Praise for Learning Blender

Villar has captured the excitement of Blender as a 3D modeling, animation, and

motion graphics tool in one straightforward, easy-to-follow textbook. The Blender
software is growing in popularity and now more than ever is considered one of the
must-have tools in the tool shed for 3D.
Dr. Tim J. Harrington, Solution Manager, Academic IT

Learning Blender is a great introduction for anyone wanting to learn how to create
and edit in 3D using Blender, the free open-source application. Learning to work in
3D can be tough, and Villar uses characters to teach many different techniques, in-
cluding modeling, lighting, shading, rigging, and animation. The book is filled with
great tips and tricks, and can help anyone learn how to work in 3D.
Mike Kaltschnee, Danbury Hackerspace Inc.

Learning Blender: A Hands-On Guide to Creating 3D Animated Characters by Oliver

Villar is definitely a valuable addition to your library of golden resources! It doesnt
simply show you the hows and whats, but the whys.
The emphasis on fundamentals is something this book is very strong at. I highly
recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about the modernized Blender
and character creation in general.
Simple, intuitive, and very refreshing!
Reynante M. Martinez, Blender Guru
This page intentionally left blank
Learning
Blender
 Addison-Wesley Learning Series

Visit informit.com/learningseries for a complete list of available publications.

The Addison-Wesley Learning Series is a collection of hands-on program-

ming guides that help you quickly learn a new technology or language so you
can apply what youve learned right away.

Each title comes with sample code for the application or applications built in
the text. This code is fully annotated and can be reused in your own projects
with no strings attached. Many chapters end with a series of exercises to
encourage you to reexamine what you have just learned, and to tweak or
adjust the code as a way of learning.

Titles in this series take a simple approach: they get you going right away and
leave you with the ability to walk off and build your own application and apply
the language or technology to whatever you are working on.
Learning Blender
A Hands-On Guide to Creating
3D Animated Characters

Oliver Villar

Upper Saddle River, NJ Boston Indianapolis San Francisco

New York Toronto Montreal London Munich Paris Madrid
Capetown Sydney Tokyo Singapore Mexico City
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are Editor-in-Chief
claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was Mark L. Taub
aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or in
all capitals. Executive Editor
Laura Lewin
The author and publisher have taken care in the preparation of this book, but make no
expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Development Editor
No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out Michael Thurston
of the use of the information or programs contained herein.
Managing Editor
For information about buying this title in bulk quantities, or for special sales opportunities
(which may include electronic versions; custom cover designs; and content particular to your John Fuller
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Visit us on the Web: informit.com/aw Indexer
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Infodex Indexing
Services, Inc.
Villar, Oliver.
Learning Blender : a hands-on guide to creating 3D animated characters / Oliver Villar. Proofreader
pages cm Linda Begley
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-13-388617-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) Technical Reviewers
1. Computer animation. 2. Blender (Computer file) 3. Computer graphics. 4. Three- Tim Harrington
dimensional display systems. I. Title.
Daniel Kreuter
TR897.72.B55.V55 2015
006.696dc23 2014028384 Mike Pan

Copyright 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. Editorial Assistant

Olivia Basegio
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by
copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduc- Cover Designer
tion, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, Chuti Prasertsith
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission to use material from this
work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Compositor
Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to (201) Kim Arney
236-3290.
The Blender brand name and logo are a copyrighted property of NaN Holding B.V., and has been
licensed in 2002 to the Blender Foundation.
Maya is a registered trademark or trademark of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and other countries.
This book is independent of Autodesk, Inc., and is not authorized by, endorsed by, sponsored
by, affiliated with, or otherwise approved by Autodesk, Inc.
3ds Max is a registered trademark or trademark of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and other coun-
tries. This book is independent of Autodesk, Inc., and is not authorized by, endorsed by, spon-
sored by, affiliated with, or otherwise approved by Autodesk, Inc.
Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/
or other countries.
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-388617-7
ISBN-10: 0-13-388617-4
Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at RR Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
First printing, October 2014

To my parents and family, for their support in my journey.
To my friends, for their patience, happy moments, and encouragement.
To everyone who crossed paths with me at some point of my life:
Ive been able to learn a lot from all of you.

This page intentionally left blank
Contents at a Glance

Preface xxiii
Acknowledgments xxix
About the Author xxxi
Learning Blender Ancillaries xxxiii

Part I The Basics of Blender 1

1 What You Need to Know about Blender 3
2 Blender Basics: The User Interface 11
3 Your First Scene in Blender 29

Part II Beginning a Project 49

4 Project Overview 51
5 Character Design 57

Part III Modeling in Blender 71

6 Blender Modeling Tools 73
7 Character Modeling 97

Part IV Unwrapping, Painting, and

Shading 145
8 Unwrapping and UVs in Blender 147
9 Painting Textures 167
10 Materials and Shaders 179

Part V Bringing Your Character to Life 207

11 Character Rigging 209
12 Animating Your Character 245

Part VI Getting the Final Result 259

13 Camera Tracking in Blender 261
14 Lighting, Compositing, and Rendering 273
15 Other Blender Features 293

index 299
This page intentionally left blank
Contents

Preface xxiii
Acknowledgments xxix
About the Author xxxi
Learning Blender Ancillaries xxxiii

Part I The Basics of Blender 1

1 What You Need to Know about Blender 3
What Is Blender? 3
Commercial Software versus Open-Source Software 4
Commercial Software 4
Open-Source Software 5
The History of Blender 5
The Blender Foundation and the Blender Institute 7
The Blender Community 9
Summary 9
Exercises 10

2 Blender Basics: The User Interface 11

Downloading and Installing Blender 11
Blender User Interface 12
Understanding the 3D View 13
Navigating the 3D View 17
Managing Areas 19
Editor Types 20
Selecting Objects 23
Using the 3D Cursor 24
Blender User Preferences 26
Summary 28
Exercises 28

3 Your First Scene in Blender 29

Creating Objects 29
Moving, Rotating, and Scaling 30
Using Manipulators (Basic Mode) 30
Using Keyboard Shortcuts (Advanced Mode) 32
Arranging the Objects in Your Scene 33
xii Contents

Naming Objects and Datablocks 33

Renaming Objects 34
Managing Datablocks 34
Naming Your Scenes Objects 36
Interaction Modes 36
Applying Flat or Smooth Surfaces 37
Modifiers 38
Adding Modifiers 39
Adding a Subdivision Surface Modifier to Your
Scene 40
Blender Render and Cycles 41
Materials 42
Blender Render Materials 42
Cycles Materials 43
Adding Materials to Your Scene 43
Turning on the Lights 44
Light Options in Blender Render 44
Lights Options in Cycles 44
Adding Lights to Your Scene 44
Moving the Camera in Your Scene 45
Rendering 46
Rendering in Blender Render 46
Rendering in Cycles 46
Saving and Loading Your .blend File 47
Launching and Saving the Render 47
Summary 48
Exercises 48

Part II Beginning a Project 49

4 Project Overview 51
The Three Stages of a Project 51
Preproduction 51
Production 52
Postproduction 52
Defining the Stages 53
A Film without Visual Effects 53
A Visual Effects Film 54
 Contents xiii

An Animated Film 54
A Photograph 55
A Character-Creation Plan 55
Preproduction 55
Production 55
Postproduction 56
Summary 56
Exercises 56

5 Character Design 57
Character Description 57
Personality 58
Context 58
Style 59
Appearance 59
Designing the Character 60
Silhouettes 60
Base Design 61
Designing the Head 63
Adding Details 64
Refining the Design 65
Adding Color 66
Final Design 67
Character Reference Images 68
Other Design Methods 69
Summary 70
Exercises 70

Part III Modeling in Blender 71

6 Blender Modeling Tools 73
Working with Vertices, Edges, and Faces 73
Selecting Vertices, Edges, and Faces 74
Accessing Modeling Tools 74
Selections 75
Shortest Path 75
Proportional Editing 76
Linked Selection 77
xiv Contents

Loops and Rings 77

Grow and Shrink Selection 78
Limit Selection to Visible 78
Other Selection Methods 78
Mesh Modeling Tools 78
Bevel 79
Bisect 79
Bridge Edge Loops 80
Connect 81
Delete and Dissolve 81
Duplicate 82
Extrude 82
Fill and Grid Fill 83
Inset 84
Join 85
Knife 85
Loop Cut and Slide 86
Make Edge/Face 87
Merge 87
Remove Doubles 88
Rip and Rip Fill 88
Screw 89
Separate 90
Shrink/Flatten 90
Slide 90
Solidify 91
Spin 91
Split 92
Subdivide 93
LoopTools 94
Tips and Tricks 95
AutoMerge 95
Hide and Reveal 95
Snapping 96
Summary 96
Exercises 96
 Contents xv

7 Character Modeling 97
What Is Mesh Topology? 97
Modeling Methods 99
Box Modeling 99
Poly to Poly 99
Sculpt and Retopologize 100
Modifiers 100
The Best Method! 100
Setting Up the Reference Planes 101
Modeling the Eyes 103
Creating an Eyeball 103
Using Lattices to Deform the Eyeballs 104
Mirroring and Adjusting the Eyes 105
Modeling the Face 107
Studying the Faces Topology 107
Blocking the Faces Basic Shape 107
Defining the Faces Shapes 110
Defining the Eyes, Mouth, and Nose 112
Adding Ears 113
Building the Inside of the Mouth 115
Modeling the Torso and Arms 116
Modeling the Basic Shapes for the Torso and Arms 118
Defining the Arms and Torso 120
Detailing the Backpack and Jacket 121
Finishing the Belt and Adding a Neck to the Jacket 124
Modeling the Legs 125
Modeling the Boots 127
Modeling the Hands 129
Building the Basic Hand Shape 129
Adding the Fingers and Wrist 131
Modeling the Cap 133
Creating the Base of the Cap 133
Adding Details to the Cap 135
Modeling the Hair 136
Shaping Locks of Hair 137
Adding Natural Details to the Hair 138
xvi Contents

Modeling the Final Details 140

Eyebrows 140
Communicator 141
Badges 142
Teeth and Tongue 142
Other Clothing Details 143
Summary 144
Exercises 144

Part IV Unwrapping, Painting, and Shading 145

8 Unwrapping and UVs in Blender 147
How Unwrapping and UVs Work 147
Unwrapping in Blender 148
The UV/Image Editor 149
Navigating the UV/Image Editor 152
Accessing the Unwrapping Menus 152
UV Mapping Tools 152
Seams 154
Things to Consider before Unwrapping 155
Working with UVs in Blender 156
Marking the Seams 156
Creating and Displaying a UV Test Grid 157
Unwrapping Jims Face 159
Live Unwrap 160
Adjusting UVs 160
Separating and Connecting UVs 160
The Finished Faces UVs 161
Unwrapping the Rest of the Character 162
Packing UVs 163
Summary 165
Exercises 166

9 Painting Textures 167

Main Workflow 167
Painting in Blender 167
Texture Paint Mode 168
Preparing to Paint 169
Limitations of Blenders Texture Paint 170
 Contents xvii

Creating the Base Texture 170

Placing Texture Elements 170
Saving Your Image 171
Packing Your Images 171
Texturing in 2D Image Editing Software 172
Exporting the UVs as an Image 172
Loading the UVs and Base Elements 174
Adding Base Colors 174
Adding Details 175
Applying the Final Touches 175
Seeing the Painted Character in Blender 176
Summary 177
Exercises 178

10 Materials and Shaders 179

Understanding Materials 179
Applying Materials 179
How Materials Work 180
Masks and Layers 180
Channels 180
Blender Render Materials 182
Cycles Materials 182
Procedural Textures 182
Shading Your Character with Blender Render 183
Blender Render Materials 183
Textures in Blender Render 187
Shading Jim in Blender Render 189
Render Tests 196
Shading Your Character with Cycles 197
Using Cycles Materials 197
Basic Shaders 199
Mix and Add Shaders 200
Loading Textures 200
Shading Jim in Cycles 200
Render Tests 203
Summary 205
Exercises 205
xviii Contents

Part V Bringing Your Character to Life 207

11 Character Rigging 209
Understanding the Rigging Process 209
Parts of the Rig 209
Rigging Process 210
Working with Armatures 210
Manipulating Bones 211
Object, Edit, and Pose Modes 213
Adding Constraints 214
Rigging Your Character 215
Basic Skeleton 215
Rigging the Eyes 217
Rigging the Legs 218
Rigging the Torso and Head 220
Rigging the Arm 221
Rigging the Hand 222
Mirroring the Rig 223
Rig Organization 225
Bone Groups 225
Bone Layers 226
Skinning 228
Setting Up Models 228
Selecting Deformer Bones 229
Armature Modifier 230
Weight Painting 230
Weight Values 233
Mirroring Weights 233
Objects That Dont Need Weights 234
Posing Jim 235
Creating the Facial Rig 235
Modeling Shape Keys 235
Creating the Face Rig 238
Using Drivers to Control the Face Shape Keys 239
Creating Custom Shapes 241
Applying Final Touches to the Rig 242
Summary 243
Exercises 244
 Contents xix

12 Animating Your Character 245

Inserting Keyframes 245
Adding Keyframes Manually 245
Automatic Keyframing 245
Using Keying Sets 246
Animating Properties in the Menus 246
Animation Editors 246
Timeline 246
Dope Sheet 247
Graph Editor 248
NLA (Non-Linear Animation) Editor 250
Common Controls and Tips 250
Animating a Walk Cycle 251
Creating an Action 251
Creating the Poses for the Walk Cycle 252
Animation Timing 253
Repeating the Animation 254
Walking along a Path 255
Summary 257
Exercises 257

Part VI Getting the Final Result 259

13 Camera Tracking in Blender 261
Understanding Camera Tracking 261
Things to Consider before Filming 262
The Movie Clip Editor 263
Tracking the Camera 264
Loading Your Footage 264
Anatomy of a Marker 265
Tracking Features in the Footage 266
Camera Settings 268
Solving Camera Motion 268
Making Adjustments 269
Testing Camera Tracking 270
Summary 271
Exercises 271
xx Contents

14 Lighting, Compositing, and Rendering 273

Lighting Your Scene 273
Analyzing the Real Footage 273
Creating Lights That Match the Footage 274
The Node Editor 275
Compositing Methods 275
Understanding Nodes 276
Anatomy of a Node 277
Using the Node Editor 278
Result Preview 281
Compositing Your Scene in Blender Render 281
Setting Up the Scene 282
Setting Up Render Layers 282
Node Compositing 284
Compositing Your Scene in Cycles 287
Setting Up the Scene 287
Setting Up Render Layers 287
Node Compositing 288
Rendering 290
Render Settings 290
Output 290
Final Rendering Results 291
Summary 292
Exercises 292

15 Other Blender Features 293

Particles 293
Hair Simulation 293
Cloth Simulation 294
Rigid and Soft Bodies 294
Fluids Simulation 294
Fire and Smoke 295
Game Engine 295
Masking, Object Tracking, and Video Stabilization 295
Sculpting 295
Retopology 296
 Contents xxi

Maps Baking 296

Python Scripting 297
Summary 297

Index 299
This page intentionally left blank
 Preface

Creating animated characters is a skill that requires a lot of practice and dedication.
It involves a wide variety of very different skills and thats what youre going to learn
as you progress through this books chapters. Lets quickly find out what this book is
about and what you can expect from it. Also, if you already have experience creating
3D characters with other software, youve came to the right place, as youll find some
instructions on how to switch between two different programs, which can be frustrat-
ing and occasionally even more difficult than learning how to create 3D characters.

Welcome!
Welcome to Learning Blender: A Hands-On Guide to Creating 3D Animated Characters. In
this book, youll learn how to use Blender to complete a complex project. The book
covers every part of the process so you will understand what is involved in the creation
of a 3D character and can decide which part of that process you most enjoy and might
want to explore further. In other words, this is not a specialized book that will make
you a modeling genius or an expert animator; instead, it will help you understand every
part of the animation process. The idea is that once you finish reading this book, you
will have the knowledge to take any project from preproduction to the final result.
If youre a freelancer (or want to be), this book is tailored for you because freelanc-
ers often get small jobs requiring a great variety of skills. Thus, having basic or me-
dium skills in diverse tasks can be more useful than being very good at just a single
specific skill.
If you want to work for a big company and prefer to be specialized, it is also helpful
to understand the complete animation process; for example, if youre a modeler but you
understand how rigging works, when you create your models youll be able to identify
any possible issues your rigger colleagues may encounter and that will help you make
their work easier. When you work on a team, youll only work on a portion of the
project, but if you have some understanding of what the rest of the teams job is, your
work will be more valuable to them, and everyone will be happier!
You may already be familiar with Blender and want to learn about 3D character
creation. In that case, you can probably skip the first three chapters and go straight to
the parts of the book that describe character creation. (Do this only if youre completely
sure you understand the basics of Blender.)
Finally, if you just want to get started in this amazing world of 3D animation and
jump into a fantastic journey, this book will provide you with detailed insights on how
xxiii
xxiv Preface

to handle 3D projects. If youve never used 3D software before, dont worry if it ini-
tially looks a bit overwhelmingthats normal; the software provides lots of options and
unique features that may be unfamiliar to you. While we often tend to be intimidated
by what we dont know, if you keep exploring and practicing, youll soon begin to enjoy
the learning process and your results will ref lect the effort youve invested. Good luck!

Switching from Other 3D Software

Years ago, I decided to switch to Blender, so I understand what you will encounter.
Thats why, throughout the book, I share tips about the differences between Blender
and other 3D software. I changed to Blender after using commercial software (3ds
Max, Maya, and XSI) for years. Back then, when I jumped into Blender (version 2.47),
it was not as user friendly as it is now. Its still very unique software and when you open
it for the first time, it may look a little alien to you.
Dont worry, its completely understandable if it doesnt make sense right awayjust
dont give up! It wont be easy at first. It took me three or four times checking differ-
ent versions of Blender until I finally decided to go for it and start learning it for good.
Youll see weird things, like right-click selections (well go through this one in the
first chapters) or the omnipresent 3D cursor, with apparently no function at all, that
youll always see in a scene.
Also, youll have to learn a lot of shortcuts. This is what makes the learning curve for
Blender very difficult at the beginning, but once you get used to shortcuts, youll love
them because they will allow you to work a lot faster in the long run. For example, before
I used Blender, it was difficult for me to work with fewer than three different 3D views
on the screen at the same time. Now I work in full screen with only one view, in a much
more relaxed way. Its like using the Expert Mode in other software all the time!
Ive taught a lot of people how to use Blender and have talked with many others
who came to Blender from another animation software; what usually happens is that
they struggle at first (thats why most people give up and stick to commercial software),
but once they understand the basics, they start to love it and are soon devoted to it.
They find that a lot of tasks are just easier or faster to do in Blender than they are in
other software.
I really encourage you to keep exploring Blender and find out what it has to offer.
Ive learned to use a lot of different kinds of software and tools, and after repeating the
learning process and switching between software several times, Ive come to know the
methods that work best for me, which Ill share with you. The key to adjusting success-
fully to change (not only in software, but in any aspect of work or life) is to learn how
to adapt yourself and be flexible. To some extent, you have to open your mind to allow the
new software or work situation to get in. For example, some people might complain
that Blender doesnt have a particular tool or that a certain task was easier to accomplish
in another type of animation software. Avoid this negative attitude at all costs and try to
understand the new software, as each type of software has a different philosophy behind its
 Preface xxv

development and work f low. Complaining is a waste of time and energy you could oth-
erwise invest in something much more useful, like learning how to use the software.
Force yourself to adapt!
Decide what youre going to do and set a deadline for its completion: Begin with an
easy project and do the best you can to complete it. That way, whether you have a good
result or a bad result, at least you will have finished something. Having a deadline keeps
you from drifting around for days and going crazy with small details that make the pro-
cess too long. Usually, people start playing around with the software without a definite
purpose in mind. This will give you a random output rather than a specific result. It
wont motivate you and will give you the impression that you cant use this software.
Instead, if you propose a simple project, you have a goal to work toward and this will
allow you to find and master the tools you need to achieve that goal. Once you finish
your project, even if its not perfect, you will have learned to use some tools and will
have a completed project to show for your efforts. This will ultimately motivate you
to improve your skills next time with a more complex project that will require you to
explore and learn about additional Blender tools.
Keep in mind that the key here is to start learning little by little, taking small steps
to keep you motivated. If you start with a large, complex project that involves a lot
of different steps, you may encounter problems at some point that will frustrate you.
When you work on something small, even if you run into difficulties and the final
result isnt perfect, you dont have that much time invested in it, so a less-than-perfect
result wont be a big issue. Over time, as you complete a few of these little projects in
Blender, youll have acquired a knowledge base and will understand how the new soft-
ware works; at that point, you can judge if youre interested in learning more or if you
are more comfortable with other software youve used.
There are many types of animation software available and each one is different, so
depending on your work, your style, your taste, and your personality, you may prefer
one over the other. What is intuitive and comfortable for some people may not be for
others. However, if you give this new software a good test drive, maybe youll encoun-
ter some challenges, but youll also find features you didnt know about that are really
cool. In my case, I was very comfortable with 3ds Max, but after trying Blender ex-
tensively for a few days (Yes, only a few daysit was very intense, though!), I honestly
couldnt go back. Of course, I missed a few tools but, on the other hand, I found Blend-
ers advantages clearly worth it (in my case, anyway), so Ive been using it ever since.
I hope this motivates you and encourages you to actually try Blender and give it a
chance instead of just opening it and deciding you dont like it because you cant mas-
ter it in 5 minutes. (Ill bet you didnt master any other software in the first 5 minutes
either!) The keys to success with learning a new software are to develop a project with a
feasible goal, set a deadline, and try your best to make it happen! No excuses, no complaints!
Discipline and perseverance are critical elements to your success. While these tips are
just guidelines and describe the method I use every time I need to learn new software,
it may not be that useful for you or you may find a better approach. But if you dont
know where to start and feel discouraged, just try it!
xxvi Preface

How to Use This Book

This book is divided into five parts to help you to keep track of your progress:
n Part I, The Basics of Blender (Chapters 1, 2, and 3): These first chapters
will help you understand Blenders features and tools so you can create your first
basic scene with it.
n Part II, Beginning a Project (Chapters 4 and 5): Before you start any proj-
ect, youll need to do some preparation work and start with a design.
n
Part III, Modeling in Blender (Chapters 6 and 7): Youll learn how to use
Blender modeling tools to create a 3D character.
n Part IV, Unwrapping, Painting, and Shading (Chapters 8, 9, and 10): In
these chapters, youll learn all the steps to add color and create textures that will
improve and define your characters looks.
n Part V, Bringing Your Character to Life (Chapters 11 and 12): Creating a
skeleton that deforms your 3D character can be tricky. In these chapters, youll see
how to make a skeleton work properly and youll finally make your character move.
n Part VI, Getting the Final Result (Chapters 13, 14, and 15): Once your
character can walk, youll composite it into a real video. For that, youll need to
use Blenders camera tracking tools and compositing nodes. Also, in the last chap-
ter, well discuss some additional Blender features and tools.

Of course, you can skip to the parts of the book youre most interested in, but if
youre new to Blender, its recommended that you start from the beginning so you can
understand the software before you start with something as complex as the creation of
a 3D character. However, if youre already familiar with Blender, you can go ahead and
skip the first three chapters and start learning about character creation.
In each chapter, if some basic knowledge is required, I explain it before diving into
the real step-by-step process. Youll also find tips and useful shortcuts along the way to
help you work faster and more efficiently!
Chapter 1, What You Need to Know about Blender, describes this open-source 3D
animation software, the history of its development process, and how it is funded. You
dont really need to know this information in order to use Blender, but its quite inter-
esting and it will give you an overview of some of Blenders strong points and how the
software evolved.
Chapter 2, Blender Basics: The User Interface, takes you through the user in-
terface, basic navigation, selection tools, and Blenders innovative nonoverlapping
windows system.
In Chapter 3, Your First Scene in Blender, youll learn how to create a very basic
scene that lets you play with the main tools, simple modeling, materials, and lighting.
Youll also learn the differences between rendering with Blender Render and Cycles.
After this introduction, youll start the main project: creating a 3D character. Chap-
ter 4 explains everything youll need and discusses preproduction and how to get ready
 Preface xxvii

for any project. Youll learn that preparation is essential! The reason why I chose to
create a character as a project for this book is because this process requires you to use
almost every feature of the software to complete the project: modeling, texturing, rig-
ging, animation, rendering, and compositing.
In Chapter 5, youll learn the character design process. Making some sketches before
you start working in 3D is very useful, so when you jump into Blender, youll have a
clear idea of what you want to create.
Chapters 6 and 7 cover Blender 3D modeling tools and the step-by-step process of
modeling a character.
In Chapters 8, 9, and 10, youll unwrap the character, create textures to add some
color to your 3D model, and then apply materials to control how the light affects the
models surfaces.
In Chapter 11, I describe rigging, the process of creating a skeleton that deforms the
character model and provides you with the controls to pose and move the character
intuitively.
Chapter 12 covers animation. Youll learn about the basic animation tools in Blender
and make your character walk.
In Chapters 13 and 14, youll see how to track the camera of a real video and com-
posite your character into a scene, so that you end up with something cool to show
your friends, rather than just a character inside Blender.
Chapter 15 concludes the book and describes some additional features of Blender,
such as dynamic simulations, particles, and smoke and fire, so that you get an idea of
some additional features that Blender provides.

Supplemental Material
Of course, I encourage you to develop your own creations from scratch and to use
your own video to track the camera, but if you prefer to follow the book step by step
(with the same materials that are used in the book), or if you may want to skip some
parts of the book, youll find all the material youll need to start from any point in
the book in the ancillary materials on the companion website: informit.com/title
/9780133886177.
n Blend files with different character-creation levels of progress
n Texture images for the character
n Real video for camera tracking
n Final results files
n Video tutorials for some parts of the book
n PDF of a Blender keyboard shortcut reference

With no more hesitation . . . lets start learning!

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 Acknowledgments

While the author of a book usually takes most of the credit, a lot of people are needed
to make the book a reality. Thanks to Laura Lewin, Olivia Basegio, and Elizabeth
Ryan, who have patiently been with me during the whole process and have helped me
with everything I needed. Thanks to Michael Thurston and Deborah Thompson, who
did a great job of cleaning up my nonnative English and making sure that everything
I wrote was consistent and made sense. Thanks to Daniel Kreuter, Mike Pan, and Tim
Harrington, who did an amazing job reviewing the manuscript and providing very
valuable feedback that definitely made the final result a lot better. Thanks to everyone
else at Addison-Wesley who worked to make it possible for you to have this book in
your hands.
Of course, this wouldnt be possible without the work of the Blender Foundation,
Ton Roosendaal, all the Blender developers, and the amazing Blender community.
Thanks, everyone.
Special thanks to the Lukes Escape team, which Im honored to be a part of, as the
image featured in this books cover is the result of their work for the short film that
they allowed me to use here. Thank you!

xxix
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 About the Author

Oliver Villar, born in Galicia, Spain, in 1987, has been drawing since he was a kid.
His interest in art brought him into 3D, which hes been studying since 2004. He
used different commercial 3D software before discovering Blender in 2008. Since
then, he has used Blender professionally as a 3D designer and tutor. In 2010, he
funded blendtuts.com, a website devoted to offering quality Blender training videos
to the community. Currently, hes working as the co-director of Lukes Escape, a 3D
animated short film made with Blender.

xxxi
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 Learning Blender Ancillaries

Here is a list of the bonus resources available to you. You can download the files from
the companion website: informit.com/title/9780133886177. Click the Register Your
Product link to gain access to the content.
These videos show the result of the project you will create (making an animated
3D character and integrating it with a real video) in two different resolutions (HD
and Full HD).

Project Result 720p.mp4 (HD)

Project Result 1080p.mp4 (Full HD)

Video tutorials (Blender Video tutorials help you get started with Blender and cover
in a more visual way some of the topics explained in the book. Total Running Time:
5+ Hours):

01_Blenders Interface.mp4
02_3D Navigation.mp4
03_User Preferences.mp4
04_Selections.mp4
05_Object Manipulation.mp4
06_Your First Scene.mp4
07_Your First Render (Blender Render).mp4
08_Your First Render (Cycles).mp4
09_Modeling Basics I.mp4
10_Modeling Basics II.mp4
11_Modeling a Face.mp4
12_Rigging a Leg.mp4
13_Skinning.mp4
14_Facial Rig.mp4
15_Camera Tracking.mp4
16_Compositing.mp4

Blender Files (character-creation Blender files at different stages of the process so

readers can analyze them or start to work at any point of the book, without having to
start from scratch):

01_eyeball.blend
02_eyeballs.blend
xxxiii
xxxiv Learning Blender Ancillaries

03_face_model.blend
04_torso_model.blend
05_legs_model.blend
06_boots_model.blend
07_hands_model.blend
08_cap_model.blend
09_hair_model.blend
10_details_model.blend
11_unwrapping.blend
12_texturing.blend
13_shading_bi.blend
13_shading_cycles.blend
14_skeleton_bi.blend
14_skeleton_cycles.blend
15_skinning_bi.blend
15_skinning_cycles.blend
16_ jim_final_rig_bi.blend
16_ jim_final_rig_cycles.blend
17_walk_animation_bi.blend
17_walk_animation_cycles.blend
18_camera_tracking_bi.blend
18_camera_tracking_cycles.blend
19_compositing_bi.blend
19_compositing_cycles.blend
jim_cool_animation_example.blend

Resources (designs, reference images, textures, and real video):

01_Character Designs:
01_Sketches:
Body Sketches.jpg
Color Tests.jpg
Final Silhouettes.jpg
Head Sketches.jpg
Refined Design.jpg
Rough Design.jpg
Silhouettes.jpg
02_References:
Body Back Reference.jpg
Body Front Reference.jpg
Body Size Reference.jpg
Head Back Reference.jpg
 Learning Blender Ancillaries xxxv

Head Front Reference.jpg

Head Side Reference.jpg
Body Views.jpg
Face Views.jpg
02_Character Textures:
base_texture.png
jim_diffuse.png
jim_hardness.png
jim_roughness.png
jim_specular.png
jim_textures.psd
uvs.png
03_Footage:
Real Footage.mp4

Extras:
Jim Illustration Time-Lapse.mp4
Jim Illustration.jpeg
Blender Keyboard Shortcuts Reference.pdf
Blender Keyboard Shortcuts Reference.jpg
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 4
Project Overview

Every project has different steps you need to follow in order to be successful. The or-
der in which you proceed through the steps to reach the final result can be called the
workf low or pipeline. In this chapter, youll learn about the process you will fol-
low throughout the rest of the book to create a character from scratch. Youll gain basic
knowledge about how you can divide any project into stages and execute it. In the next
section, youll learn about the three main stages that a project goes through.

The Three Stages of a Project

Usually, any project in 3D, graphics, or video goes through three different stages: pre-
production, production, and postproduction.

Preproduction
Preproduction is everything that happens before the actual production of a project,
such as preliminary sketches, ideas, designs, and planning. Its probably the most crucial
stage of any project, and a lot of amateur projects fail because of the lack of good pre-
production. (Some projects dont have any preproduction at all!)
When you plan and organize what you will need to do to complete a project,
chances are youre going to be better prepared for whats to come. If you skip prepro-
duction and jump right into production because you cant wait to see the results, youll
likely encounter unexpected problems and issues you didnt anticipate. Youll have to
redo a lot of work and lose lots of time or, in the worst-case scenario, youll give up.
Good planning allows you to anticipate any possible problems before they actually
happen and this way you can prevent them from occurring. If you run into something
you dont know how to do, you can make some quick, basic tests to find a solution
before you get far enough into the project to discover that it doesnt work.
As a result of this preparation, the actual work during production will be a lot faster,
easier, and straight to the point, as youll already know how to proceed. Keep in mind
52 Chapter 4 Project Overview

that even with a good preproduction stage, you will still run into issues. This is how it
goes, but at least a lot of those issues will be handled before they become bigger prob-
lems, so the more preparation, the better.
There is another important advantage to preproduction: it can motivate you during
the production stage. When you think about everything youll have to do and then de-
fine the process step by step, it suddenly gets easier because you dont have a big project
before you, but instead you have a list of small and manageable tasks. Youll go through
this list, keeping track of your progress, and youll always know what you have done so
far, what you still need to do, and what may be missing.
There is a popular phrase that sums up preproduction pretty well: Think twice, work
half. A great result doesnt come from working harder, but from working more ef-
ficiently. You need to think of efficient ways to work. Usually, youll discover them
only after youve done something wrong, but thats when you learn and gain valuable
experience!

Production
Once you have everything planned for a project, its time to start with the actual job,
which is production. In a movie, for example, production would be the stage of the
project in which the sets are built and the scenes are filmed with the actors and props
in place as planned during preproduction. Thorough preproduction will help you com-
plete production more easily and in a more straightforward process.
Production is probably the hardest stage of a project because its the point of no re-
turn. After production is completed, its very difficult to change things. Lets say youre
building a house; during preproduction, its very easy to change the design of the
house using a computer or an architectural drawing, but its really difficult and time-
consuming to make changes once the walls are in place!
Thats why preproduction is crucial: it helps you make sure youre not going to make
mistakes while youre developing the final product. Production is difficult enough;
there are a lot of challenges and its impossible to predict every possible problem that
might arise until youre actually making the product, so any preparations you can make
to smooth out the process helps a lot.

Postproduction
Postproduction is everything that happens between production and the final result.
Its like putting the finishing touches on a new house with details such as painting the
walls and adding interior decoration. In a movie, it would be the stage in the process in
which you add the final visual effects and retouch what was filmed during production.
Depending on the project, postproduction can be easy or hard, simple or complex,
and it can involve just minor details or something really important. Postproduction is
when you actually decide how the finished project will look.
Suppose you film two actors having a conversation inside a room. During postpro-
duction, you can color correct the scene, switch it from day to night, change what will
 Defining the Stages 53

be seen through a window, blur things out, zoom in, or even add a new character! The
possibilities are endless and they will define what people will see when you release your
image, video, film, or whatever your project may be.

Defining the Stages

Now you know the three main stages that a project goes through, but its very impor-
tant to know where each stage ends and the next one starts, as each project is different.
Lets study some examples to understand these differences better.

A Film without Visual Effects

Today, almost every single film has some visual effects. However, lets consider a film
that doesnt have any visual effects. This will help you understand the basic process of
film production, and then well discuss some different production options.

Note
Remember that visual effects are not just explosions, spaceships, aliens, or monsters.
There are a lot of visual effects (commonly referred to as invisible effects) that are much
more subtle and you may not notice them while youre watching a film. Set-extensions,
background replacements or set cleaning, for example, are present in almost every single
movie you watch and they are also visual effects.

During preproduction, the filmmakers create the films script and decide what will
be the climax moments (and maybe even film them to test whether they really work).
Every film goes through storyboarding, the process of making quick drawings to de-
fine where the cameras will be positioned and what will happen on each shot, so the
production team can plan each shot, see what theyll need on set, know what type of
lenses to use in the camera, and identify where the actors will be positioned. Then,
the filmmakers search for the locations where theyre going to film the scenes. They
also have to create the costumes the actors will wear and all the props theyll have to
interact with. Then the filmmakers cast the actors and all of the extras who will appear
in the film. Finally, the filmmakers must assemble the technicians who will film the
movie and manage all the equipment, build the sets, and so forth. Usually, composers
begin to develop the music at this stage so that a rough edit of the film can be made us-
ing the storyboard and the timing of each shot can be defined.
Everything is now ready to start filming, so production begins. At this point, the ac-
tors already know the script and the team knows what they need to do on each shot and
what has to appear on camera. Production is usually not a very long process; because all
aspects of the project were organized during preproduction, the production stage (the
most expensive stage) is as short as possible. When production is completed, the movie
has been filmed according to the decisions made during preproduction about where,
when, how, and with whom.
54 Chapter 4 Project Overview

Once filming is completed, postproduction can begin. The film must be edited at
this point, perhaps by using some color correction to make a scene look more vivid,
warm, or cold, depending on the feeling the director wants each scene to convey to the
audience. Perhaps the director decides that a shot would work better if the main actors
face were closer, so the video editor zooms in a little. Suppose the name of a business
appears in the background and the director doesnt want it to be recognizable; some
simple visual effects can remove it or replace it with the name of another business that
will pay the filmmakers for advertising! This is the point at which the last retouches are
added to the film, the complete soundtrack and all the sound effects are included, and
the final result is achieved.

A Visual Effects Film

Lets now analyze the differences that a film with complex visual effects would have
compared to the previous example.
During preproduction, the production team would need to think about what vi-
sual effects to use, how theyre going to be filmed, and what will be required to create
them. Generally, the visual effects team works very closely with the director during
preproduction to see whats possible, whats not possible, and how the effects will be
achieved. (Usually, almost anything is possible in visual effects; it just may be way too
expensive for a particular films budget.)
During production, the visual effects team may need to film some shots in special
ways, using green screens or using markers or puppets the actors can interact with so
that later the team can add an animated character to that scene. Lighting in the sets has
to be measured and recorded, so the team can simulate it later in the 3D world to make
it match the lighting on the real set. Some effects like explosions may need to be filmed
separately so they can later be integrated with the footage of the actors.
After the movie has been filmed, its time to begin the postproduction stage, but
because this film involves visual effects, the line between production and postproduc-
tion tends to blur and sometimes these stages actually overlap. The visual effects artists
probably work on some shots even before production begins so that during filming, all
the different elements that comprise a scene will fit together seamlessly.
The visual effects team has its own preproduction, production, and postproduction
stages. They plan the specific effects and determine how a shot will be accomplished;
then they proceed to production and work to create the elements of the visual effects,
and finally combine those elements, adjusting colors, shapes, textures, and so forth.

An Animated Film
The stages of an animated film are even more difficult to distinguish, as the entire film
is computer-generated, the line between production and postproduction is not so clear.
During preproduction, all aspects of the film are planned and designed as usual,
but then production and postproduction tend to overlap because every aspect of
these stages happens in the 3D software. Usually, its easier to divide the stages, with
 A Character-Creation Plan 55

production creating the action (developing characters, sets, and animation), and post-
production creating the effects such as water, splashes, particles, cloth, dust, smoke,
fire, explosions and other simulations. Then, the final compositing will bring all these
diverse elements together.

A Photograph
Yes, even something as simple as a photograph can be divided into the three production
stages. Even if photographers are not conscious of it, theyre performing the stages of
production with their own photos.
First, photographers complete the preproduction stage by thinking about what
theyre going to shoot and where. During production, they must go to the location,
pose the subject, and finally take the photo. Then, even using a smart phone, they can
do some postproduction work such as adding an aging effect to the photo, or increasing
its contrast, or maybe even changing it to black and white.

A Character-Creation Plan
Now that you have a better understanding about the three main stages of a project, lets
define the process youll follow throughout the remainder of this book to create a com-
plete 3D-animated character.

Preproduction
A character-creation process starts, of course, with a character design.

n Designing: Make some drawings to define what the character will look like,
what clothes it will wear, and what features might suggest its personality.

Production
This stage can be rather complex and extensive because its the main part of the process
in which you go from the design to the completed character.

n Modeling: Model the 3D character in Blender following the design you created
in the preproduction stage.
n Unwrapping: Turn the 3D model into a two-dimensional mesh internally so
you can project a 2D image texture on it.
n Texturing: Paint the textures for the various aspects of the 3D models surface,
such as clothing textures, skin, hair color, and so forth.
n Shading: Take texturing a step further by creating materials that will define the
surface properties of your character, such as how ref lective or shiny they will be,
or whether they will be rough or smooth.
56 Chapter 4 Project Overview

n Rigging: Add a skeleton to your character and define how it will work and how
it will control the character.
n Animating: Pose the character using keyframes at different times of an anima-
tion to make the character perform an action such as walking or running.
n Video recording: Record a video into which youll place your character later.

Postproduction
Once the character is finished, there is still some work to do to make it look pleasing or
to put it into a scene.
n Camera tracking: Simulate a cameras tracking in the actual footage you record
so you end up with a camera in the 3D world that will move similarly to a real
camera and allow you to insert 3D elements into your video.
n Lighting: Add lighting to your scene to make the lights and shadows fit the
video you recorded during the production phase. The addition of lighting is usu-
ally part of the production stage, but because this projects main goal is the cre-
ation of a character, this time lighting will be part of postproduction.
n Rendering: Convert the 3D scene into a 2D image with shadows and lighting.
n Compositing: Take the video and the 3D objects, combine them, and make any
necessary adjustments to them so they fit together and look realistic.

Summary
Now you have an idea of the process youre going to go through to create your own
animated character and you understand the three main stages of every project. Prepro-
duction is especially important and you have to keep that in mind for future projects.
A lot of people fail even after significant planning and preparation, so imagine the
probability of failing if you dont make thoughtful preparations and design choices in
preproduction. Almost every professional 3D artist has gone through this process and
understands the importance of preparing and organizing projects beforehand. Take
advantage of learning from their experiences!
Now youre ready to start working on the actual project!

Exercises
1. Take any movie that you like and imagine how it would be divided into preproduc-
tion, production, and postproduction.
2. Have you ever had a project fail? Analyze where you failed and think about how
youd do the project differently using the three stages discussed in this chapter.
This page intentionally left blank
 Index

* (asterisk), unsaved change Walk Mode, 18 Animated films, project stages,

indicator, 171 Zoom, 17 5455
3D View, screen elements Animating a walk cycle
2D cursor, UV/Image Editor, Camera, 14 computer requirements, 251
149, 150 Collapse Menu button, 14, creating an action, 251252
3D cursor 16 creating poses, 252253
depth option, 25 Default cube, 1415 repeating the animation,
description, 2425 Drawing Method selector, 254255
posing characters without 14, 16 timing the animation,
skeletons, 123 Editor Selector, 14, 16 253254
3D models, unwrapping into Editors Menu, 14, 16 walking along a path,
2D. See Unwrapping. Global/Local Layers Con- 255256
3D objects, compositing with straint button, 14, 17 Animating characters. See also
real footage. See Camera Grid, 1415 Character creation; Mod-
tracking. Header, 14, 16 eling; Rigging characters.
3D scenes, converting to 2D. Interaction Mode, 14, 16 character creation, 56
See Rendering. Lamp, 1415 inserting keyframes,
3D View Operator panel, 14 245246
description, 12 Panels, 1416 Animation curves
illustration, 13 Pivot Selector, 14, 16 displaying, 22
selecting, 23, 151 Preview Renders, 14, 17 editing, 248249
3D View, navigating Properties Region, 1415 Animation editors
camera movement, 17, 19 Scene Layers, 14, 16 Action Editor, 248
f lying though a scene, 1819 Snapping selector, 14, 17 common controls and tips,
hiding/showing selections, Tabs, 14 250251
18 Tools Region, 1214 Dope Sheet, 247248
perspective/orthographic Transform Manipulators, 14, Graph Editor, 248249
views, switching, 18 16 NLA (Non-Linear Anima-
point of view, 17, 18 View name, 1314 tion) Editor, 250
recommended prerequisites, Timeline, 246247
17 A Animations
walking around a scene, 18 Action Editor, 248 editing, 22
3D View, navigation controls Add menu, Node Editor, 280 exporting an image
Camera View, 18 Add Shader, 200 sequence, 290
Fly Mode, 1819 Add-ons, managing, 20 saving as video, 290
Global View/Local View, 18 Addons tab, 25 timing, 22
Orbit, 17 Aligning Anisotropic BSDF shader, 199
Pan, 17 3D Cursor, 25 Anisotropic shine, 199
Perspective/Orthographic active quads, 153 Appearance, character creation,
Switch, 18 the camera, 269270 5960
Predefined Views, 17 objects to the surface, 25 Areas, 19
View Selected, 17 reference images, 102 Armature modifier, 230
300 Index

Armatures, rigging Blender Render, materials layers, 188

creating, 211 base color, setting, 185 listing the current selection, 187
definition, 209 comparing two materials, 184 loading textures, 188
Edit Mode, 213 description, 4243, 182 mapping images onto objects,
manipulating bones, 211213 Diffuse panel, 185 188
Object Mode, 213 gradients, 185 Mapping panel, 188
Pose Mode, 213 listing currently applied materi- offsetting images, 188
Arms als, 184 Preview panel, 188
modeling. See Modeling torso Material tab, 184186 previewing, 188
and arms. Mirror panel, 186 repeating images, 188
rigging, 221222 Options panel, 186 resizing images, 188
Asterisk (*), unsaved change indi- Preview panel, 185 sampling images, 188
cator, 171 previewing materials, 185 Texture tab, 187
Auto Save Temporary Files, 27 renaming materials, 185 Textures list panel, 188
Average Islands, 165 rendering particles, 186 Blender Units, 15
rubber effects, 186 Blender User Preferences. See also
B saving, 186 User Preferences window.
Backdrop, 281 Shading panel, 185 3D cursor depth option, 25
Backing up data Shadow panel, 186 accessing, 26
automatically, 27 shadows, 186 Addons tab, 25
saving different versions of a shine: color, intensity, and aligning objects to the surface,
file, 47 hardness, 185 25
Backpack, modeling, 121123 skin effects, 186 editing, options for, 25
Badges, modeling, 142 Specular panel, 185 Editing tab, 26
Baseball cap, modeling, Strand panel, 186 extensions, managing, 26
133136 Subsurface Scattering panel, 186 file paths, defining, 26
Belt, modeling, 124125 surface ref lectivity, 185186 File tab, 27
Bevel tool, 79 transparency, 185 Input tab, 26
Bevels, 79 Transparency panel, 185 Interface tab, 26
Big Buck Bunny, 6 Blender Render, shading keyboard shortcuts, editing, 27
Bisect tool, 7980 adding basic materials, 190191 linking to external software, 27
.blend files, 47 adding multiple materials, performance options, 27
Blender 191193 saving files, 27
commercial use of, 5 eyes, 193194 System tab, 27
description, 34 hair, 193194 Themes tab, 27
official Web site, 11 materials, 183186 user interface color schemes,
Blender community, 89 refining materials, 193194 creating, 27
Blender Foundation rendering, 196197 user interface settings, 26
creator of, 6 setup, 189190 Blur brush, 232
description, 79 textures, controlling material Bone Constraints, 214
head of, 7 properties, 194195 Bones, rigging
Blender Institute Blender Render, textures adding constraints, 213,
creator of, 6 colors, changing, 188 214215
description, 79 Colors panel, 188 adjusting, 224225
Blender Render, compositing creating textures, 188 assigning weights to, 230233
node compositing, 284287 cropping images, 188 chaining, 212
Render Layers, 282284 Current Texture panel, 188 color coding, 225226
scene setup, 282 Image Mapping panel, 188 control bones, 209
separating objects from their Image panel, 188 controlling orientation of,
shadows, 282284 Image Sampling panel, 188 212213
Blender Render, description, Inf luence panel, 189 creating, 212, 213
4142 inf luencing channels, 189 defining a hierarchy of, 212
 Index 301

definition, 209 description, 261262 texturing, 55

deform bones, 209 fast movement, 263 unwrapping, 55
deformer bones, selecting, loading your footage, 264265 video recording, 56
229230 memory requirements, 265 Character creation, design
deleting, 213 Movie Clip Editor, 263 base design, 6162
dividing, 213 parallax, 262 final design, 66
duplicating, 212 pattern area, 265 head design, 63
editing, 213 pattern orientation, 266 other design methods, 6970
grouping, 225-226 perspective detection, 262 in preproduction, 55
helper bones, 209210 perspective shift, 262 refining the design, 65
hiding/unhiding, 213 preparation for, 262263 Character reference images, 6869
layering, 226228 search area, 265266 Circle tool, 94
manipulating, 211213 solving camera motion, 268269 Clear Seam option, 152, 153
merging, 213 static features, 263 Cloth, simulating, 294
mirroring, 224, 232, 233234 testing, 270271 Collapse Menu button, 14, 16
mirroring changes, 212 tracked frames, 266 Color
moving, 232 trackers. See Camera tracking, base, setting, 185
naming, 212 markers. character creation, 66
naming conventions, 223224 zooming, 263 filling images with, 169
posing, 213 Camera tracking, markers main, setting, 43
rotating, 232 creating, 266267 surface, 181
scaling, 232 description, 265266 textures, changing, 188
selecting, 212 modifying settings, 266268 Color coding bones, grouping,
switching direction, 213 tracking, 266268 225226
Boots, modeling, 127129 Camera View, 18 Colored surfaces, shading, 199
Box modeling, 99 Cap, modeling, 133136 Colors panel, 188
Box selection, 23 Chaining bones, 212 Combining shaders, 200
Branches of Blender, 8 Chamfers, 79 Commercial software, 45
Bridge Edge Loops tool, 8081 Channels, 181, 189 Communicator, modeling, 141
Bridge tool, 94 Character creation. See also Ani- Comparing two materials, 184
Bridging, 9495 mating characters; Modeling; Compositing
Brushes, 168169. See also Editors; Rigging characters. character creation, 56
Tools. animating, 56 previewing, 22
Bump channel, 181 appearance, 5960 Compositing in Blender Render
camera tracking, 56 node compositing, 284287
C character reference images, Render Layers, 282284
Camera 6869 scene setup, 282
moving in scenes, 45 color, 66 separating objects from their
moving parallel to the view. See compositing, 56 shadows, 282284
Panning. context, 5859 Compositing in Cycles
orbiting, 17, 19 details, 6465 node compositing, 288290
panning, 17, 19 lighting, 56 Render Layers, 287288
rotating around the scene. See modeling, 55 scene setup, 287
Orbiting. personality, 58 Compositing methods, Node Edi-
zooming and centering, 17 postproduction, 56 tor, 275276
zooming in and out, 17 preproduction, 55 Compositing nodes
Camera, in 3D View, 14 production, 5556 in Blender Render, 284287
Camera motion, solving, 268269 rendering, 56 in Cycles, 288290
Camera tracking rigging, 56 Computer graphics. See Proce-
aligning the camera, 269270 shading, 55 dural textures.
camera settings, 268 silhouettes, 6061 Computer requirements for ani-
character creation, 56 style, 59 mation, 251
302 Index

Configuring. See User preferences. Customizing. See User preferences. Deform bones, 209
Connect tool, 81 Cycles Deformer bones, selecting,
Connected option, 76 description, 4142 229230
Connecting Diffuse option, 43 Deforming eyeballs with lattices,
nodes, 280281 Emission option, 43 104105
UVs, 160161 Glass option, 43 Delete tool, 8182
Connections, nodes, 278 glass surface, 43 Deleting
Constraints, adding to bones, 213, Glossy option, 43 bones, 213
214215 light emission, 43 default cube, 1415
Constraints, rigging lights, 44 edges, 8182
adding, 213, 214215 main color, 43 faces, 8182
Bone Constraints, 214 materials, 43, 182, 197199 objects, 29
definition, 210 Mix option, 43 vertices, 8182
Object Constraints, 214 mixing shaders, 43 Depth of field, 3D View, 14
Contact shadows, 181 ref lectivity, 43 Designing characters. See Animat-
Context, character creation, 5859 rendering, 4647 ing characters; Character cre-
Control bones, 209 shadowing, 44 ation; Modeling; Rigging
Copying. See Duplicating. shine, 43 characters.
Create New Image option, transparency, 43 Diffuse BSDF shader, 199
149150 Transparent option, 43 Diffuse Color channel, 181
Creating Cycles, compositing Diffuse option, 43
animated characters. See Ani- node compositing, 288290 Diffuse panel, 185
mating characters; Charac- Render Layers, 287288 Disable option, 76
ter creation; Modeling; scene setup, 287 Displacement panel, 199
Rigging characters. Cycles, shading Display panel, 149150
animation actions, 251252 advanced shading, 202203 Dissolve tool, 8182
animation poses, 252253 basic shading, 199, 201 Dissolving edges, faces, and verti-
armatures, 211 current selection, displaying, 197 ces, 8182
bones, 212, 213 Displacement panel, 199 Dividing, bones, 213
camera tracking markers, increasing mesh detail, 199 Dope Sheet, 22, 247248
266267 loading textures, 200 Downloading, Blender, 11
custom shapes, 241242 Material tab, 197199 Dragging elements. See Propor-
eyeballs, 103104 materials, 197199 tional Editing.
node trees, 21 Preview panel, 198 Drawing Method selector, 14, 16
nodes, 279280 previewing, 198 Drivers for shape keys, 239241
objects, 2930 rendering, 203204 Duplicate tool, 82
shape keys, 236237 Settings panel, 199 Duplicating
skeletons, 211. See also Rig- shaders, selecting, 198 areas, 19
ging, skeletons. Surface panel, 198 bones, 212
textures, 188 Volume panel, 198199 meshes, 82
UVs automatically, 153 volumetric effects, 198199 modifiers, 41
workspaces, 20 Cylinder Projection, 153
Cropping images, 188 Cylinder projections, unwrapping, E
Cube Projection, 153 153 Ears, modeling, 113115
Cube projections, unwrapping, Edge loops, joining, 8081
153 D Edges
Current Texture panel, 188 Datablocks, 3436 bridging, 94
Current UV Map, 149, 151 Default cube converting straight to curved, 94
Cursor Depth operation, 25 deleting, 1415 creating faces from, 87
Curve tool, 94 description, 1415 definition, 73
Custom shapes, rigging, 210, illustration, 14 deleting, 8182
241242 Default cube, 1415 dissolving, 8182
 Index 303

extruding, 8283, 9192 ears, 113115 Films, project stages

f lattening, 94 face topology, 107 with visual effects, 54
scaling, 90 inside of the mouth, 115116 without visual effects, 5354
selecting, 74 mouth, 112113 Fingers
sliding selections, 9091 nose, 112113 modeling, 131133
subdividing geometry, 93 Faces (geometry), modeling, tools rigging, 222223
Edit Mode, 36, 213 bridging, 94 Fire effects, 295
Editing. See also Proportional converting straight to curved, FK (Forward Kinematics),
Editing. 94 218220
animation curves, 248249 creating from edges, 87 Flatten tool, 94
animations, 22 creating from vertices, 87 Flattening, 3738, 94
bones, 213 definition, 73 Fluids, simulating, 293, 294
F-curves, 248249 deleting, 8182 Fly Mode, 1819
keyboard shortcuts, 27 dissolving, 8182 Follow Active Quads, 153
keyframes. See Animation extruding, 8283, 9192 Format of images, specifying, 46
editors. f lattening, 94 Four-sided rule for faces, 73
movie clips, 263 four-sided rule, 73 Frames, interface. See Areas.
options for, 26 insetting/outsetting, 8485 Frames, animation, 245
video footage, 22 n-gons, 73
Editing tab, 26 normals, 127 G
Editor Selector, 14, 16 orientation, determining, 127 Game engine, 295
Editor Type, selecting, 2023. See quads, 73 Glass option, Cycles, 43
also specific editors. scaling, 90 Glass shader, 199
Editors Menu, 14, 16 selecting, 74 Glass surface, with Cycles, 43
Elephants Dream, 6 sliding selections, 9091 Global View/Local View, 18
Emission channel, 181 subdividing geometry, 93 Global/Local Layers Constraint
Emission option, Cycles, 43 triangles, 73 button, 14, 17
Emission shader, 199 types of, 73 Glossiness, 199
Empty spaces, filling, 127 Faces (of models), modeling Glossy BSDF shader, 199
Enable option, 76 blocking the basic shape, Glossy option, Cycles, 43
Error messages, displaying, 20 107109 Gradients, 185
Extensions, managing, 27 defining the shape, 110111 Graph Editor, 22, 248249
Extrude tool, 8283 ears, 113115 Grass in a field, 294
Extruding edges, faces, and verti- face topology, 107 Gravity, simulating, 294
ces, 8283, 9192 inside of the mouth, 115116 Grid, 1415
Eyeballs, 103105 mouth, 112113 Grid Fill tool, 8384
Eyebrows, 140141 nose, 112113 Growing/shrinking selections,
Eyes Facial expressions (of characters), 78
rigging, 217218 rigging, 235241 Gstretch tool, 9495
shading, 193194 Falloff Selection. See Proportional
Eyes, modeling Editing. H
adjusting, 105106 Falloff types, 76 Hair. See Modeling hair.
creating an eyeball, 103104 F-curves Hair BSDF shader, 199
deforming eyeballs with lattices, displaying, 22 Hands, rigging, 222223
104105 editing, 248249 Header, 3D View, 14, 16
mirroring, 105106 Field of view, 3D View, 14 Header menu option, 149150
File Browser, 20 Heads
F File format for Blender, 27 designing, 63
Faces (of characters), modeling File paths, defining, 27 rigging, 220221
blocking the basic shape, File tab, 27 Helper bones, 209210
107109 Fill tool, 8384 Hiding/unhiding, bones, 213
defining the shape, 110111 Filling images with color, 169 History of Blender, 57
304 Index

I automatic keyframing, 245246 Loft tool, 95

IK (Inverse Kinematics), 218220 displaying, 22 Logic Editor, 21
Image Mapping panel, 188 editing. See Animation editors. Logs, displaying, 20
Image panel, 188 keying sets, 246 Loop Cut and Slide tool, 8687,
Image Sampling panel, 188 selected, displaying, 250251 111
Inf luence panel, 189 Keying sets, 246 Loops
Inf luencing channels, 189 Knife tool, 8586 bridging, 95
Info menu, 20 Krita, 61 cutting, 8687
Input nodes, 278 selecting, 7778
Input tab, 26 L sliding, 8687
Inset tool, 8485 Lamp, 1415 smoothing, 111
Insetting/outsetting faces, 8485 Lasso selection, 23 LoopTools, 9495. See also Mesh
Inside of the mouth, modeling, Last action, operator, displaying, 14 modeling tools; Modeling
115116 Lattices, deforming eyeballs, tools.
Installing, Blender, 11 104105
Interaction Mode, 3D View, 14, 16 Layering, bones, 226228 M
Interaction Modes Layers. See also Render Layers. Make Edge/Face tool, 87
Edit Mode, 36 3D View, 1617 Manipulators, 3032
moving objects, 36 materials, 180 Mapping images onto objects, 188
Object Mode, 36 painting textures, 170 Mapping panel, 188
placing objects in scenes, 36 Scene Layers, 14, 16 Mark Seam option, 152, 153
rotating objects, 36 Texture Paint, 170 Markers
scaling objects, 36 textures, 188 creating, 266267
selecting, 37 Leaves falling, 293 description, 265266
Interface tab, 26 Legs modifying settings, 266268
Inverse Kinematics (IK), 218220 modeling, 125127 tracking, 266268
rigging, 218220 Mask Mode, 150
J Licensing Masking, video recordings, 295
Jacket, modeling, 121125 Blender, 4 Material tab, 184186, 197199
Join tool, 85 open-source, 5 Materials
Joining Light emission, 43, 181 adding to scenes, 4344
areas, 19 Lighting applying, 179180
edge loops, 8081 3D View, 15 channels, 180182
vertices, 81 adding to scenes, 4445, controlling with textures,
273275 194195
K baking into a texture, 296 in Cycles, description, 43, 182
Keyboard shortcuts Blender Render, 44 definition, 42
customizing, 20 character creation, 56 layers, 180
editing, 27 Cycles, 44 masks, 180
for modeling tools, 7475 matching footage, 274275 properties of, 180
moving objects, 32 Lightmap Pack, 153 shading, 183186
Orbit, 19 Linked selections, 77 Materials, in Blender Render
Pan, 19 Linking to external software, 27 base color, setting, 185
rotating objects, 32 Live Unwrap, 160 comparing two materials, 184
scaling objects, 32 Loaded Images List option, description, 4243, 182
selecting loops or rings, 7778 149150 Diffuse panel, 185
switching armature modes, 214 Loading gradients, 185
transforming objects, 3233 .blend files, 47 listing currently applied materi-
Keyframes images, 149150 als, 184
adding manually, 245 textures, 188, 200 Material tab, 184186
animating properties in menus, UVs and base elements, 174 Mirror panel, 186
246 video footage, 264265 Options panel, 186
 Index 305

Preview panel, 185 Shrink/Flatten, 90 defining the shape, 112113

previewing materials, 185 Slide, 9091 deforming eyeballs with lattices,
renaming materials, 185 Solidify, 91 104105
rendering particles, 186 Spin, 9192 mirroring, 105106
rubber effects, 186 Split, 9293 Modeling faces (character)
saving, 186 Subdivide, 9293 blocking the basic shape,
Shading panel, 185 Mesh topology, 9799. See also 107109
Shadow panel, 186 Retopology. defining the shape, 110111
shadows, 186 Meshes ears, 113115
shine: color, intensity, and bisecting, 7980 face topology, 107
hardness, 185 converting to light, 199 inside of the mouth, 115116
skin effects, 186 cutting, 8587 mouth, 112113
Specular panel, 185 disconnecting parts of, 9293 nose, 112113
Strand panel, 186 duplicating, 82 Modeling hair
Subsurface Scattering panel, 186 hiding/revealing parts of, 95 adding details, 138140
surface ref lectivity, 185186 holes, creating, 8889 overview, 136137
transparency, 185 holes, filling, 8384, 8889 shading, 193194
Transparency panel, 185 increasing detail, 199 shaping locks, 137138
Materials tab, 42 separating into objects, 90 simulating, 199, 293294
Menus, zooming in and out, 23 Metallic effects, 199 Modeling hands
Merge tool, 87 Mirror option, Blender Render, basic shape, 129131
Merging 43 common mistakes, 129
bones, 213 Mirror panel, 186 fingers, 131133
elements, 87 Mirroring wrists, 131133
vertices, 95 bones, 212, 224, 232, 233234 Modeling methods
Mesh deformation, defining, 230 eyes, 105106 the best method, 100
Mesh menu, accessing modeling rigs, 223225 box modeling, 99
tools, 74 shape keys, 237 modifiers, 100
Mesh modeling tools. See also Mix option, Cycles, 43 poly to poly, 99, 127
LoopTools; Modeling tools. Mix Shader, 200 retopologize, 100
Bevel, 79 Modeling. See also Animating sculpting, 100
Bisect, 7980 characters; Character cre- Modeling tools. See also Loop-
Bridge Edge Loops, 8081 ation; Rigging characters. Tools; Mesh modeling tools.
Connect, 81 character creation, 55 accessing, 7475
Delete, 8182 eyebrows, 140141 AutoMerge, 95
Dissolve, 8182 legs, 125127 Hide and Reveal, 95
Duplicate, 82 shape keys, 235236 searching for, 75
Extrude, 8283 teeth, 142143 snapping, 96
Fill, 8384 tongue, 142143 Modeling torso and arms
Grid Fill, 8384 Modeling accessories basic shapes, 118120
Inset, 8485 backpack, 121123 defining torso and arms,
Join, 85 badges, 142 120121
Knife, 8586 baseball cap, 133136 overview, 116117
Loop Cut and Slide, 8687, 111 belt, 124125 Modifier nodes, 278
Make Edge/Face, 87 boots, 127129 Modifiers
Merge, 87 clothing details, 143 adding, 3940
overview, 78 communicator, 141 definition, 38
Remove Doubles, 88 jacket, 121123 duplicating, 41
Rip, 8889 jacket neck, 124125 modeling, 100
Rip Fill, 8889 Modeling eyes Subdivision Surface modifiers,
Screw, 8990 adjusting, 105106 4041, 113
Separate, 90 creating an eyeball, 103104 Monkey head, 30
306 Index

Mouth, modeling, 112113 Non-Linear Animation (NLA) Open-source software

Move manipulator, 3031 Editor, 22, 250 vs. commercial software, 45
Movie Clip Editor, 22, 263, Noodles, 277278 description, 5
295 Normal channel, 181 licensing, 5
Movies. See Video. Normal maps, 181 Operator panel, 14
Moving Nose, modeling, 112113 Options panel, 186
bones, 232 Not a Number (NaN), founding Orbit, 17
objects, 3032, 36 of, 6 Orbiting the camera, 17, 19
Outliner, 21
N O Output nodes, 278
Naming, bones, 212 Object Constraints, 214
Naming conventions, bones, Object data (ObData) P
223224 definition, 34 Pack Islands, 165
NaN (Not a Number), founding vs. objects, 35 Packing UVs, 163165
of, 6 Object Mode, 36, 213 Paint Mode, 150
Navigating system folders, 20 Object tracking, video recordings, Paint selection, 23
NeoGeo, founding of, 6 295 Painting software, 61
n-gon faces, 73 Objects Painting textures. See also Textur-
NLA (Non-Linear Animation) arranging in scenes, 33 ing in image editing software.
Editor, 22, 250 creating, 2930 brushes, 168169
Node Editor. See also Nodes. duplicates vs. instances, 35 creating the base texture,
Add menu, 280 joining, 85 170172
Backdrop option, 281 modifying. See Interaction drawing lines with a mouse, 171
compositing methods, Modes; Modifiers; specific filling images with color, 169
275276 modifications. including external files, 171172
connecting nodes, 280281 monkey head, 30 layers, 170
controls for manipulating moving, 3032, 36 limitations of, 170
nodes, 280281 names, displaying, 34 packing images, 171172
creating nodes, 279280 naming conventions, 36 placing texture elements,
getting started, 279 vs. object data (ObData), 35 170171
previewing results, 281 placing in scenes, 36 preparation for, 169170
selecting, 21 renaming, 34 saving images, 171
Tools Region, 279 resizing. See Scaling. Smooth Stroke option, 171
Node trees rotating, 3032, 36 Texture Paint Mode, 168170
creating, 21 scaling, 3032, 36 texture resolution, 169170
description, 276277 test sample, 30 viewing your painted character,
Nodes. See also Node Editor. transforming, 3033 176
components, 277278 Objects in scenes, defining behav- Pan, 17
compositing in Blender Render, iors and functions for, 21 Panels, 1416
284287 Occlusion channel, 181 Panels, 3D View
compositing in Cycles, Offsetting images, 188 collapsing/expanding, 15
288290 Opaqueness, 181 description, 1516
connecting, 280281 Open Existing Image option, illustrations, 14
connections, 278 149150 reordering, 15
creating, 279280 Open Movie projects Panning the camera, 17, 19
description, 276277 Big Buck Bunny, 6 Parallax, 262
input, 278 Elephants Dream, 6 Particle System, 293
manipulating, 280281 first project, 6 Pattern area, 265
modifier, 278 goals, 89 Pattern orientation, 266
noodles, 277278 Sintel, 6 Performance options, 27
output, 278 Tears of Steel, 67 Performance settings, 20
properties, 278 Yo, Frankie!, 6 Personality, character creation, 58
 Index 307

Perspective detection, 262 Properties editor, 21 loading a .blend file, 47

Perspective shift, 262 Properties Region, 1415 opening a .blend file, 47
Perspective/Orthographic Switch, Proportional Editing output, 290291
18 description, 76 particles, 186
Photographs, project stages, 55 unwrapping, 149, 151 previews in 3D View, 17
Pin content option, 149150 UV/Image Editor, 149, 151 in real time, 46
Pivot Point selection option, .psd files, 174 saving a .blend file, 47
149150 Python API, 20 saving results, 4748
Pivot Selector, 14, 16 Python Console, 20 saving versions of a file, 47
Point of view Python scripting, 297 settings, 290
3D View, 14 shading, 203204
of the active camera, 18 Q Renders, displaying, 22
changing, 17 Quad faces Repeating animations, 254255
Poly to poly modeling, 99 definition, 73 Repeating images, 188
Pose Mode, armatures, 213 filling empty spaces, 127 Reset option, 153
Posing, bones, 213 Quad View, toggling, 15 Resizing. See Scaling.
Postproduction Resolution of images, setting, 46
character creation, 56 R Retopologize process, 100
project stages, 5253 Rain effects, 293 Retopology, 296. See also
Predefined Views, 17 Real-time rendering, 46 Topology.
Preproduction Reference images, aligning, 102 Rig organization
character creation, 55 Reference planes, setting up, Bone Groups, 225226
project stages, 5152 101102 Bone Layers, 226228
Preview panel, 185, 188, 198 Ref lection, shader, 199 Rigging
Preview Renders, 14, 17 Ref lection channel, 181 in character creation, 56
Previewing Ref lectivity components, 209210
compositing, 22 with Blender Render, 43 custom shapes, 210, 241242
materials, 185 channels, 181 process overview, 210
renders, 14, 17 with Cycles, 43 skeletons, 211, 215217
results of Node Editor, 281 Refraction, shader, 199 typing object names, 215
shading, 198 Refraction shader, 199 Rigging, armatures
textures, 188 Relax tool, 95 creating, 211
Procedural textures, 183 Release Confirms option, 32 definition, 209
Production Relief effects, 181 Edit Mode, 213
character creation, 5556 Remove Doubles tool, 88 manipulating bones, 211213
project stages, 52 Renaming Object Mode, 213
Project from View, 153 materials, 185 Pose Mode, 213
Project stages objects, 34 Rigging, bones
for animated films, 5455 Render engines. See Blender Ren- adding constraints, 213, 214215
for a film with visual effects, 54 der; Cycles. adjusting, 224225
for a film without visual effects, Render Layers. See also Layers. assigning weights to, 230233
5354 Blender Render, 282284 chaining, 212
for photographs, 55 Cycles, 287288 color coding, 225226
postproduction, 5253 Rendering control bones, 209
preproduction, 5152 Blender Render, 46 controlling orientation of,
production, 52 character creation, 56 212213
storyboarding, 53 Cycles, 4647 creating, 212, 213
Projected (2D) option, 76 description, 46 defining a hierarchy of, 212
Properties final results, 291 definition, 209
3D View, viewing and setting, 15 image format, specifying, 46 deform bones, 209
nodes, 278 image resolution, setting, 46 deformer bones, selecting,
setting, 21 launching, 4748 229230
308 Index

Rigging, bones, continued posing the character, 235 Scripting

deleting, 213 torso, 220221 editor for, 21
dividing, 213 Rigging characters, shape keys Python, 297
duplicating, 212 creating, 236237 Sculpting, 100, 295296
editing, 213 definition, 235 Search area, 265266
helper bones, 209210 drivers for, 239241 Selecting
hiding/unhiding, 213 mirroring, 237 bones, 212
layering, 226228 modeling, 235236 box selection, 23
manipulating, 211213 Rigid objects, 294 faces, 74
merging, 213 Rings, selecting, 7778 in groups, 2324
mirroring, 224, 232, 233234 Rip Fill tool, 8889 lasso selection, 23
mirroring changes, 212 Rip tool, 8889 loops, 7778
moving, 232 Ripping vertices apart, 8889 with a mouse, 2324
naming, 212 Roosendaal, Ton paint selection, 23
naming conventions, 223224 creation of Blender Foundation, rings, 7778
posing, 213 6 shared vertices, 151
rotating, 232 creation of Blender Institute, 6 undoing/redoing actions, 24
scaling, 232 founding of NeoGeo, 6 vertices, 74
selecting, 212 founding of Not a Number Selection mode, switching, 149,
switching direction, 213 (NaN), 6 151
Rigging, constraints head of Blender Foundation, 7 Selection Mode option, 149, 151
adding, 213, 214215 history of Blender, 57 Selections
Bone Constraints, 214 vision for Blender, 4 arranging in a circle, 94
definition, 210 Rotate manipulator, 3031 distributing along a curve,
Object Constraints, 214 Rotating 9495
Rigging, skinning bones, 232 growing/shrinking, 78
Armature modifier, 230 objects, 3032, 36 limiting to visible elements, 78
mesh deformation, defining, Rough surfaces, 181 linked, 77
230 Roughness channel, 181 Proportional Editing, 76
overview, 228 Rubber effects, 186 shortest path, 75
selecting deformer bones, sliding, 9091
229230 S smoothing, 95
setting up models, 228229 Sampling images, 188 spacing equally, 95
Weight Paint Mode, 230232 Saving files thickening, 91
weight painting, 230234 .blend files, 47 Separate tool, 90
Rigging characters. See also Ani- preferences for, 27 Separating UVs, 160161
mating characters; Character rendering results, 4748 Settings panel, 199
creation; Modeling. versions of a file, 47 Shaders
arm, 221222 Saving materials, 186 Add Shader, 200
basic skeleton, 215217 Scale manipulator, 3031 Anisotropic BSDF, 199
eyes, 217218 Scaling anisotropic shine, 199
facial expressions, 235241 areas, 19 basics, 199
final touches, 242243 bones, 232 colored surfaces, 199
fingers, 222223 edges, 90 combining, 200
FK (Forward Kinematics), faces, 90 converting mesh to light, 199
218220 images, 188 Diffuse BSDF, 199
hand, 222223 objects, 3032, 36 Emission, 199
head, 220221 vertices, 90 Glass, 199
IK (Inverse Kinematics), Scene f loor, 3D View, 15 glossiness, 199
218220 Scene Layers, 14, 16 Glossy BSDF, 199
legs, 218220 Screw tool, 8990 Hair BSDF, 199
mirroring the rig, 223225 Screwing effects, 8990 hair effects, 199
 Index 309

metallic effects, 199 Shape keys Solidify modifier, 140

Mix Shader, 200 creating, 236237 Solidify tool, 91
mixing with Cycles, 43 definition, 235 Solving camera motion, 268269
ref lection, 199 drivers for, 239241 Spacing selections, 95
refraction, 199 mirroring, 237 Specular channel, 181
Refraction, 199 modeling, 235236 Specular option, Blender Render,
selecting, 198 Shared Vertex selection options, 43
transparency, 199 149, 151 Specular panel, 185
Transparent BSDF, 199 Shine Sphere Projection, 153
Shading, character creation, 55 in Blender Render, 43 Sphere projections, unwrapping,
Shading, in Blender Render color, intensity, and hardness, 153
adding basic materials, 190191 181, 185 Spin tool, 92
adding multiple materials, in Cycles, 43 Spiral effects, 8990
191193 Shortest path, selecting, 75 Split tool, 9293
eyes, 193194 Shortest Path option, 157 Splitting, areas, 19
hair, 193194 Shrink/Flatten tool, 90 Stitch tool, 161
materials, 183186 Silhouettes, 6061 Storyboarding, 53
refining materials, 193194 Sintel, 6 Strand panel, 186
rendering, 196197 Skeletons, rigging, 211, 215217 Style, character creation, 59
setup, 189190 Skin effects, 186 Subdivide Surface modifier, 140
textures, controlling material Skinning, rigging 141, 230
properties, 194195 Armature modifier, 230 Subdivide tool, 9293
Shading, in Cycles mesh deformation, defining, Subdividing geometry, 93, 113
advanced shading, 202203 230 Subdivision Surface modifiers,
basic shading, 199, 201 overview, 228 4041, 113
current selection, displaying, selecting deformer bones, Subsurface Scattering panel, 186
197 229230 Surface color, 181
Displacement panel, 199 setting up models, 228229 Surface panel, 198
increasing mesh detail, 199 Weight Paint Mode, 230232 Surface ref lectivity, 185186
loading textures, 200 weight painting, 230234 Surfaces
Material tab, 197199 Slide tool, 9091 f lattening, 3738
materials, 197199 Sliding selections, 9091 increasing details, 4041
Preview panel, 198 Smart UV Project, 153 smoothing, 3738, 4041
previewing, 198 Smoke effects, 295 Swapping, areas, 19
rendering, 203204 Smooth option, 111 Sync UVs option, 149, 151
Settings panel, 199 Smooth Selection. See Propor- Synchronizing UVs with 3D mod-
shaders, selecting, 198 tional Editing. els, 149, 151
Surface panel, 198 Smoothing, selections, 95 System tab, 27
Volume panel, 198199 Smoothing surfaces, 3738
volumetric effects, 198199 Snapping T
Shading option, Blender Render, 3D View, 17 Tabs, 14
43 options, unwrapping, 149, 151 Tears of Steel, 67
Shading panel, 185 Snap menu, 25 Teeth, modeling, 142143
Shadow panel, 186 vertices, 95 Testing
Shadows when modeling, 96 camera tracking, 270271
3D View, 15 Snapping options, UV/Image Edi- development versions of
in Blender Render, 43 tor, 149, 151 Blender, 8
contact shadows, 181 Snapping selector, 14, 17 UVs, 157159
in Cycles, 44 Snow effects, 293 Text Editor, 22
with materials, 186 Soft objects, 294 Texture Face, 158
separating from their objects. Soft Selection. See Proportional Texture Paint Mode, 168170
See Render Layers. Editing. Texture tab, 187
310 Index

Textures 3D cursor Pivot Selector, 14, 16

controlling material properties, depth option, 27 Preview Renders, 14, 17
194195 description, 2425 Properties Region, 1415
creating the base, 170172 posing characters without skele- Scene Layers, 14, 16
definition, 167 tons, 123 Snapping selector, 14, 17
elements, placing, 170171 3D models, unwrapping into 2D. Tabs, 14
inf luence on channels, 189 See Unwrapping. Tools Region, 1214
painting. See Painting textures. 3D objects, mixing with video Transform Manipulators, 14, 16
procedural, 183 recordings. See Camera View name, 1314
resolution, 169170 tracking. Timeline Editor, 246247
shading, in Cycles, 200 3D scenes, converting to 2D. See Timeline window, 2223
Textures, in Blender Render Rendering. Timelines
colors, changing, 188 3D View displaying and marking, 22
Colors panel, 188 description, 12 editing, 246247
creating textures, 188 illustration, 13 Timing animations, 253254
cropping images, 188 selecting, 23, 151 Tongue, modeling, 142143
Current Texture panel, 188 3D View, navigating Tools. See Brushes; Editors; Loop-
Image Mapping panel, 188 camera movement, 17, 19 Tools; Mesh modeling tools;
Image panel, 188 f lying though a scene, 1819 Modeling tools.
Image Sampling panel, 188 hiding/showing selections, 18 Tools Region
Inf luence panel, 189 perspective/orthographic views, accessing modeling tools, 74
inf luencing channels, 189 switching, 18 description, 1214
layers, 188 point of view, 17, 18 Node Editor, 279
listing the current selection, 187 recommended prerequisites, 17 Topology, 9799. See also
loading textures, 188 walking around a scene, 18 Retopology.
mapping images onto objects, 3D View, navigation controls Torso and arms, modeling
188 Camera View, 18 basic shapes, 118120
Mapping panel, 188 Fly Mode, 1819 defining torso and arms,
offsetting images, 188 Global View/Local View, 18 120121
Preview panel, 188 Orbit, 17 overview, 116117
previewing, 188 Pan, 17 Torsos, rigging, 220221
repeating images, 188 Perspective/Orthographic Tracked frames, 266
resizing images, 188 Switch, 18 Trackers. See Camera tracking,
sampling images, 188 Predefined Views, 17 markers.
Texture tab, 187 View Selected, 17 Tracking
Textures list panel, 188 Walk Mode, 18 cameras. See Camera tracking.
Textures list panel, 188 Zoom, 17 markers, 266268
Texturing, character creation, 55 3D View, screen elements objects in video recordings, 295
Texturing in image editing soft- Camera, 14 Transform manipulators, 3032
ware. See also Painting Collapse Menu button, 14, 16 Transform Manipulators, 3D
textures. Default cube, 1415 View, 14, 16
adding base colors, 174 Drawing Method selector, 14, 16 Transforming objects. See also spe-
exporting UVs as images, Editor Selector, 14, 16 cific transformations.
172173 Editors Menu, 14, 16 in 3D View, 16
final touches, 175176 Global/Local Layers Constraint manipulators, 3032
loading UVs and base elements, button, 14, 17 numerically precise transforma-
174 Grid, 1415 tions, 3233
painting the details, 175 Header, 14, 16 overview, 3033
viewing your painted character, Interaction Mode, 14, 16 speeding up, 32
176 Lamp, 1415 Transparency
Themes tab, 27 Operator panel, 14 Blender Render, 43
Thickening, selections, 91 Panels, 1416 in Blender Render, 185
 Index 311

with Cycles, 43 UV display, customizing, Loaded Images List option,

materials, 181 149150 149150
shader, 199 UVs, creating automatically, Mark Seam option, 152, 153
Transparency channel, 181 153 navigating, 152
Transparency option, Blender UVs, synchronizing with 3D Open Existing Image option,
Render, 43 models, 149, 151 149150
Transparency panel, 185 Work Mode, selecting, Pin content option, 149150
Transparent BSDF shader, 199 149150 Pivot Point selection option,
Transparent option, Cycles, 43 Unwrapping, seams 149150
Tree graphs of scene elements, 21 clearing, 152, 153 previewing Node Editor results,
Trees in a forest, 294 description, 154155 281
Triangle faces, 73 marking, 152, 153, 156157 Project from View, 153
Trunk versions of Blender, 8 Unwrapping menus, 152 Proportional Editing, 149, 151
2D cursor, UV/Image Editor, 149, Update other views automatically, Reset, 153
150 149, 151 Selection Mode option, 149, 151
User interface. See also 3D View. Shared Vertex selection options,
U areas, 12 149, 151
Undoing/redoing actions, 24 editors, 12 Smart UV Project, 153
Units of measure, 15 Info Bar, 1213 Snapping options, 149, 151
Unwrap option, 153 Outliner, 13 Sphere Projection, 153
Unwrapping. See also UVs. Properties Editor, 13 Sync UVs option, 149, 151
in 3D View, 153 Splash Screen, 1213 Unwrap option, 153
aligning active quads, 153 Timeline, 1213 unwrapping menus, 152
Blender tools for. See UV/ Tools Region, 1214 Update other views automati-
Image Editor. User interface, customizing cally, 149, 151
character creation, 55 color, 20, 27 user interface, 149153
considerations, 155 saving custom settings, 27 UV Mapping tools, 152153
creating new images, 149150 settings, 27 Work Mode option, 149150
cube projections, 153 themes, 20 UVs. See also Unwrapping.
current UV map name, 149, 151 User Preferences window, 20. See adjusting, 160
cylinder projections, 153 also Blender User Preferences. Average Islands, 165
description, 147149 Users of Blender, 89 connecting, 160161
Jims body, 162163 UV display, customizing, 149150 creating automatically, 153
Jims face, 159 UV mapping. See Unwrapping. current UV map name, 149, 151
Live Unwrap, 160 UV Mapping tools, 152153 description, 147148
loading images, 149150 UV Test Grid, 157159 Pack Islands, 165
opening images, 149150 UV/Image Editor packing, 163165
pinning images, 149150 2D cursor, 149, 150 separating, 160161
pivot point, selecting, 149150 3D View selection option, 151 synchronizing with 3D models,
by predefined parameters, 153 Clear Seam option, 152, 153 149, 151
Proportional Editing, 149, 151 Create New Image option, testing, 157159
in real time, 160 149150 Texture Face, 158
realtime updates, 149, 151 Cube Projection, 153
resetting selected faces, 153 Current UV Map, 149, 151 V
selecting shared vertices, 149, Cylinder Projection, 153 Vertices
151 definition, 22 automatic merging, 95
selection mode, switching, 149, description, 149 creating faces from, 87
151 Display panel, 149150 definition, 73
snapping options, 149, 151 Follow Active Quads, 153 deleting, 8182
sphere projections, 153 Header menu option, 149150 dissolving, 8182
texturing workf low, 167 illustration, 149 extruding, 8283, 9192
unwrapping menus, 152 Lightmap Pack, 153 f lattening, 94
312 Index

Vertices, continued Video stabilization, 295 Work Mode option, 149150

joining, 81 View Mode, 150 Workspaces, creating, 20
removing doubles, 88 View name, 1314 Wrists, modeling, 131133
ripping apart, 8889 View Selected, 17
scaling, 90 Volume panel, 198199 X
selecting, 74 Volumetric effects, 198199 X-Mirror option, 232
selecting shortest path, 75
sliding selections, 9091 W Y
Video footage, editing, 22 Walk Mode, 18 Yo, Frankie!, 6
Video recording Walking animations along a path,
character creation, 56 255256 Z
masking, 295 Weight, simulating, 294 Zoom, 17
mixing 3D objects with. See Weight Paint Mode, 230232 Zooming
Camera tracking. Weight painting, 230234 3D View, 14
object tracking, 295 Weights, assigning to bones, during camera tracking, 263
Video Sequence Editor, 22 230233 cameras, 17