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Blender 3D Basics

By : Gordon Fisher

4.2 (19)

Blender 3D Basics

4.2 (19)

By: Gordon Fisher

Overview of this book

Blender is by far the most popular open source graphics program available. It is a full featured 3D modeling, animation and games development tool used by millions all over the world ñ and it's free! This book is for those looking for an entry into the world of 3D modeling and animation regardless of prior experience. Blender 3D Basics is the entry level book for those without prior experience using 3D tools. It caters for those who may have downloaded Blender in the past but were frustrated by its lack of intuitiveness. Using simple steps it builds, chapter by chapter, into a full foundation in 3D modeling and animation. Using Blender 3D Basics the reader will model a maritime scene complete with boats and water, then add materials, lighting and animation. The book demystifies the Blender interface and explains what each tool does so that you will be left with a thorough understanding of 3D.

Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide

Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide

Credits

Credits

About the Author

About the Author

About the Reviewers

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

www.PacktPub.com

Preface

Preface

Free Chapter

Introducing Blender and Animation

Introducing Blender and Animation

Welcome to the world of Blender 3D

Discovering Blender and animation

Time for action — rendering your first scene in Blender

Time for action — closing Blender

Top 10 reasons to enjoy using Blender 3D

Learning from your animation heros

Time for action — searching on Felix Turns the Tide + 1922

Time for action — searching on Plane Crazy +1928

Time for action — searching on Goonland + 1938

Starting to use computers for animation in the 1960s

Time for action — searching on Ivan Sutherland + Sketchpad

Time for action — searching on Triple I demo

Time for action — watching Information International,Inc. (Triple I) 1982 demo reel

Time for action — searching for the video of The Adventures of André and Wally B

Animation principles

Using 3D skills, what can you do with them?

Summary

Getting Comfortable using the 3D View

Getting Comfortable using the 3D View

Exploring the Blender 3D interface

Time for action — playing with the Blender windows

Time for action — resizing windows

Time for action — flipping the window header

Time for action — maximizing and tiling the window

Time for action — splitting Blender windows

Time for action — joining Blender windows

Exploring the 3D View window, the heart of Blender

Time for action — discovering your tools

Time for action — rotating the scene in 3D View

Time for action — zooming the scene in 3D View

Time for action — panning the scene in 3D View

Time for action — seeing the top view, front view, and right side view

Time for action — seeing the bottom view, rear view, and left side view

Time for action — seeing what the camera sees

Time for action — verifying the Camera View

Time for action — rotating the view with the Numpad

Time for action — rotating the view in another direction with the Numpad

Time for action — zooming with the Numpad

Time for action — making the camera see what you do

Time for action — toggling between Perspective and Orthographic views

Time for action — toggling the Quad view

Summary

Controlling the Lamp, the Camera, and Animating Objects

Controlling the Lamp, the Camera, and Animating Objects

Understanding lamps

Time for action — moving the lamp

Time for action — moving the lamp close to the cube

Time for action — moving the lamp far away

Time for action — seeing how the lighting looks without rendering

Time for action — adding color to the lamp

Time for action — adding a second lamp

Saving your work

Time for action — saving a file

Controlling the camera

Time for action — using the global axis and local axis

Time for action — moving an object in one plane in global mode

Time for action — moving an object in one plane in the local mode

Time for action — setting up Blender so you can see what the camera sees

Making an animation

Time for action — loading a file

Time for action — making a simple animation with keyframes

Time for action — downloading the Blender video player

Time for action — installing a video player for Blender

Time for action — rendering the animation

Time for action — exploring the Graph Editor

Time for action — working with a Bézier curve

Time for action — adding squash and stretch to the animation

Time for action — refining the use of the Bézier curve handles

Time for action — adding keyframes in the Graph Editor

Time for action — controlling the F-Curves with the Channel Selection Panel

Time for action — controlling channel display with the header

Time for action — copying and pasting keyframes

Time for action — keyframes for lights

Summary

Modeling with Vertices, Edges, and Faces

Modeling with Vertices, Edges, and Faces

Using Object Mode and Edit Mode

Time for action — going into Edit Mode

Investigating vertices, edges, and faces

Time for action — choosing the best display mode

Time for action — working with vertices, edges, or faces

Time for action — pressing A to select all

Time for action — pressing B for border selection

Time for action — pressing C for circle selection

Time for action — pressing Ctrl+LMB for lasso selection

Creating Blender's basic objects

Time for action — making a basic object

Understanding what lies behind vertices, edges, and faces

Building vertices, edges, and faces from scratch

Time for action — making faces out of vertices and edges

Time for action — making a face from an edge

Summary

Building a Simple Boat

Building a Simple Boat

Turning a cube into a boat with box modeling

Time for action — extruding to make the inside of the hull

Time for action — displaying normals

Time for action — making reference objects

Time for action — making the boat the proper length

Time for action — making the boat the proper width and height

Time for action — adding curves to the boat's lines by subdividing

Time for action — adding a seat to the boat

Time for action — making the other seat

Making modeling easier with Blender's layers function

Time for action — introducing layers

Time for action — using layers for controlling rendering

Coloring the boat to add realism

Time for action — coloring the hull and the gunwale

Time for action — adding a texture to the seats

Time for action — naming objects and joining them

Using Basic Lighting

Summary

Making and Moving the Oars

Making and Moving the Oars

Modeling an oar

Time for action — making the shaft of the oar

Time for action — making the grip and guard

Time for action — making the base of the blade of the oar

Time for action — making the blade

Time for action — controlling flat and smooth surfaces

Making the oarlock

Time for action — making the oarlock

Assembling the boat, oars, and oarlocks

Time for action — loading all of the models together

Animating the boat

Time for action — timing a stroke

Time for action — animating the oarlock and oar

Time for action — copying keyframes to make a rowing cycle

Time for action — moving the boat in sync with the oars

Tracking the boat with the camera

Time for action — tracking the boat

Making Stereoscopic 3D Animation

Summary

Planning your Work, Working your Plan

Planning your Work, Working your Plan

Using templates for modeling

Time for action — adding a template

Time for action — scaling and aligning the template

Time for action — building the mast

Modeling with Bezier Curves

Time for action — making the rudder with a Bezier Curve

Time for action — making the path and the cross-section for the tiller

Keeping everything organized

Planning your animation

Using animatics to plan the timing of your animation

Using charts and guides to help you plan your animation

Time for action — adding a Safe Title/Safe Action guide to Blender

Guiding animation production with an audio track

Time for action — adding an audio track to Blender

Summary

Making the Sloop

Making the Sloop

Modeling with Subdivision Surfaces

Time for action — making a simple Subdivision Surface

Time for action — turning a Reference Block into a sloop

Time for action — making selection easy with edge loops and edge rings

Time for action — creating the shape of the sloop from the top

Time for action — giving the hull a hull shape

Time for action — flattening the transom

Time for action — making the bow sharper

Time for action — finishing the hull

Time for action — making the boat simpler

Modeling the hull as a mesh

Time for action — converting the surface to a mesh

Time for action — making the cockpit

Time for action — making the cabin

Using Boolean modifiers to cut holes in objects

Time for action — detailing the cabin using the Boolean modifier

Time for action — applying the Boolean modifier

Adding materials and textures to the sloop

Time for action — coloring and texturing the sloop hull

Time for action — using the same materials for two objects

Making the ship's wheel with the Spin tool and DupliVerts

Time for action — using the Spin tool to make the rim of the ship's wheel

Time for action — making the hub

Time for action — making the circle

Time for action — making the spoke

Time for action — assembling the ship's wheel

Summary

Finishing your Sloop

Finishing your Sloop

Making sure you have the files you'll need in this chapter

Finishing the sloop

Time for action — setting up the boom and gaff so they swing

Time for action — adding the rudder, tiller, and keel

Time for action — adding the ship's wheel

Time for action — adding the boat name

Time for action — using a NURBS surface to make the mainsail

Detailing the sloop, adding a door and portals

Time for action — adding a line to control the mainsail

Time for action — adding the portals

Summary

Modeling Organic Forms, Sea, and Terrain

Modeling Organic Forms, Sea, and Terrain

Getting ready to make the island

Creating the ocean

Time for action — making a surface for the water

Making an island

Time for action — using ANT Landscape to make the island

Time for action — understanding the proportional editing control

Time for action — using proportional editing to create the port

Time for action — building the breakwater

Time for action — adding contours to the back side of the island

Time for action — painting the island

Making the island ready for habitation

Time for action — creating the pier frame rails with Bezier Curves

Time for action — adding planks to the pier with DupliFrames

Time for action — using arrays to create the pilings for the pier

Time for action — appending the boathouse and building pilings for it

Time for action — adding trees to the landscape

Time for action — using groups to organize your scene

Summary

Improving your Lighting and Camera Work

Improving your Lighting and Camera Work

Getting ready to do lighting and camera work

Using lighting

Time for action — introducing the three point lighting system

Time for action — lighting with only the key light

Time for action — lighting with only the fill light

Time for action — lighting with only the back light

Time for action — using color to separate what you see

Time for action — using cookies

Time for action — preparing to adjust falloff

Time for action — adjusting the falloff

Time for action — using the Custom Curve to tailor light

Using the camera to best effect

Time for action — zooming the camera versus dollying the camera

Time for action — creating depth of field

Planning your animation and making sure it comes out right

Time for action — reducing render times

Time for action — using the Dope Sheet

Summary

Rendering and Compositing

Rendering and Compositing

Preparing for Chapter 12

Editing with the Video Sequence Editor

Time for action — dissolving with the Video Sequence Editor

Time for action — editing individual video strips

Time for action — using K and Shift+K to make your trims

Making stereographic 3D with the Node Editor

Time for action — creating the red image for the left eye

Time for action — making the right-eye view

Rendering your animations

Time for action — displaying aliasing

Time for action — seeing ray tracing

Time for action — exploring the alpha channel

Time for action — using transparency in the Video Sequence Editor

Time for action — selecting render presets

Time for action — seeing what fields look like

Rendering with the Cycles renderer

Time for action — simulating the glow of a kiln

Summary

Pop quiz Answers

Pop quiz Answers

Chapter 2, Getting Comfortable using the 3D View

Chapter 3, Controlling the Lamp, the Camera, and Animating Objects

Chapter 4, Modeling with Vertices, Edges, and Faces

Chapter 5, Building a Simple Boat

Chapter 6, Making and Moving the Oars

Chapter 7, Planning your Work, Working your Plan

Chapter 8, Making the Sloop

Chapter 10, Modeling Organic Forms, Sea, and Terrain

Chapter 11, Improving your Lighting and Camera Work

Chapter 12, Rendering and Compositing

Index

Index

Time for action — introducing the three point lighting system

I've prepared a simple lighting rig. The model is a statue of Blender Foundation's Sintel. The rig has four layers. Layer 1 has the key light. Layer 2 has the fill light. Layer 3 has the back light. Layer 4 has Sintel, the camera, and an empty. Putting the lights on different layers lets you turn them on and off easily. Note that I have set up the 3D View as a QuadView window as discussed in Chapter 2, Getting Comfortable using the 3D View. This will let you adjust the lights in all axes without changing the windows:

Open the file 6907_11_light test rig_Sintel.blend from your download pack.
Press F12. Press Esc when you have finished looking at the image.

What just happened?

This rig has three lights. In the 3D View, the lamps are in black. You can see their location on the left side of the following screenshot and the cones of light that are coming from them. The camera is highlighted:

The Key Light is placed between 15 45 degrees...

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