh is prope rl y cl ose d

3D W ork s h op - Kitch e n W ork s (Spin M ode ling)

W e w ant to k e e p th e ve rtice s in th e bas e of th e gl as s s e l e cte d. Th e ve rtice s l ocate d ins ide th e gl as s w il lbe de l e te d. Us e th e box s e l e ction tool [B K e y]and drag- s e l e ct th e ve rtice s in th e top part of th e gl as s w h il e k e e ping th e k e yboard button [Al t]pre s s e d. Th is w il lde - s e l e ct th os e ve rtice s .(figure 24)

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Le t's join th e s e ve rtice s . Pre s s th e [S K e y]to s cal e th e circl e , m oving th e m ous e untilth e ve rtice s ove rl ap. (figure 26)

Fig28. Transform prope rrtie s

Fig26. Joining th e ve rtice s

Fig24. De se l e cting ve rtice s insid e th e gl ass Go to th e top vie w [Num pad 7]and w e s e e th at onl y th e circul ar ve rtice s in th e bas e are se l e cte d. (figure 25)

Fig25. Th e circl e ofth e b ase se l e cte d

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W e now ne e d to re m ove any dupl icate ve rtice s found in th e s e l e ction. To Re m ove D oubl e s, pre s s th e [W K e y]and th e n s e l e ct Re m ove D oubl e s in th e pop- up m e nu. (figure 27)

Fig27. R e m oving th e d oub l es

To re m ove doubl e s , pre s s th e [W K e y]and in s e q ue nce [re m ove doubl e s ]in th e pop- up m e nu. (figure 29 ) A ne w pop- up m e nu w il ls h ow th e num be r of ve rtice s re m ove d. In m y e xam pl e , th e re w e re 11 ve rtice s re m ove d. Now onl y one ve rte x re m ains at th at l ocation. D o th e s am e w ith th e circl e at th e top. Th is is jus t to de m ons trate th at a s im pl e m e th od coul d h el p us a l ot. But, if w e us e it in an inade q uate w ay, w e m ay h ave m ore probl em s th an w e h ad be fore . Al l of th is w ork , h ard w ork , is abs ol ute l y unne ce s s ary.

Fig29 . transform prope rtie s

3D W ork s h op - Kitch e n W ork s (Spin M ode ling)

Now th at w e k now th at th is probl e m coul d occur, w e can m odify our m e th od w ith s om e pl anning. Le t's s e e : going back to th e ve ry be ginning, if w e pay atte ntion to th e coordinate s of th e initialand e nd points w h e n cons tructing our s h ape , and pos ition th e m in a s traigh t ve rticall ine , w e w il le l im inate th e "tube fication" on our m ode l(th at's th e circul ar m e s s w e jus t cl e ane d up). To ge t th e s e tw o ve rtice s al igne d ve rtical l y, w e h ave to us e th e Trans form prope rtie s pane l[N K e y]as s h ow n in figure s 28 and 29 . Ch ange th e val ue s of th e x, y or z coordinate s as ne e de d. W e coul d pl ace th e Ce nte r point to be al igne d w ith th e initialand e nd points h ow e ve r, I pre fe r to m ak e th e Ce nte r point coincide nt w ith th e initialpoint. Se l e ct th e initialpoint (ve rte x) of th e s h ape , pre s s [Sh ift+ S]and in th e pop- up m e nu, s e l e ct th e option [Curs or > > Se l e ction] (fig 30).

Fig30 . Pl acing th e cursor

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26

Pre s s th e [Tab k e y]to e xit th e Edit m ode . You w il lnow be in th e O bje ct m ode (you h ave to be in O bje ct m ode to us e th e Ce nte r Curs or fe ature ). Now , go to th e M e s h pane land cl ick [Ce nte r Curs or]. (figure 31)

Pre s s th e [Tab k e y]to go back to Edit m ode . M ak e s ure al lve rtice s are s e l e cte d. Cl ick th e Spin toolbutton (m ak e s ure you're in th e Top vie w ). Se l e ct al lve rtice s again. Pre s s th e [W K e y], and se l e ct Re m ove D oubl e s from th e pop- up m e nu. Go to th e front vie w [Num pad 7] Pre s s [Z ]to ch ange to Sol id m ode . Pre s s [A]to s e l e ct al lth e ve rtice s of th e s h ape Pre s s th e [Se t Sm ooth ]button in th e Link and M ate rial s pane l (figure 32)

Fig31. JCe nte r cursor

Now , be fore you us e th e Spin tool , pl ace th e 3D Curs or at th e ce nte r point of th e s h ape . Pre s s [Tab]to l e ave e dit m ode , pre s s [Al t+ S] Figure 31 activating s e t s m ooth and th e n [Curs or > > Se l e ction]

Fig32. Se tSm ooth

If you w ant a be tte r l ook , you coul d us e th e Subs urf m odifie r found in th e Edit buttons w indow . Add th e Subs urf m odifie r and adjus t th e s ubdivis ion num be r to 2. Se e fig 33. Turn off th e [D oubl e Side d]button.

Fig33. Th e M e sh pane l

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If you s e e bl ack l ine s in your m ode l , you w il l ne e d to Re cal cul ate th e Norm al s. Pre s s [Ctrl + N]and th e n s e l e ct Re cal c Norm al s O uts ide from th e pop- up m e nu. Th e norm al s w il lbe re cal cul ate d to point outs ide th e m e s h ... s e e figure 34.

Fig35. Using e xtrusion w e can cre ate oth e ob je cts

Fig34- 35. Be fore and afte r norm alcal cul ation

Your w ine gl as s s h oul dl ook l ik e figure 35. Pre s s [Tab]and tak e a l ook at your w ork . W ith th is m e th od, as you can im agine , can e as il y be appl ie d to m ak ing a l ot of k itch e nw are . W e jus t cons truct th e s h ape , pl ace th e s tart and e nd ve rtice s in a s traigh t ve rticall ine and us e th e [Spin]toolto h ave a w e l l - m ade m e s h . I h ope th is tutorialw as h e l pfulin s h ow ing e xam pl e s of h ow th ings can go w rong. So, w h e n you are cons tructing your m ode l , m ak e s ure to pl an th ings ah e ad. If s om e th ing goe s w rong, l e arn from th e probl e m , and ne ve r give up.

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Fig36. Exam pl e sh ape s w h ih can m e m ad e b y 'spinn tool '

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- By R oja Le ve l : Inte rm e diate

Pre paring a m ode lfor UVMapping

UV m apping is a s k il lth at tak e s a l ot of tim e , practice , and e xpe rim e ntation to m as te r. O nce you ge t it, and unde rs tand it, it's re al l y not ve ry h ard at al l . It can be frus trating and tak e up w ay too m uch tim e if you don't do it prope rl y or are l az y about it h ow e ve r.

Fig1. A l ow pol y h ouse w ith and w ith out w ire fram e

Both UV m apping and te xturing on th is m ode l w as done e ve n be fore th e m ode l ing w as com pl e te . Le t m e e xpl ain.

Be fore you e ve n s tart to m ode l , you s h oul d al so be pl anning & th ink ing about UV m apping & te xturing.

Tak e a l ook at th e re d col ore d w oode n be am s in th e Fig1 , th e y are re pe ate d al love r th e m ode l and th e w indow s are re pe ate d too, as w e l las th e s h arp pointe d pol l s s tick ing th rough th e roof. If I h ad to m ode l e d th is e ntire h ous e , norm alm e th od w oul d h ave be e n to firs t m ode l it th e n UV unw rap e ach re pe atabl e part individual l y! Ins te ad, I m ode l e d 1 w oode n be am , th e n I UV m appe d th at be am , te xture d it(al th ough you can te xture it at a l ate r s tage ), th e n adde d it to th e m ode l , dupl icating th e obje cts as I ne e de d.

Th e re as on for th is is to s ave you tim e w ith UV m apping w h e n you ge t to th at s tage . Th e be s t w ay to e xpl ain th is is to give s om e e xam pl e s.

Sam e th ing for th e w indow s and oth e r re pe ating ite m s in th e m ode l . Th is w il lcl e arl y s ave you a TO N of tim e .

W h at I'm going to e xpl ain h e re is h ow I go about pre paring, or s e tting up a m ode lfor UV m apping. I w il lfocus on a s im pl e l ow pol ygon, s ym m e trical , gam e m ode l . Th e re are , h ow e ve r, m any diffe re nt w ays to go about doing th is , m ainl y de pe nde nt on w h at your m ode lis .

Th e im portance ofpl anning

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Fig2. A ge ne ric m od e l

A s e cond e xam pl e is for s m al l e r re pe titive obje cts in your m ode l . In th is e xam pl e th e m ons te r h as a s pik e d cl ub, and al so a h e l m et w ith s pik e s on it. Se e th e h igh l igh te d s pik e s in th e im age . Sim il arl y th e re are a l ot of s pik e s in th e m ode l , and it w il ltak e s om e tim e for you to dupl icate al lth os e obje cts , rotate th e m , and pl ace th e m . Again th e m os t optim alw ay to do th is is to firs t m ode l1 s pik e . Th e n UV m ap it, TH EN dupl icate and pl ace it to finis h your m ode l . So again, you're UV m apping be fore ! you h ave th e m ode lfinis h e d.

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ins tance of your m ode lby de l e ting h al f of it in e dit m ode l (bas ical l y s pl itting it in h al f s ym m e trical l y), th e n s e l e ct th e m e s h in obje ct m ode , and pre s s al t+ d to ins tance it. Th is cre ate s a dupl icate th at is an Ins tance . Th e n in O bje ct m ode , In th e h e ade r bar cl ick on O bje ct> M irror and ch oos e an axis to m irror th e m e s h , and l ine it up ne xt to th e oth e r. In curre nt Bl e nde r re l e as e s you can us e th e M irror m odifie r w ith s im il ar re s ul ts .

As you can s e e , th e as ym m e tric m e s h h as tw o diffe re nt s h oul de r pads , 1 norm alh and, 1 w ith a h ook , and 1 norm all e g w ith a boot, 1 w ith a w oode n pe g l e g. For th is type of m ode l , it is be s t to m ak e th e com pl e te m ode lfirs t.

Starting out

For th e re m ainde r of th is tutorialI'm going to us e a com pl e te l y s ym m e tricalm ode las an e xam pl e . UV m apping on an as ym m e trical m ode lus e s th e s am e te ch niq ue s , it jus t m ay tak e a l ittl e e xtra tim e . H e re is a picture of m y finis h e d m ode l , re ady to be w ork e d on for UV m apping:

Fig3. A sy m m e te ric m od e l

Exam pl e 3 s h ow s a total l y s ym m e tricalm ode l , th at I m ode l e d us ing an ins tance d*copy. Since I onl y actual l y m ode l e d h al f of it, and I pl an on m ak ing th e te xture total l y s ym m e trical , I s h oul d onl y UV m ap h al f of it! So be fore joining both h al ve s of th e m e s h to finis h th e m ode l , it's be s t to UV m ap it at th is s tage . *Eve n th ough th is is not a m ode l ing tutorial ,I th ough t it'd be im portant to note th is : An ins tance d copy is a s e parate obje ct th at is ch ange d in th e e xact s am e w ay as th e original obje ct is w h e n you e dit it. You can m ak e an

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Fig4. Asy m e te ric m od e l

A fourth e xam pl e is de al ing w ith partial l y(or ful l y) as ym m e tricalorganic form s , s uch as a ch aracte r m ode lth at h as parts , or al l , of th e te xture , or m e s h as ym m e tric. Th e im age s h ow n be l ow give s an e xam pl e of a s ym m e tricalm e s h (l e ft), and an as ym m e tric m e s h (righ t).

Fig5. M e sh re ad y for UVm apping

3D W ork s h op - UV M apping Te ch niq ue s (Low -Poly)

H is body is com pl e te l y s ym m e trical , as is h is w e apon. Righ t now th e re are 3 s e parate obje cts , 2 are th e h al ve s of h is body, th e oth e r is th e w e apon. It's e as ie r to k e e p th e w e apon as a s e parate obje ct righ t now , and join it(s e l e ct both m e s h e s th e n ctrl + j to join) w h e n you're done if you ne e d it to be joine d in th e final m e s h . W e 're going to focus on th e body righ t now , s o l e t's de l e te th e one h al f and put th e w e apon on anoth e r l aye r, or h ide it for now . So th is is w h at w e 've got:

Se am s

For an organic m ode ls uch as th is , I al m os t al w ays us e onl y 2 diffe re nt UV unw rapping te ch niq ue s found in th e UV Cal cul ations Pane l : LSCM Unw rap, and From W indow (Pl anar M apping). Th e LSCM Unw rap function is nice be caus e it doe s a s ort of autom atic unw rap afte r you've de fine d s e am s on your m ode l . I us e th e LSCM in conjunction w ith a pl anar m apping function be caus e s om e parts of th e m ode lw ork be s t w ith one te ch niq ue , oth e r parts w ith anoth e r. Se am s are ne ce s s ary for LSCM to w ork prope rl y, but th e y al s o h ave one oth e r re al l y nice fe ature , and th at is th at th e y l e t you s e l e ct pie ce s of your m e s h in UV Face Se l e ct m ode by pre s s ing L and h aving your m ous e curs or ove r or ne ar th e face . Th is w il lbe com e inval uabl e w h e n w e ge t to th e UV e diting s tage . O k ,l e t's s tart de fining th e s e am s ! W e 're going to s tart w ith a re al l y e as y part, th e bottom of th e foot. Start in obje ct m ode , pre s s tab to go into e dit m ode , th e n m ak e s ure you're in Edge Se l e ct M ode , be caus e w e 're going to s e l e ct e dge s to m ak e th e s e am s .

Fig6. Th e h al fpartofth e m e sh

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Se l e ct al lth e e dge s around th e bottom bas e of th e foot. H ol d [Sh ift k e y]as you s e l e ct th e m s o you can add e dge s to your s e l e ction. Th e n pre s s [Ctrl+ E]and a pop up box w il lappe ar.

Fig7. M ark ing th e se am

Cl ick M ark Se am . Now you can de - s e l e ct th e e dge s , and a Se am e dge l ine w il lappe ar. And th at's al lth e re is to m ak ing s e am s ! You can al so 'Cl e ar Se am s ' incas e you m e s s e d up or w ant to ch ange th e m , do s o by pre s s ing [Ctrl+ E]and ch oos ing th e Cl e ar Se am s option in th e Popup. M oving al ong w e 're going to m ark m ore s e am s th rough out th e e ntire m ode l . Th is ne xt picture s h ow s a s e am m ark e d dow n ins ide of th e l e g, and around th e w ais t. Re m e m be r you s h oul d m ak e your s e am s in pl ace s th at are not dire ctl y vis ibl e in th e s ce ne , jus t in cas e you h ave a te xture s e am s h ow ing. You al s o w ant to put th e m in pl ace s th at m ak e it e as y to bre ak up th e te xture w ith out caus ing vis ibl e s e am s (l ik e a be l t around th e w ais t). Fig8. Le g se am s

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H e re 's an im age (Fig11) of th e s e am s I m ade for h is h am m e r w e apon. I put s e am s around th e circl e s at th e e nds of th e cyl inde rs , and al so a s e am going al ong one s ide of th e pol l .

Ne xt is th e arm I de fine d th e s e am around th e s h oul de r joint, dow n and ins ide of th e arm , and at th e bottom of th e h and as s h ow n in th e Fig9 . Note th at I al s o h id parts of th e m e s h (s e l e ct are as you w ant h idde n, th e n pre s s [H K e y]) to m ak e it e as ie r to cl ick on th e e dge s . To un- h ide th e m e s h , pre s s [Al t+ H ]. And l as tl y, th e h e ad. I w e nt around th e bas e of th e ne ck , w h e re h is be ard attach e s to h is face , and be caus e I w ant to m ak e h im bal d on th e top of h is h e ad w ith s om e h air Fig9 . Se am s for arm on th e back , I put th e s e am on th e back of h is h e ad to re fl e ct th at. I al s o put a s e am around th e face its e l f. Now w e 're done putting s e am s on h is body. Se e fig 10.

Fig10 . Se am s for h e ad

And th ats about it for th e s e am s ! Now l e ts m ove on to th e actual UV proje cting and unw rapping.

Fig11. Se am s for h am m e r

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UVUnw rapping a 3D m ode lus ing LSCM Unw rap and "From w indow " Pl anar proje ction.

Inte rface Se tup

Be fore w e be gin, I'd l ik e to m e ntion th at h aving a good w ork s pace (or s cre e n) s e t up in Bl e nde r w ith al lth e tool s in your re ach m ak e s it a l ot e as ie r to w ork w ith . I m ade a cus tom s cre e n s e tup in Bl e nde r jus t for UV m apping. I h ave a 3d ve iw port, th e Action tim e l ine s h ow ing be ne ath th at(in cas e I w ant to s e e th e m ode lin a diffe re nt anim ation pos e w h il e te xturing), th e UV/Im age e ditor w indow , and al s o th e buttons w indow s crol l e d ove r to th e UV Cal cul ation m e nu(note th at you h ave to be in th e UV Face Se l e ct m ode , and th e Editing pane l to s e e it). H e re 's w h at m y UV m apping inte rface l ook s l ik e :

Fig12. Th e UVm apping inte rface

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In th e poppe d up UV Cal cul ations m e nu, cl ick on LSCM Unw rap. Th e LSCM Unw rap function us e s th e s e am s w e cre ate d to unw rap th e face s . You s h oul d ge t s om e th ing s im il ar to th is , de pe nding on your m ode lof cours e :

Us ing LSCM Proje ction Mapping

Se l e ct your m ode l , and go into UV Face Se l e ct m ode by pre s s ing [F k e y], or by ch oos ing th at m ode from th e m e nu th e 3d Ve iw port pane l . Your m ode lw il lturn w h ite . M ak e s ure you h ave D raw Se am s , D raw Edge s , and D raw Face s al l se l e cte d in th e UV Cal cul ations m e nu, l ik e th is : Fig15. UVim age se ttings

Fig13. UVcal cul ation m e nu

Ne xt, w e ne e d to m ak e a ne w im age in th e UV/Im age Editor. Cl ick Im age - > Ne w , th e n in th e box th at pops up type in a nam e if you w ant to, and al s o your te xture s iz e th e n pre s s ok .

Norm alte xture s iz e s for gam e s are s q uare and fol l ow th e pow e rs of 2 i.e 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024. So ch oos e th e one th at w ork s be s t for you. As a s ide note , I find it be s t to w ork in a te xture s iz e th at is bigge r th an w h at w il l e ve ntual l y go in th e gam e . So if m y te xture s iz e is 256x256 in th e gam e , I'l lw ork w ith one th at's 512x512, and re s iz e it w h e n th e tim e com e s . Th is is be caus e it's e as ie r to w ork w ith a l arge r s iz e (as l ong as it's not too l arge ), and it pre s e rve s m ore de tailif you e ve r w ant your te xture to be bigge r. A bl ack box w il lpop up in th e UV e ditor, you m ay h ave to z oom out a l ittl e to s e e th e w h ol e th ing. Now , m ak ing s ure you're s til lin UV Face Se l e ct m ode w ith your m ode l , pre s s [A k e y]to se l e ct al lth e face s . Th e y s h oul d al lbe com e h igh l igh te d, and you'l l al s o s e e s om e boxe s pop up in th e UV e ditorth os e are th e face s th at w e h ave to unw rap.

Fig14. UVim age e d itor

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Fig16. Th e LSCM um rappe d UV

Now , as you can s e e , w e 've got s om e cl e an up w ork to do. W e 're going to h ave to do s om e w ork to re s iz e , rotate , and m ove th e pie ce s around to fil lup th e te xture s pace and to l ay th e m out as w e w ant th e m .

3D W ork s h op - UV M apping Te ch niq ue s (Low -Poly)

Th e UVTe s tGrid

W h e n UV m apping a m ode l , you ge ne ral l y w ant to k e e p al lpie ce s in proportion to e ach oth e r as m uch as pos s ibl e to pre ve nt te xture s tre tch ing. So a good w ay to s e e if parts are be ing s tre tch e d is to turn on th e UV Te s t Grid. To do th is , Cl ick on (Im age > > Ne w ), and m ak ing s ure your te xture s iz e is corre ct, cl ick on UV Te s t Grid and cl ick ok . Now you'l ls e e s om e th ing l ik e th is :

W e al s o w ant to s e e th is te xture on our m ode l . If you're not al re ady in Te xture m ode in th e 3d vie w port, pl ace your m ous e ove r th e 3d vie w port and pre s s [Al t+ Z ], or cl ick on th e Vie w port Sh ading button in th e h e ade r and cl ick Te xture d. Now your m ode ls h oul dl ook l ik e th is :

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O k , now w e can s tart to s iz e th e diffe re nt UV pie ce s and s e e th e m update d on our m ode l us ing th e grid te xture . Th e grid te xture can be annoying to vie w th e UV's prope rl y at tim e s , s o you can al w ays turn it off by m ak ing a ne w im age te xture and de s e l e cting th e UV Te s t Grid. As you l ook at your m ode lyou'l lnotice th at s om e of th e grid bl ock s are l arge r th an oth e rs , th at's w h e re th e UV's are s tre tch e d, th e y don't accurate l y re pre s e nt th e proportions , s o you'l l h ave to m ak e up for th at by m oving th e UV ve rtice s around as you w ork on unw rapping. Ide al l y, you w ant th e col ore d grid boxe s to be th e s am e s iz e acros s th e e ntire m ode l (or as cl os e as pos s ibl e ).

Fre q ue ntl y Us e d H otk e ys

W ork ing in th e UV im age e ditor us e s a l ot of th e s am e h otk e ys as m ode l ing doe s . Pre s s A to se l e ct al l , A again to de s e l e ct. G m ove s th e ve rtice s , S s cal e s , R rotate s , B for th e s e l e ction draw re ctangl e , M for m irror. Al s o a VERY pow e rfulh otk e y is [L], for s e l e cting an El e m e nt or Group of ve rtice s (jus t h ove r your m ous e ove r th e m and pre s s [L]). You can al so do th is ove r your 3d m ode l - and s e l e ct an e ntire group m ade w ith s e am s as one e xam pl e . D oing th at m ak e s it fas t and e as y to is ol ate are as you w ant to w ork on, w ith out both e ring th e re s t of th e m e s h or UV's

Fig17. UVte stm ap

Fig18. Te xture d vie w ofth e m e sh

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In addition to th e h otk e ys m e ntione d above to pl ace th e UV's into th is pos ition, I al s o us e a fe w oth e r functions to do diffe re nt th ings . To pl ace 2 ve rtice s righ t on top of e ach oth e r(l ik e m e rging th e m ), s e l e ct th e m both , th e n pre s s S th e n 0 (th at is a z e ro). O r you can jus t Scal e (S) th e m untilth e y are as cl os e as pos s ibl e. In th e im age s be l ow , you can s e e th at I m ade th e ve rtice s of th e front and back e dge s of th e tors o in a s traigh t l ine . I did th at by s e l e cting al l of th e m on th e e dge , th e n pre s s ing S th e n X th e n 0. Th is al igns th e m al lpe rfe ctl y on th e X axis . Subs titue X for Y if you w ant th e m l ine d up h oriz ontal l y. Som e tim e s it's h ard to te l lw h at face l ine s up w ith th e conne cting face from anoth e r group. To do th is , go into Active Face Se l e ct M ode by pre s s ing C in th e UV e ditor, or cl ick ing Se l e ct> Active Face Se l e ct, th e n cl ick on one face from one group, and you w il ls e e it be com e s h igh l igh te d w ith 2 w h ite e dge s , one gre e n e dge , and one re d e dge . Th is h igh l igh te d face is al s o s h ow n on th e 3d m ode l ! So by s e l e cting diffe re nt face s you can s e e w h at l ine s up w ith w h at! Th is al s o m ak e s it e as y to s e l e ct and m ove one , or a group of face s at a tim e , ins te ad of pick ing up ve rtice s .

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Fig19 b . Unw rapping and pl acing

Fig19 . Active face s

Th e re are a l ot of diffe re nt functions th at you s h oul d try out and pl ay around w ith l ocate d in th e UV/Im age Editor drop dow n m e nus .

Unw rapping & Pl acing

I s tart off by w ork ing w ith th e tors o and l eg UV's . I w ant to com bine th e m toge th e r s o th at th e y w il lbe s e am l e s s al ong th e w ais t. As l ong as you're not w as ting ne e de d te xture s pace , it's a good ide a to com bine 2 parts w h e ne ve r pos s ibl e.

M oving on to th e face , I'm not h appy w ith h ow th e LSCM unw rappe r m ade it. I rath e r paint it s traigh t on, as it's m ore naturalth at w ay. So w h at I'm going to do is to us e Pl anar m apping for th e diffe re nt pie ce s of th e h e ad, in addition to th e face , th e n attach as m any e dge s to e ach oth e r as pos s ibl e.

3D W ork s h op - UV M apping Te ch niq ue s (Low -Poly)

Each pie ce ne e ds to be is ol ate d in th e UV e ditor, and m appe d one at a tim e . So firs t m ak e s ure al lUV face s are de s e l e cte d in th e 3d vie w port and UV e ditor by pre s s ing A in th e 3d vie w port. Th e n, s e l e ctive l y pre s s Lon th e group you w ant to s tart w ith , l e t's do th e face . O nl y th e ve rtice s of th e face w il lappe ar in th e UV e ditor. H ove r your m ous e ove r th e 3d vie w port and pre s s 1 on th e num pad to give you a front orth ograph ic vie w (note th at if you didn't pos ition your m ode lfacing th is dire ction it w on't be a frontalvie w - you can ch ange th at by rotating your m ode ls o it face s th e front). Now go to th e UV cal cul ations m e nu and cl ick on From W indow :

And be l ow is anoth e r be fore /afte r picture s h ow ing th e re s ul t of pl anar m aping th e face , top of th e h e ad, s ide of th e h e ad, and be ard, th e n joining s om e e dge s toge th e r, and m oving s om e ve rtice s around(unw rapping) a l ittl e.

Fig21. Unw rapping for h e ad and b e ard

For e ach pie ce I us e d a diffe re nt vie w from th e 3d vie w port th e n I uv m appe d it from th at vie w not al lw e re done from th e frontalvie w . So for ins tance w ith th e top of th e h e ad, I firs t se l e cte d onl y th os e face s by pre s s ing Lin th e 3d vie w port, th e n on th e num pad pre s s 7 for a top dow n vie w , th e n I cl ick e d on th e From W indow button. Pre s s 3 for a s ide vie w (s ide of th e h e ad). Fig20 . se l e cting UVm apping

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Afte r doing a fe w m ore adjus tm e nts , and l aying e ve ryth ing out w ith th e l e as t am ount of bl ank unus e d s pace pos s ibl e , th is w as m y re s ul t: Fig22.

Fig22. Th e finalUnw rapping

And now w e 're re ady for te xturing, th e UV m apping is al ldone *! You can now dupl icate th e oth e r h al f of your m ode land join th e pie ce s toge th e r. *As you te xture th e m ode l , you m ay h ave to do s om e s m al ltw e ak s w ith th e UV's h e re and th e re , but try your be s t to k e e p th e m to a m inim um unl e s s th e re is s om e th ing m ajorl y w rong. Us ing Bl e nde r's Te xture Painting m ode to cre ate an outl ine d unde rbas e .

3D W ork s h op - UV M apping Te ch niq ue s (Low -Poly)

Note : th at th is tutorialre q uire s you to h ave a prope rl y UV m appe d m ode lal lre ady to be te xture d.

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Th e Im age Paint box w il lpop up: H e re you can

Bl e nde r's Te xture Painting fe ature s cannot re pl ace a good 2D paint program , but it can be q uite us e fulin bl ock ing out im portant de tail s th at can be h ard to find th e righ t pl ace m e nt of s uch as e ye s , m us cl e l ine s , e tc. Th is w ay you'l l be going back and forth be tw e e n your 2D program and Bl e nde r a l ot l e s s , be caus e you can ge t th e pl ace m e nt righ t th e firs t tim e ! So w e s tart by h aving at l e as t a 3d vie w port w ith a m ode lal lre ady to be te xture d, and th e UV/Im age e ditor ope n. Cl ick on th e button th at l ook s l ik e a pe ncil :

Fig23. Te xture painting

Th e n Cl ick on Vie w - > Vie w Paint Tool .

Fig24. Painttool s

Fig25. Paintcol our se l e ction

ch oos e th e col or of th e paint, th e brus h , s iz e , opacity, e tc. Pl ay around w ith th e diffe re nt fe ature s and paint s trok e s on th e canvas to s e e w h at doe s w h at. A fe w tips to note : 1. You cannot undo. If you pre s s undo in anoth e r vie w port, you w il lundo ALLpainting you h ave done ! If you pre s s undo in th e UV e ditor, noth ing h appe ns . 2. Righ t cl ick ing in th e UV e ditor in Paint m ode l w il ls e l e ct th e col or be ne ath th e m ous e - a ve ry h andy fe ature ! 3. It's a good ide a to turn off D raw Face s unde r th e Vie w m e nu of th e UV/Im age Editor. Th is is be caus e th e face s are s l igh tl y s h ade d, and if you righ t cl ick on th e m to pick up th e col or th at dark e r col or w il lbe pick e d up ins te ad of th e re alpaint col or unde rne ath .

Fig26. UVm ap afte r painting

4. M ak e s ure you h ave Update Autom atical l y turne d on in th e vie w m e nu! And h e re 's w h at a re al l y q uick bl ock in can l ook l ik e :

Fig27. Th e UVte xture afte r painting

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3D W ork s h op - UV M apping Te ch niq ue s (Low -Poly)

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You can ce rtainl y s pe nd m ore tim e and de tail on it in Bl e nde r. Since I pl an on tak ing it to a 2D paint program , I didn't both e r w ith m ak ing it l ook pre tty, or ge tting th e col ors corre ct. Jus t e nough to ge t th e de tail s I w ante d pl ace d. You can th e n cl ick on Im age - > Save ... to s ave your painte d te xture ! And h e re is w h at m y m ode land te xture l ook l ik e com pl e te l y finis h e d: *Note th at I did us e a 2D paint program to do th e ful lte xture , not Bl e nde r. As a finalnote , I e ncourage al lne w com e rs to e xpe rim e nt w ith th e diffe re nt tool s Bl e nde r offe rs for unw rapping, as th at's th e be s t w ay to l e arn- to s e e w h at th e y do(in addition to re ading th e m anual ! ;) D on't be afraid to pus h buttons , jus t m ak e s ure you s ave d your fil e firs t! - Roja

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Finalm od e l Finalte xture

3D W ork s h op - Using Blue prints in Blende r

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- By Ed ouard d e M ah ie u Le ve l : Inte rm e diate

Us ing Bl ue prints in Bl e nde r

M ode l ing com pl e x s h ape s and m ode l s in Bl e nde r, or in any oth e r 3D appl ication, m ay se e m l ik e a daunting tas k if you do not k now w h e re and h ow to s tart. H ow are you s uppos e d to m ode la car w ith its com pl e x h ood or fe nde r curve s ?Th is is w h e re Bl ue prints com e in. Th e y w il lact as a m ode l ing guide to h e l p m ak e th e s h ape s you w oul d norm al l y h ave troubl e m ak ing w ith out bl ue prints . Th is articl e w il ls tart by e xpl aining h ow to prope rl y s e t up bl ue print guide l ine s in Bl e nde r and th e n e xpl ain h ow to us e th e m for m ode l ing.

Se tup

Th e firs t s te p is obvious l y obtaining bl ue prints to w ork w ith . If you do not h ave th e m al re ady, th e n Googl e is your frie nd. You s h oul d al so ch e ck out h ttp://w w w .th e - bl ue prints .com . W e w il lbe us ing th e bl ue prints of a Ford Es cort us e d in ral l y racing.

Fig1. Ad d ing b l ue printas b ack ground in Bl e nd e r

Th e s e cond s te p is dividing your bl ue prints into s e parate im age s . You m us t tak e s pe cialcare to m ak e s ure th at th e s iz e s and dim e ns ions of an im age s tay proportionalto th e oth e r im age s oth e rw is e you w il lfind th at th e y do not fit toge th e r in Bl e nde r. Th is re q uire s re s iz ing th e bl ue prints in th e Gim p or Ph otos h op but w il lnot be e xpl aine d in th is articl e . You s h oul d, afte r th e m odifications , h ave an im age for e ach s ide /dire ction of your m ode l , in th is cas e , four (front, back , s ide , top). Se e fig2 bl ue prints w ith s am e dim e ns ions .

Fig2. Bl ue printfrom d iffe re ntsid e s

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3D W ork s h op - Using Blue prints in Blende r

O nce th is is done , w e ne e d to s e t th e m up in Bl e nde r. Th e advantage of th is s e tup is th at you can h ave s e ve ralbl ue prints on th e s am e s cre e n and be abl e to vie w th e m at diffe re nt angl es w h il e giving you a be tte r ide a of de pth and m ak ing it e as ie r to m ode lth e pie ce s . To do th is , s tart Bl e nde r and go to th e top vie w port and add th e firs t im age to th e back ground by: (Vie w >> Back ground Im age >> Us e Back ground Im age ) and s e l e ct your im age . Your firs t im age , in th is cas e , th e top im age , appe ars in th e top vie w port. Th e n add a pl ane : (Add>> Me s h >> Pl ane ). And s cal e to fit your back ground e xactl y us ing th e [S k e y]+ [X k e y, Y k e y or Z k e y]. Now go to th e m ate rialtab, add a ne w m ate rial and give it an appropriate nam e . Add a ne w Te xture and l oad th e s am e im age as be fore . In th e m ap input m e nu s e l e ct UV. Spl it th e vie w port and ope n up th e UV/Im age Editor. Load up th e s am e im age . Se l e ct your obje ct and go into th e UV Face Se l e ct M ode . Pre s s th e [U k e y]and s e l e ct Cube from th e m e nu. Th e pl ane UV coordinate s w il lnow appe ar in th e UV/Im age Editor. Pos ition th e ve rtice s as be fore to m ap th e im age corre ctl y on th e pl ane . M ak e s ure th e y fit corre ctl y. Now go into th e (Draw Type >> Te xture d), us ing th e [ALT-Z ] s h ortcut. Th e te xture w il lappe ar m appe d on th e pl ane . Re pe at w ith e ach of your im age s and pos ition th e pl ane s corre ctl y as to h ave a re s ul t s im il ar to th e fol l ow ing s cre e ns h ot: Fig3.

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Fig3. Bl ue prints proje cte d on pl ain m e sh

You now h ave a s trong bl ue print s e tup th at w il l e as e and guide your m ode l ing. Now , if th is is done corre ctl y, al lth at is l e ft to do is to actual l y m ode l . I w il lnow try to e xpl ain, th rough an e xam pl e , h ow to m ode lth e h ood of th e car us ing th is bl ue print s e tup.

Fig4.Ad d ing a pl ane

Th e firs t e dge goe s dire ctl y in th e m iddl e , as w e w il lbe us ing a M irror m odifie r for th e m ode l . Th e s e cond e dge s h oul d be furth e r to th e righ t. W e w il lbe e xtruding th is e dge of tw o ve rtice s , m ak ing s m al ladjus tm e nts to th e ir pos ition to fol l ow th e bl ue prints . You s h oul d now h ave a m e s h s im il ar to th e fol l ow ing s cre e ns h ot:Fig5.

Mode l ing th e Pie ce s

Go into top vie w [Num pad 7] and (Space bar>> Add>> Pl ane ). Pl ace th e firs t four ve rtice s as s e e n in th e s cre e ns h ot. Fig4

Fig5.Extrud ing th e m e sh

3D W ork s h op - Using Blue prints in Blende r

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Now , go into front vie w and al ign th e ve rtice s w ith th e front bl ue print. M ak e s ure th at you al ign th e corre ct ve rtice to th e corre ct l ine s on th e bl ue prints . You now h ave th e ge ne ral outl ine of th e h ood. Your m e s h s h oul d now l ook l ik e w h at you s e e in th e s cre e ns h ot: Fig6

Fig7.Finish e d h ood as se e n in th e se tup

Fig6. Ad justing in th e fron vie w

As pointe d out by th e bl ue arrow of th e l as t top s cre e ns h ot, th e h ood h as a curve al ong its righ t e dge . Subdivide th e pl ane us ing Loop cuts : [CTRL+ R] and us e your m ous e w h e e lto add s e ve ralcuts at e q ualdis tance s . Al ign th e ne w ve rtice s to th e bl ue prints . Th e m ode lof th e h ood is now e s s e ntial l y finis h e d.

Concl us ion

Continue us ing th is te ch niq ue al ong w ith th e bl ue prints to com pl e te your m ode l . You s h oul d e nd up w ith a fairl y corre ct re production of th e bl ue prints in 3D . It w il lof cours e re q uire s m al l m odifications and de tail s th at you s h oul dl ook up in re fe re nce picture s .

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M os t bl ue prints w il lgive th e ge ne raloutl ine of your m ode lbut not e ve ry s ingl e tiny de tail . H appy Bl e nding

Edouard de M ah ie u A.K.A. Ede e h e m or Sl e pnyrl Il ive in Be l gium and I am in m y l astye ar of h igh sch ool . I h ave m any h ob b ie s such as m ode l ing or te nnis b utcom pute rs are m y m ain occupation. I h ave b e e n using Bl e nde r for ab outtw o and a h al f ye ars now . I al so spe nd a l otof tim e on th e Bl e nde rArtistforum s trying to m ak e m yse l f use fuland participating in th e conte sts h e l d th e re .

Bl e nding - A Sonorous Trip

- By Die go R e stre po Paris

ABSTRACT Th e m ain goalof th is proje ct w as to cre ate an im m e rsive virtuale nvironm e nt. An e nvironm e nt w h e re th e use r's body m ove m e nts, as se nse d by a dance pad, allow h im or h e r to e xplore and de ve lop th e ge ne ralatm osph e re of its e nvironm e nt th rough th e m anipulation of a se rie s of sonorous and visualcue s. Se condary goalof th is proje ct w as to te st th e flexibility of fre e softw are for cre ating a proje ct of th is k ind. Blende r w as use d to cre ate th e 3D e nvironm e nt and also as a re al-tim e 3D e ngine . Csound and Audacity w e re use d to e xpe rim e nt w ith sound ge ne ration and proce ssing. Th is last goalw as a ve ry im portant pe rsonalone as I use fre e softw are be cause of m y convictions: Th ough t m ust be ope n and flexible. Art is fre e and ide as m ust be available for anyone outside th e artists' inne r space .

INTRO DUCTIO N I alw ays lik e d th e gam e s. My goalis to m ak e artistic gam e s base d on th e inte llect. Som e of th e gam e s w ith th e se ch aracte ristics are MYST, Monk e y Island (1, 2, and 3), and Indiana Jone s of Lucas Arts Film s. I th ink th at gam e s can h e lp cre ate ne w ide as for artistic proje cts. I be gan to e njoy th e gam e s com bine d w ith art.

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But h ow can I cre ate th is proje ct?My only basis is in m y ow n e xpe rie nce s w ith th e gam e s and artistic proje cts in 3D. My w ork is innovative be cause it is a gam e base d on an e nvironm e nt m ade of artistic conce pts and be side s, be cause of th at, is not a com m on artw ork . My pallet transform s in th e te xture s and th e diffe re nt com position in th e 3D space . Th e dance pad is innovative be cause it re q uire s a ne w function; you use your fe e t to m ove in a virtuale nvironm e nt and find diffe re nt sounds around you, e ve ry tim e th at you be gin th e gam e , th e e xpe rie nce w illbe diffe re nt. I use th e traditionalart form s of painting, sculpting and installations com bine d w ith synth e tic sounds and digitalgraph ics to m ak e a ne w art obje ct. W h y is th is gam e artistic?Be cause I cre ate d a pe rce ption ove r th e re ality itse lf; th e goalis to unde rstand th e dynam ics of th e gam e , th at is w h y it is not e asy to go from on w orld to anoth e r. H ow did I ge t th e ide a of th is proje ct?I se arch e d for a w ay to e xpre ss diffe re nt se nsation in th e body w ith re ality, so I taugh t in virtualform s. I didn't w ant just a virtual3D space to m ove around in, I w ante d ne w w ays to re late w ith th e w orld th rough art. Th e ide a w as to m ak e a 3D e nvironm e nt th at involve s th e spe ctator.

A pe rson approach s th e w orld de ve lopm e nt by m e ans of its re lationsh ip w ith sounds and obje cts. Th at's w h y th e inte rface be com e s so im portant; th e inte raction w ith th e pad de m ands a corpore alforce . Th is pape r re q uire s basic k now ledge of th e th re e m e ntione d softw are tools use d to cre ate th e virtuale nvironm e nt.

CATEGO RIES AND SUBJECT DESCRIPTO RS DESIGNING TH E W O RLD Alle lem e nts, artistic and synth e tic, de pe nd on e ach oth e r. First, you ne e d to h ave a good ide a about th e k ind of artistic and synth e tic conce pts you w ant to e xpre ss be fore th e sound and te xture librarie s can be built.

Bl e nding - A Sonorous Trip

Alle lem e nts, artistic and synth e tic, de pe nd on e ach oth e r. First, you ne e d to h ave a good ide a about th e k ind of artistic and synth e tic conce pts you w ant to e xpre ss be fore th e sound and te xture librarie s can be built. For th is proje ct, th e conce pt in allm aps is to trave lacross th e e xpe rim e ntalvirtual3D e nvironm e nts w ith synth e tic sounds. [1] Exte rior = e xpre ss libe rty, fre e dom ; strange language from a diffe re nt outside w orld. [2] H ouse = articulate s ide as about fam ily, com m unity, prote ction, progre ss and inte llige nce . [3] Se cre t Lab = com m unicate s m e tallic sounds, aggre ssive , th e dark -side w orld.

TEXTURE I use th e conce pts of th e Exte rior, Se cre t Lab and th e H ouse to cre ate th e te xture s in th e picture s using GIMP 2. W h e n you save th e final im age , it is im portant to conve rt it to JPG form at so it use s less m e m ory in th e gam e e ngine . Th e te xture s of e ach leve lh ad to e xpre ss th e conce pt of th e e nvironm e nt. If you ne e d to m ak e a re alistic e nvironm e nt you ne e d a re alistic te xture . If you w ant a fantasy look , you ne e d te xture s w ith fantasy conce pts. O th e rw ise , it is a good com bination to m ix re ality w ith th e fantasy; it re sults in an e ye -catch ing contrast.

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EXTERIO R

You pass to th e ne xt w orld afte r you h ave sm ash e d th e ballinto a golf h ole.

First w orl d Th e re , I im agine d a gol f course th at h as a natural , fantastic gam e am bie nce . I base d it in th e th e ory of Pyth agoras of th e stars sounds; h e said th at one sph e re produce s diffe re nt sounds in th e unive rse . Th e bal lis use d in th is l e ve lto produce sounds. Al so, Pl ato said th at th e stars produce a h arm onic sound and th is sounds are true in th e gam e e nvironm e nt. Th e e nvironm e nt h as a big bal land you ne e d to push th e bal l around in th e w orl d, th e bal lsm ash e s on th e obje cts producing diffe re nt sounds. Th is w orld is base d on th e atm osph e re of a Colom bian colonialh ouse . Th is h ouse h as th re e leve ls: th e first leve lh as doors, w h e n you touch th e m , constant sounds are produce d so you can com pose m usic using diffe re nt orde rs of touch ing th e doors.

Bl e nding - A Sonorous Trip

O n th e se cond floor, th e picture s m ak e th e e nvironm e nt; you ne e d to find th e picture s using th e clue s of th e diffe re nt paragraph s th at are all around th e place .

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SECRET GRAIL: Th ird w orld In th is l e ve l , you h ave to find th e re algrail cup and l iste n to th e e nvironm e nt. Th e grailis m ade of w ood be cause Je sus is a carpe nte r and norm al l y th e cup is of w ood. I l ik e d th e conce pt tak e n from th e m ovie be cause it e xpre sse s auth e ntic approach e s to th e w orl d's de ve l opm e nt by its re l ation w ith sounds and obje cts. Th at's w h y th e inte rface be com e s so im portant; th e inte raction w ith rug de m ands a corporalforce .

In th is w ay, you can e nrich your proce ss cre ative ly w ith your ow n stuff.

ACKNO W LEDGMENTS I w ould lik e to th ank th e follow ing pe rsons for th e ir support in m ak ing th is proje ct a re ality: C. Pinzón, Te ch nicaland gam e e ngine support. L.M. Barre ro, (w riting h e lp). D. Prie to and D. Doria sounds and m usic.

Th e th ird floor is a suicide prove base d in faith , you ne e d to de cide to go dow n to th e h ouse . I base d it on th e m ovie , Indiana Jone s (19 89 ).

REFERENCES CO NCLUSIO NS & FUTURE W O RK You can cre ate an artistic proje ct w ith a 3D e nvironm e nt, using fre e softw are . I w ork e d w ith conce pts about sounds and im aginary e nvironm e nts. It is im portant to m ak e a pl an of w h at you w ant to do. But w h at is im portant w h e n you m ak e th e proje ct, is to ge ne rate th e ide as during th e buil ding proce ss.

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h ttp://w w w .e tc.cm u.e du/curriculum /bvw / h ttp://w w w .blende r.org/cm s/H om e .2.0.h tm l h ttp://w w w .its2.uidah o.e du/cti/ h ttp://w w w .csounds.com / Giose ffo Z arlino, H arm onice s Mundi. Aristóte les, De lcie lo . Pitágoras, La Re pública

Bl e nding - A Sonorous Trip

ID 172609 Tras 16#133-30 int 34 BogotáCol om bia. Copyrigh t Die go Re stre po París, 2006 + (057)4832375, Col om bia arcanouv2@ h otm ail .com die g-re s@ uniande s.e du.com

Die go R e stre po Paris Die go R e stre po París is a 24 ye ar ol d art stude ntfrom "Unive rsidad de l osande s" in Bogotá. You can contacth im atdie gre s@ unainde s.e du.com

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Gal l e ria - Page 1

Craig R ob insion - Sph ynx Crate

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Bul l ix - To th e com pe te tion

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Bul l ix - Uni Koxx

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Je sse Ne l son - Bism ark

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Je sse Ne l son - O b i F1

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R oge rio Pe driz - M il l 's Z one - O rion Te ar

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Edouard - Sidi Bou Said

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Edouard - Aira com e t

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Z ool y - Th e Train

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Z ool y - Potraitand Asian girl

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Z ool y - Cool

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Sal avador Gracia Be rnal- Ch il m e spe rs

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M ariano - A l osttre e

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D ia'a e lk h aw alde h - R e d h orizons

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D ia'a e lk h aw alde h - Sate lite

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Alhaith am Jas s ar - Dolph ins

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D h de w e y - Gh oul

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Jays on Allen Bayne - R ob ot

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Joh n Starr - Glass of w ate r

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Fabie n Sanne r - Te te c

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H aye s Nath anie lD e an - D e ad s now

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Jam e s Partak e r - Fe rrari 360 M ode na

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Le s s e burnts e - H e ads h ot

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Nivik M as te rton - GoCart

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Pave lSh abanov- Th e cars

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R am on ce rrols - Urch opia

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Se rge Gie lke ns - Joint

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Th e Cytron - M e e tSpik e

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Th is ara D h ananjaya - Th e w oode n h all

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Gal l e ria - Page 30

VGos tyax - U Sk azk i

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Lizara - Carape los ojos

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Lizara - Carce l

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Gal l e ria - Page 33

Lizara - Eje rs ico & Plane

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D is cl aim e r

Upcom ing Issue Th e m e : Bl e nde r in Arch ite cture and Gam e s Bl e nde r's Gam e Engine e xpl aine d Bl e nde r in Arch ite cture articl es Bl e nde r 2.42 Fe ature s

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