Interface,Modelling &Animation Basics

Eduard Martorell

WGM #13

04/03/2011

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Index 1. Introduction. 2. Interface.

Window layout. Input fields. Window types. 3D View navigation. Other considerations.

3. Modelling. Object mode. Edit mode. Modifiers. Materials & textures. Lighting. Modelling tips.

4. Basic animation. Timeline window. Automatic keyframing. Graph editor.

5. Things left to talk.

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1. Introduction Where does Blender come from?

Initially a design tool for NeoGeo (Dutch Animation Studio).

Later Ton Roosendal founded “Not a Number” (NaN) to continue developing Blender.

In 2002 NaN went to bankrupt, and Blender became an open source product.

In 2003 Ton Roosendal created the Blender Foundation, and Blender’s source code became public.

In 2009 Blender 2.5 Alpha 0 (Total re-design). Current version is Blender 2.56 Beta. Last stable

version is 2.49b.

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1. Introduction. At www.blender.org you can download all Blender versions

for many OS. You can also read the latest news and find documentation,

help forum and tutorials. www.blender.org/education-help/tutorials/

Other tutorial and resource sites: www.blendercookie.com/ - Video tutorials. www.freezingmoon.org/tutorials/ - Video tutorials. www.youtube.com – Search for “blender tutorials”. www.blendswap.com/ - Free blender models. www.cgtextures.com/ - Free textures (requires free account). www.plaintextures.com/ - Free textures.

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2. Interface.

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Merge

2.1 Window layout. Layout management

Split / merge windows.

Create new window. Hold Shift and split.

Ctrl + Up/Down arrow. Maximize / minimize

window.

Layout configurations. Many saved layouts.

Save as default. Ctrl + U. Scene data is also saved.

Restore to factory. File > Load factory settings.

Split

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2.2 Input fields. Input fields:

Numeric A: Click on the center and type value. Click and drag horizontally to change value.

Numeric B: Click on side arrows to increase/decrease one

by one. Reference fields:

Click and select from list or start typing to filter results.

Shared data: 1: Click to select from existing. 2: Data name. 3: Objects sharing this data. Click for single

user copy. 4: Keep datablock. 5: Add new datablock as a copy of this. 6: Delete link to this datablock.

Numeric A

Numeric B

Reference fields

Shared data

1 2 3 4 5 6

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2.3 Window types. Bottom left corner of a

window shows its type.

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2.3.1 3D View. Displays current

3D scene. Main working

space. Also shows:

Tools (‘T’). Object editing

tools. Properties (‘N’).

Object and view properties.

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2.3.1 3D View. 3D View

buttons:1. Working

mode.2. Display mode.3. Pivot center.4. 3D

manipulator.5. Layers.6. Proportional

editing.7. Snap.8. OpenGL

render.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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2.3.1 3D View. Set a background image:

Open properties pannel (‘P’). Check “Background images”. Press “Add image”. Expand “Not set”. Click “Open” and search for your image or click on image icon to select from

previous loaded images. Adjust offset, scale and transparency. Background image will only appear in standard orthographic views (top, left,

front…) and in camera view. Each 3D View window can have its own background image (or movie).

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2.3.2 Properties. Used for managing scene data. Tabs (L to R):

Render. Scene. World. Object. Object constraints. Modifyers. Object data. Material. Texture. Particles. Physics.

Tabs can vary depending on the type of object selected. Ligts, camera, mesh ,etc.

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2.4 3D View navigation. Orbit:

Middle mouse button. 4,2,6,8 (Numpad).

Zoom* in / out: Mouse wheel. Ctrl + Mouse middle button. +,- (Numpad).

Pan*: Shift + Mouse middle button. Ctrl + [4,2,6,8].

Point of view: 7: Top view. 1: Front view. 3: Side view. 5: Perspective / orthographic. Ctrl + [7,1,3]: Opposite view. 0: Switch to active camera view.

* Zoom & Pan methods are valid for other window types, like image editor.

Ctrl + . (Numpad): Center view to 3D Cursor.

Shift + C: Show whole scene in 3D View and center 3D cursor to origin.

. (Numpad): Align view to selected object.

Ctrl + 0 (Numpad): Assign selected object (camera, mesh, light…) as active camera view.

Ctrl + Alt + 0: Align current camera to view.

Ctrl + F: Fly mode. Left Click (LC) to stop. Right Click (RC) to cancel.

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2.5 Other considerations. Active window is that wich the mouse is

over.

There are no Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V commands, but there is a clipboard for some datablocks (access via buttons).

Blender won’t ask you to save your work before closing, it just closes. Always quit with Ctrl+Q, never close window.

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3. Modelling.

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3.1 Object mode.

Object center

Unselected object

Active object

Selected object

Parent relation

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3.1 Object mode. Add objects:

Shift + A.* Menu > Add.*

Select objects: RMB.* Hold shift for multiple selection.*

Delete objects: X.* Supr.*

Duplicate: Shift + D: Create new “stand-alone” copy.* Alt + D: Duplicate with linked data.

Parentship: Ctrl + P: Active object becomes parent of the remaining selected. Alt + P: Selected object gets orphan.

*Also in edit mode.

Add object menu.

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3.1.1 Basic transformations. Translation, rotation and

scaling are common operations not only in Object mode nor 3D View.

Translation Draw a line with LMB (3D

View). Press ‘G’ (Grab).

Rotation Draw a circle with LMB (3D

View). Press ‘R’. Rotate around view

direction axis. Press ‘R’ twice for free

(trackball) rotation. Scale

Draw a ‘V’ with LMB (3D View). Press ‘S’.

Transform restrictions.

Press X,Y or Z to restrict transformation to that axis.

Press X,Y or Z twice to use LOCAL axis.

Press Shift + X,Y or Z to restrict transform to other axis.

Press Ctrl while moving mouse for discrete increments.

Type the value of the transform.

Press ESC or LMB to cancel. Press Enter or RMB to confirm.

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3.1.1 Basic transformations. Examples:

Rotate an object 90º around it’s local X axis (the object has already a rotation).

Select object. Press ‘R’. Press ‘X’ twice. Type “90”. Press Enter.

Scale an object along its X and Y axis (Global). Select object. Press ‘S’ once. Press ‘Shift + Z’. Move mouse to achieve desired size. Hold Ctrl for discrete (0.1) increments. LMB to confirm.

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3.1.1 Basic transformations. Transformations on object mode don’t

apply to mesh data. If you rotate your object 90.0º, mesh vertex will

have original non-rotated coordinates.

Press Ctrl+A to clear object transform and apply transform to mesh.

Press Ctrl+[G,S,R] to clear object translation, scale or rotation.

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3.1.2 Object name. Name all your objects so they will be easier

to find and manage. Select an object. Properties pannel search for “Item”. Set object’s name.

You can also go to Properties window, “Object” tab.

You can go to “Outliner” window to search for objects, make selections, show & hide...

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3.2 Edit mode.

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3.2 Edit mode. Easiest way to enter/exit edit mode: TAB

Key.

Vertex, edge and face select mode.

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3.2.0 Some Definitions. Edge loop.

Path of connected edges. Face loop.

Path of connected quads.

Select them with Alt + RMB.

Selected face loop

Selected edge loop

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3.2.1 Extrusion. Select vertex, edge or

face [1…n]. Press ‘E’. Extruded elements will

move along average normal (if any).

Move and press LMB to confirm or RMB to cancel.

Face extrusion.

Edge extrusion.

(Multiple) vertex extrusion.

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3.2.2 Subdivision. Select edge or face

[1…n]. Press ‘W’. Select ‘Subdivide’

from ‘W menu’. Adjust number of

cuts from Tools panel.

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3.2.3 Create face / edge. Select multiple vertices /

edges. Press ‘F’. Number of vertices

selected: 2 > Edge. 3, 4 > Face.

If there is any problem Blender will inform you.

New face normal will follow direction of neighbour faces.

‘W’ menu to flip selected face normals.

Ctrl + N to recalculate selected face normals “outside”

From

verticesFrom

edges

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3.2.4 Razor & knife tools. Razor allows you to cut along

face loops. In edit mode press Ctrl + R. Point with mouse to an edge

from a face loop. Mouse wheel to select number

of cuts. LMB to confirm, RMB to

cancel.

Knife lets you cut edges with mouse. Select faces / edges you want

to cut. Hold ‘K’ and draw cut path

with LMB. One cut per edge.

Razor tool on a torus face loop (3 cuts).

Knife tool on a torus.

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3.2.5 Proportional edition. Apply a portion of

transform to close elements (vertices, faces, objects…) based on distance.

On/off pressing ‘O’ or using button on 3D View.

Use mouse wheel to adjust radius while editing.

Different types of falloff. Apply to rotation, scale and

translation. In object or edit modes.

Adjust radius before confirming transform.

Enabled (L) vs Connected (R).

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3.2.6 Merge vertices & snap. To merge selected vertices press Alt + M.

Select from menu where to merge. Easy way to close cilinders.

Extrude final edge loop. Merge at center.

To snap press Shift + S. Select from menu where to snap. Use to snap vertices, objects, 3D cursor, etc.

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3.2.7 Join / split objects. To join 2 or more objects.

Objects must be same type (e.g.: mesh). Press Ctrl + J. Resulting object keeps center and name from

active object before joining.

To split an object. In edit mode select part of the mesh. Press ‘P’ and confirm. Selected elements form a separate object.

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3.3 Modifiers. Modifiers make our life easier. Construct a new mesh from the base mesh. Modifier stack.

Each modifier gets as input the previous modifier’s output.

Apply a modifier to make resulting mesh “real”. Most used modifiers:

Subsurf. Mirror. Curve. Array.

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3.3 Modifiers. Select an object. Properties window > Modifiers.

An example of modifier stack. Mirror is applied first.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1. Modifier type.

2. Expand / cotract modifier pannel.

3. Modifier’s instance name.

4. Show modifier on render.

5. Show modifier on 3D View.

6. Show modifier while editing.

7. Edit over modifier’s result.

8. Move modifier in stack.

9. Remove modifier.

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3.3.1 Subsurf. Adds extra detail (and

smoothness) to our mesh.

Very common when modelling organic meshes.

Use carefully. It’s not allways a good solution.

Subdivision levels. Up to down: 0, 1 and 2.

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3.3.2 Mirror. Used mainly as a modelling aid.

Model just half of an object. Usually final mesh isn’t mirrored.

Mirror through object’s center or other object’s center. Mirror along each axis.

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3.3.3 Curve. Deform object

using a Bezier curve.

Changes on curve will inmediately apply to mesh.

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3.3.4 Array. Create N copies of an

object applying a certain offset to each copy.

Offset can be: Relative to object

dimensions. Global. Based on other object.

Array modifier applied to a single step.Array offset defined by an empty object.

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3.3.6 Modelling tips. Always name your objects, materials, textures, etc.

Avoid modelling with triangles. Quads are easier to handle.

Keep topology nice. Face & edge loops are great.

Keep you mesh clean. Remove duplicated vertex using ‘W’ menu and fix face normals using Ctrl + N.

Keep your mesh simple. Let modifyers do their job.

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3.4 Materials & textures.

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3.4 Materials & textures. Some definitions:

Materials define color, shininess, transparency & other object’s visual properties.

Materials can contain several textures.

A texture modifies material properties over the object surface.

An object can contain several materials.

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3.4.1 Materials. Select an object. Properties window > Material.

Current object materials.

Material type.

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3.4.1 Materials. To assing a material to an object.

Select an object and in material pannel: Click ADD or “Browse ID data” to select from existing. Drag & drop “Browse ID data” button to an object in 3D

View.

Visualization in 3D View: “Solid display” shows

material color and aproximate shininess.

“Textured display” shows lit materials and resulting vertex colors.

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3.4.1 Materials. Material types.

Surface.Wire.Volume.Halo.

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3.4.1 Materials. Material parameters.

Diffuse. Base color of material.

Specular. Bright spots.

Shading. Emit: object “light”. Ambient: response to ambient light. Shadeless: Activate for no lighting. Tangent shading: Brushed-metal-like bright spots.

Transparency. ZTransparency: Z-Buffer method (faster but worst). Raytrace: Allows IOR. Fresnel: Transparency based on surface normal.

Mirror. Reflectivity: Ammount of mirror. Fresnel: Reflexion ammount based on surface normal. Depth: Raytracing depth. Gloss: Lower for diffuse reflections.

Options. Traceable: Visible to raytracing.

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3.4.2 Textures.

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3.4.2.1 Texture types. Each material can have any number of

textures. A texture can be shared by several

materials.

Main texture types: Clouds: Noisy cloud-like procedural texture. Blend: Procedural color grading. Image / movie: Bitmap from file or memory. Voronoi: Cell-like procedural texture. Wood: Striped procedural texture.

Procedural textures represent by default values, not colors, and are 3D textures.

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3.4.2.2 Texture parameters. Main texture parameters.

Mapping. How to apply textures to objects. UV, Global, Object based (for decals)… X/Y offset and size can be adjusted.

Influence. What property from base material will be affected?

Color: Influence to diffuse color. Normal: Change surface normals based on intensity. Specular: Change intensity, hardness, color… Mirror & alpha: Change reflection index, transparency, etc.

RGB to intensity: For non-procedural textures convert color to intensity value [0,1].

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3.4.2.3 Texturing examples.Influence.

Mapping.

Color (Red). Normal. Specular. Alpha.

Global - Flat. Global – Cube. Global – Tube. UV – Flat.

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3.4.2.4 UV Mapping. UV Mapping is very important if we want

total control of texturing.

UV Mapping is edited in the UV/Image editor window.

Select an object, enter edit mode, select desired faces (usually all with ‘A’) and press ‘U’. Select type of mapping from menu.

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3.4.2.4 UV Mapping. Click Image > open from UV editor window menu and

select an image. In 3D View select textured display (Alt + Z). Now you can edit UV layout and see results in 3D model.

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3.5 Lighting.

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3.5 Lighting. Lights (or lamps) are handled like any

other object. Can be rotated & translated. Can be duplicated and erased. Can be “son” or parent of other object.

To add a lamp: Add menu (shift + A). Lamp. Select type.

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3.5.1 Light types.

Point. Emmits light in all directions. “Soft” &

“sharp” shadows.

Sun. Emmits light in a single direction. “Soft” & “sharp”

shadows. Sky & atmosphere rendering. Position

independent. No falloff.

Hemi. Simulates light comming from sky. No

shadows. No falloff.

Spot. Emulates a lamp. Can have halo effect.

“Soft” or “sharp” shadows.

Area. Emulates an area of light using discrete lights. “Soft” shadows.

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3.5.2 Light parameters.

1. Light type.2. Light color.3. Light energy.4. Emmit “specular light”.5. Emmit “diffuse light”.6. “Soft” shadows.

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3.5.3 Light tips. Lights (or lamps) have no display when rendering.

Take advantage and place faint “non specular” lights to highlight dark areas on your scene.

Placing an “emmiting” or “shadeless” mesh around lamp would block its light. Uncheck “traceable” in mesh material.

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4. Basic animation.

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4.1 Timeline window. In this window we can:

Playback animation.Set current frame.Set start & end frame.Activate auto-keyframing.

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4.2 Automatic keyframing. Keyframe.

A frame holding a set of properties for an object. Object properties are interpolated between frames.

Automatic keyframing creates a keyframe on the current frame when any transform is applied to an object (using 3D manipulator).

Keyframes can be added at will by pressing ‘I’.

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4.3 Graph editor. Graph editor window allows us to view and edit animation

curves. Each curve represents a property of an object. Edition is very similar to 3D View edition.

Here the Z location curve for a sphere object is shown.

This curve can be translated and scaled over X and Y axes.

Its “vertices” can also be manipulated, added, deleted, subdivided...

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5. Things left to talk. Compositing. Sequence editor. Smoke & fluid simulation. Cloth & soft bodies. Sculpt mode. Texture baking. Armatures. Constraints. Particles & hair. External renders. Drivers & Non Linear Animation. …

The end.

Any question?