Book Image

Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition

By : Gordon Fisher
Book Image

Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition

By: Gordon Fisher

Overview of this book

This book teaches you how to model a nautical scene, complete with boats and water, and then add materials, lighting, and animation. It demystifies the Blender interface and explains what each tool does so that you will be left with a thorough understanding of 3D. This book starts with an introduction to Blender and some background on the principles of animation, how they are applied to computer animation, and how these principles make animation better. Furthermore, the book helps you advance through various aspects of animation design such as modeling, lighting, camera work, and animation through the Blender interface with the help of several simple projects. Each project will help you practice what you have learned and do more advanced work in all areas.

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Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition
Gordon Fisher
Aug, 2014 | 526 pages
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Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition
Blender 3D Basics Beginner's Guide Second Edition
Credits
Credits
About the Author
About the Author
About the Reviewers
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
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
Getting a good background in animation
Time for action – watching Felix Turns the Tide
Time for action – enjoying Plane Crazy
Time for action – sailing to Goonland
Animation principles
Learning from your animation heroes
Time for action – making a folder of your animation heroes
Starting to use computers for animation in the 1960s
Time for action – meeting Ivan Sutherland and Sketchpad
Time for action – seeing the Triple I demo 1976 – 1979
Time for action – watching Triple I's 1982 demo reel
Time for action – adventuring with André and Wally B
Using your 3D skills, what can you do with them?
Summary
2
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 – splitting the Blender windows
Time for action – joining the Blender windows
Time for action – maximizing and tiling the window
Time for action – flipping the window header
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, and back view
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 the Perspective and Orthographic views
Time for action – toggling the Quad view
Summary
3
Controlling the Lamp, the Camera, and Animating Objects
Controlling the Lamp, the Camera, and Animating Objects
Placing lamps in the scene
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 – observing how the lighting looks without rendering
Time for action – adding color to Lamp
Time for action – adding a second lamp
Time for action – setting colors
Saving your work
Time for action – saving a file
Always have a backup file
Controlling the camera
Time for action – using the global axis and local axis
Time for action – moving an object in one plane in the 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
Time for action – investigating the camera composition guides
Making an animation
Time for action – loading a file
Time for action – making a simple animation with keyframes
Time for action – rendering the animation
Time for action – exploring 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 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
Revisiting the commands
Summary
4
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 primitives
Time for action – making a primitive object
Making precise selections
Time for action – making back-facing geometry accessible
Time for action – controlling the visibility of vertices
Time for action – selecting vertex by vertex
Time for action – fine-tuning the circle selection tool
Time for action – hiding the vertices you aren't working on
Time for action – modifying objects made by other people
Time for action – fixing Suzanne's eye
Organizing your work by grouping
Time for action – grouping vertices
Time for action – scaling and rotating groups of vertices
Controlling the center of scaling and rotation
Time for action – controlling the center of scaling
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
The key-function table
Summary
5
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
The key-function table
Summary
6
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
The key-function table
Summary
7
Planning Your Work, Working Your Plan
Planning Your Work, Working Your Plan
Using templates to model
Time for action – adding a template
Time for action – scaling and aligning the template
Time for action – building the mast
Modeling with Bézier Curves
Time for action – making the rudder with a Bézier Curve
Time for action – making the path and 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 – using Blender's Safe Title/Safe Action guide
Guiding animation production with an audio track
Time for action – adding an audio track to Blender
The key-function table
Summary
8
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
Time for action – creating objects for use in Boolean operations
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
The key-function table
Summary
9
Finishing Your Sloop
Finishing Your Sloop
Making sure you have the files you'll need in this chapter
Finishing the sloop's superstructure
Time for action – setting up the boom and gaff so they swing
Time for action – adding the rudder, tiller, and keel
Detailing the sloop
Time for action – adding the ship's wheel
Naming your sloop
Time for action – creating a text object
Time for action – making the second sample
Time for action – making the third sample
Adding the name to the boat
Time for action – adding the boat name
Time for action – using a NURBS surface to make the mainsail
Detailing the sloop, and adding a door and portals
Time for action – adding a line to control the mainsail
Time for action – adding the door and a portal
Time for action – adding the portals
The key-function table
Summary
10
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 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 Bézier 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 – assembling a house from a kit
Time for action – adding trees to the landscape
Time for action – using groups to organize your scene
The key-function table
Summary
11
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 – 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 Custom Curve to tailor light
Time for action – zooming the camera versus dollying the camera
Time for action – creating depth of field
Time for action – controlling the center of focus
Time for action – using motion blur
Planning your animation and making sure it comes out right
Time for action – laying out the animation
Time for action – doing a hardware render
Time for action – rendering only a part of the frame
Time for action – reducing render times
Time for action – using the Dope Sheet
The key-function table
Summary
12
Rendering and Compositing
Rendering and Compositing
Getting ready
Editing with Video Sequence Editor
Time for action – preparing a scene in Video Sequence Editor
Time for action – dissolving between video strips with Video Sequence Editor
Time for action – editing individual video strips
Time for action – using K and Shift + K to make your trims
Time for action – finishing the video sequence
Time for action – getting ready to render
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 – using subsurface scattering
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
Time for action – creating and applying the Cycles materials
Time for action – making an emission material
The key-function table
Summary
Pop Quiz Answers
Pop Quiz Answers
Chapter 1, Introducing Blender and Animation
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 9, Finishing Your 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 – laying out the animation

  1. Open up 4909OS_11_Blender_Island_Motion_Blur.blend or use the world you have built.

  2. What kind of lens should you use? Select the camera you will be using. Open the Object Data panel; the button has the movie camera on it. Set the lens by Focal Length or Field of View.

  3. Now, time the scene. Get your stop watch. Act it out. Time each action; when you hear a shot, you run to the door, you turn the door knob, you open the door, you step through the door, you look at the boathouse, and then scan over to the right to see the sloop drifting.

  4. Now, use your timings to animate the camera and door.

  5. Animate the sloop. It's drifting and rotating in the water. What can you do with the sail and rudder to make it look more real?

  6. Animate the Viking ship that is making a getaway, or animate the scene you have storyboarded.

What just happened?

For me, the first question was what kind of lens should I use for my camera: wide angle, telephoto, or…? I figured that I was trying...

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