Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction
This courseware does not require you to have prior knowledge of Blender 3D. It is
meant to be a no-frill book aimed at rapidly bringing the user to a working proficiency in
creating 3D images using the free and powerful Blender 3D Suite.
CHAPTER 1
INTERFACE & BASIC OPERATIONS
In this chapter, we will cover the interface and Blender's basic operations.
In order to create realistic 3D images, the 3D digital environment needs to have the
following ingredients:
1. Camera
2. light sources
3. 3D objects
The 3D Objects can be given shader properties to stimulate the appearance properties
of physical objects.
Menu Header
Properties
Windows
3D View
The header can have a long series of icons. Pressing and holding the MMB (Middle
Mouse Button) on blank spaces between icons allows the header to be moved
horizontally. This enable the user to access icons hidden at the far ends of the header.
Pressing F3 key brings up the command search. The command search can be used to
execute a command or find the hot-key equivalent for the command.
Customising Layout
To Split Window, move to the corner. When a '+' cursor appear, drag the corner.
To Merge Window, move to the corner. When a '+' cursor appear, drag the corner
towards the merging direction. When a greyed arrow appear, release the mouse button.
Window Types
It is beyond the scope of this short introduction to cover all the types of window screens.
For modelling purposes, the 3D View and Properties Windows are indispensable.
Selecting a window type causes the corresponding screen and header to change
accordingly.
Click
here
Render
Output
View Layer
Scene
World
Object
Object Constraints
Modifier
Object Data
Material
Texture
Particles
Physics
The 3D View Window is a very important part of Blender. This section takes you on a
short intro to this significant window type.
Camera
Point Lamp
3D Cursor
Lamps/lights are light sources that illuminate the 3D scene. More lights can be added
from 3D View Header Bar >> Add >> Lamp.
The 3D Cursor serves several functions. Its location corresponds to the place where
the mouse clicks on the 3D Views. Newly added objects will be positioned at the
location of the 3D Cursor.
Lamp/Light
Camera
3D Cursor
Adding Objects
Basic Selection
Blender is very much hot-key driven. Below are some essential ones.
The hot keys for basic manipulation of objects are as the following:
3D View Navigation
Tool Shelf
3D axis Manipulator
Click on
arrows
to move
Click on along axis
Circle to
move freely
Properties Panel
Camera View
The screen shot below shows the camera view. The Toggle Camera View Icon is at the
top right hand corner of the 3D window.
The camera view should not be confused with the perspective view. The camera view is
the angle or viewpont whereby the image is seen and rendered. To change the camera
view, the active camera in the scene must be moved or rotated.
Collection
To put the object in a new collection, select the + New Collection. This will open a
Move to Collection window. You can rename the new collection and click OK.
Parent-child Grouping
Parent-child grouping is a way of grouping multiple objects. Children will follow the
parent in all transformations. Therefore by selecting the parent object, all child objects
will follow.
Parent-child
link
Scene Units
Units are accessed via Properties Panel >> Scene Tab.
Blender allows the User to work with three different systems of units:
• Blender units
• metric system
• Imperial system.
Each scene in Blender can use its own system of units, which means that one file may
contain multiple scenes with varying systems of units.
The default unit of measurement is the "Blender Unit". This unit has no real-world
equivalent.
CHAPTER 2
MODELLING PART ONE
When using Blender, it is important to understand the concept of Object Mode and Edit
Mode. To
We use the Edit Mode primarily to built upon or change the geometry of a selected
object. To toggle between the 2 modes of a selected 3D object, press the TAB key
It should be noted that while an object in edit mode, another object of a similar
type can be added. However, the newly added object will become part of the
existing object in the edit mode. Therefore, to prevent confusion, it is always
better to TAB out of the Edit mode into the Object Mode, if we do not want to
insert an object into an existing one.
Under Edit Mode, there are 3 mode of mesh object selection, namely
Vertex, Edge and Face select.
Using the right Orientation of the widget facilitate easier transformation of edges and
faces of meshes.
Loop and Ring selection are also applicable to mesh Face select mode.
In Shade Flat mode, the colors on the object change discontinuously at the borders of
individual polygons. This is as illustrated below.
In the case of Shade Smooth mode, the color changes from pixel to pixel. This creates
a smooth color transition between two adjacent polygons. This is as illustrated below.
Modelling Guide
Placing Reference image as modelling guide
2. Go to Material panel.
Color select Image Texture. Browse and select the reference image.
Set Vector to Texture Coordinate | Generated.
Useful Hotkeys:
Tips:
When a mesh object is in Edit Mode, the Tool Shelf displays most of the modelling
tools.
In Edit Mode, divide Faces by pressing Ctrl + R Key (Loop cut Tool)
Note: After positioning the loop cut, by scrolling the mouse wheel, the number of
loop cuts can be increased. The loopcuts made using this method will be equally
spaced.
2. The Knife command is in Toolshelf. The hotkey for Knife command is K key.
3.When knife command is executed, the cursor should change into a knife icon.
The knife cursor will snap to edges of meshes.
Note: Pressing and holding the Ctrl key will turn on mid point and end point
snap.
4. Drag the knife cursor across the faces that you want to cut. This is as shown
below.
2. To remove the additional edge, go into Edit Mode. Right-mouse click to select
it. Press Delete Key and select Edges.
To Extrude new edges, select the vertex (point) where the new edge will be
extended from. Press the E key. This is as shown below.
Firstly create the necessary Mesh lines. See the Creating Mesh Line section for
details. 2 set of mesh lines are to be create.
In the screenshot below, SHIFT + D key (in the Object Mode) is used to
duplicate the second set of mesh line.
You will notice that the individual mesh lines are treated as separate entities. In
order to add faces to these objects, they will have to be merge/joined.
3. In Object Mode, press shift to select the curves. Press Ctrl+J keys to join
curves as one object.
axis.
The 2D profile must be based on mesh lines. See the Creating Mesh Line
section for details.
In the edit mode, select all the edges on the 2D profile to be spun. From the
Toolshelf, select the Spin Icon.
Use the Option panel to specify steps, angle, center and axis.
In the screenshot below, the 2D profile is spun around the Y axis (denoted by value 1,
Path Curve
(Bezier Curve)
Below illustrates the basic steps for extruding a cross-section along a curve
1. Create the Path object. Use Add>>Curve >> Bezier to add a Bezier curve in
the 3D View.
Bezier
Curve
Circle
4. At the Properties Panel, click on the Object Data Button to display the Curve's
Object Data Panel
5. Under the Bevel Object section, select the cross-section object from the list of
objects. In this case, it is the circle.
Now, the Circle (cross section object) will be extruded along the Bezier Curve.
This method is not restricted to making pipes. By choosing Bevel Objects of different
shapes, different cross-sectional shapes are achievable. However, the Bevel Object
must be a Curve object.
Bevel Object
Must be curve object
Notes:
Alternatively, with the object selected, right-mouse click to Object Context Menu >>
Convert to >> Curve from Mesh/Text.
Applying non-proportional scaling to the curve may result in distorted extrusion later on.
To ensure that the curve is correctly scaled, press Ctrl + A keys. Select Rotation &
Scale.
Therefore to modify or extend the bezier curve, it is advisable to do it in the Edit Mode.
To extend the curve at the end, select the end point of the bezier and press E-key to
extrude. This is as shown below
Handle
Control Point
The Bezier curve can be re-shaped by grabbing the control points and their respective
handles.
Handle is moved
If the distance of a handle is increased with reference to the control point, the length of
the curve from the control point is lengthened as well.
Firstly, we need to set the origin to the end point of the curve
To do that, in edit mode, select the end control point of the Bezier Curve
Go to Curve >> Snap >> Cursor to Selected. This will cause the 3D Cursor to be
snapped to the end of the bezier curve.
Go to Menu >> Object >> Set Origin. Set Origin to Origin to 3D Cursor.
Press the G-key to grab the curve need the end to snap it to the appropriate location
Problem Areas
caused due to multiple vertices overlapping one another as well as inconsistent normal
directions.
Removing Doubles
Doubles are overlapping vertices. They need to be removed.
Recalculate Normals
normals of a mesh should be facing outward. To fix erratic normal orientation, in Edit
Mode, press SHIFT + N Keys.
Merging vertices
CHAPTER 3
MODELLING PART 2
In this chapter, we will cover the principles of 3D mesh modelling pertaining to:
1. Organic Modelling
2. Symmetrical Modelling
3. Creating arrays and repeated patterns
For this method, we are modifying existing objects. Basically, we create a mesh object
that is to be used as a control cage for a new subdivision mesh.
Subsurf Options:
Apply: apply the subsurf as a permanent mesh subdivision
To set smooth, make sure 3D object is selected and is in Object Mode (TAB key toggle).
Next, right-mouse click to display Object Context Menu and select Smooth Shading.
Note:
The original mesh is still editable if the “Apply” button is not clicked. To edit, make sure
the model is in Edit Mode. One is still able to perform modifications such as vertex,
edge, face movement, extrusion (E-key) and loop cut (Ctrl+R).
Symmetry Modelling
For symmetry modelling, use the Mirror Modifier. Mirrored object will be pivoted via
the Object Origin.
5. Now go to the Properties window >> Modifier. Select the Mirror modifier.
Now, the mirrored side should appear. If not, make sure that we have selected the
correct Axis of mirroring. You might need to set to a different axis (X, Y or Z) to achieve
the appropriate mirrored half. This is as shown below.
Very often, Mirror and Sub-division modifier can be used together for creating
symmetrical and organic 3d forms.
Array options:
Relative offset: determine the distance of the subsequent object from the one
preceding it. Use the X, Y and Z values to set the offset distance.
Array options:
Empty Object
Below illustrates the result when the move transformation is used on the Empty Object.
Empty Object
Below illustrates the result when the Rotate transformation is used on the Empty object.
Empty Object
Steps:
1. Select the object to be arrayed and apply an Array Modifier. Create an array of
the object. You may used Relative Offset and give the value in an axis input.
2. Next, if the curve (that the objects are to be arrayed along) are not created yet,
create it using the types in Add >> Curve.
Curve Object
3. Next, with the original object selected, add a Curve Modfier (under Add
Modifier >> Deform section).
Original Object
4. In the Curve Modifier option, specify the curve under Object. In the example
below, the object is NurbsPath.
Note: As of this writing, only Curves may be used as objects for Curve Modifier,
namely Bezier, Circle, Nurbs Curve, Nurbs Circle and Path.
Note: In order for object to array correctly along the curve, the origin of both the object
Below shows an example of misalignment of array caused by origin of curve not at the intended location.
Below screenshot shows that both the object and the curve's origin are aligned to one another.
Note: To set origin to start end of curve, go into the Edit mode and select the First
point.
Next, right mouse click over the viewport and select Snap >> Cursor to Selected.
CHAPTER 4
SCULPTING
Sculpting
To prepare for sculpting, a base mesh object can be used. If object has modifiers such
as sub-division or mirror, they should be applied to finalise the mesh.
A Sculpting workflow
To sculpt complex shapes, the following process can be used first to merge mesh
objects:
Note: Depending on the outcome and situation, the Remesh modifier may be used to rebuild the newly
merged mesh as quads. One such situation is when the merged set of meshes have quads/ tris of
disproportional sizes. That is, some are too big while others are too small.
The Octree Depth controls the resolution of the output. Generally, the higher the value, the more
accurate the output will be.
Multi-resolution sculpting
The first step in sculpting is to add the multi-resolution modifier to the base mesh
object.
After adding the multi-res modifier, clicking on Subdivide will add a new level of
subdivision for Sculpt value.
The sculpt value can be lowered, but cannot be increased unless a new subdivide level
is added (by clicking the Subdivide Button).
Now, with the mesh object selected, enter Sculpt Mode ( as shown below)
One may also click Sculpting Workspace Tab on the Menu bar to have access to a
more conducive environment for sculpting work.
Sculpting Window
Dynotopo is the short term for Dynamic topology. To enable Dyntopo, check the tick box
as illustrated below.
Dynamic
Tessellation
Dynotopo, may not be compatible with multi-resolution sculpting. This is because, the
typical sculpting method (such as multi-resolution sculpting) only modify the shape of a
mesh.
CHAPTER 5
Tips
Overview of this chapter
In this chapter, we will cover some useful tips and hot keys.
When working with the 3D Viewpoints, Ortho (Orthographic) mode is better for viewing
and object/parts selection. To make Blender displays in Ortho mode, one way is to
toggle using the Orthographic/Perspective switch.
Orthographic/Perspective
switch
Orthographic
Perspective
Using Add-ons
Add-ons expand the capability of Blender. To install add-ons, go to Menu >> Edit >>
Preferences.
Tick on the add-on that you want to install and click Save as Default.
3D Cursor Tips
The 3D Cursor can be used to determine the position of placement of new objects
within the 3D environment. In another word, new objects will be added at the location of
the 3D cursor.
To position the 3D cursor in the 3D view, firstly click and enabled the 3D Cursor icon.
This is as illustrated below.
3D Cursor icon
Now you can reposition the 3D cursor on the 3D view simply by clicking the mouse
cursor on the desired location.
Note: In order to select and work with other objects again, you must click anyone of the
other icons (on the Toolshelf) to get out of the ‘3D Cursor’ mode.
Navigation Tips
Alternatively, Ctrl + Numpad(dot) Key can be used to center the 3D view to the cursor.
2. Accurate Snapping
For accurate positioning of objects, can use the Snap During Transform tools.
From the drop down menu, select the appropriate snapping element.
Below show two cubes accurately aligned using Snap >> Vertex mode
Camera View
Normally, to modify camera view, the camera must be repositioned. However, the active
view can also be aligned to the active camera. It can be done via View >> Align View
>> Align Active Camera to View
In the camera view, press Shift-B. This will bring up a cross hair allowing you drag a
square over the area you want rendered. To turn this off, press Shift-B again, and drag
outside the camera window.
Modelling Tips
In modelling, there are no hard and fast rules. For a single shape, there can be multiple
ways to create it.
Additionally, a single shape can employ more than one technique in order to achieve
desired result.
For example, the head model shown below uses the following techniques:
It cuts down on memory usage, by referencing the original model (alt+D), instead of
copying it (shift+D).
HOT KEYS
GENERAL
NAVIGATION
LMB to confirm
EDITING
MODELLING
E key Extrude
F key Make face
ALT key + RMB (Edit- edge select mode) Edge Loop selection
Ctrl + P key Make parent-child relationship
Alt + P Key Clear parent-child relationship