Synopses & Reviews
Build Top-Notch Blender Skills
If you're a serious Blender user, this new edition of Tony Mullen's expert guide is just what you need to expand your skills. From a quick refresher on Blender basics to the latest advanced techniques for things like 3D video compositing with camera tracking, controlling characters with Python, or using enhanced fluids, smoke, and fire tools, this is the ultimate Blender resource. You'll soon be creating visual effects and 3D animation for movies, games, and video the way CG professionals do.
Coverage includes:
- Blender basicstexture, materials, sculpting, workflows
- Using Blender's soft body and cloth simulation functionality to create bouncy, flexible effects and realistic clothing
- Simulating fluids such as smoke, water, and fire
- Combining rendered images the way you want with Blender nodes
- Compositing separate elements of a 2D image
- Camera tracking and other video post-production steps
- Modeling, rigging, and texturing 3D objects or characters
- Using Blender's Game Engine to create highly interactive content
- Creating compelling prototypes, visualizations, and walk-throughs
- Setting up interactive game logic or optimizing Blender using Python
Get Up to Speed on the Latest Blender Tools and Techniques
Gain Advanced Skills and Create Amazing 3D Animations
Learn Workflows and Tricks Used in Real Studios
Start Using Python Programming to Improve Productivity
Master the Blender Game Engine and Create Interactive Content
Synopsis
New edition shows you how to get the very most out of the latest version of BlenderBlender, the open-source 3D software, is more popular than ever and continues to add functionality. If you're an intermediate or advanced user, this new edition of Tony Mullen's expert guide is what you need to get up to speed on Blender and expand your skills. From modeling, texturing, animation, and visual effects to high-level techniques for film, television, games, and more, this book covers it all. It also highlights Blender's very latest features, including new camera tracking tools and a new renderer.
- Provides intermediate to advanced coverage of Blender and its modeling, texturing, animation, and visual effects tools
- Covers advanced topics such as cloth, fur and fluids, Python scripting, and the Blender game engine
- Brings you up to speed on Blender's new camera tracking tools and new renderer
- Showcases techniques used in real-world 3D animation and visual effects
Create realistic animation and visual effects with Blender and this expert guide that shows you step by step how to do it.
About the Author
Tony Mullen, PhD, has a broad background in CG-related work. He teaches at Tsuda College and Musashino Art University in Tokyo, where his courses include modeling and animation with Blender as well as the Python programming language. His screen credits include writer, codirector, or lead animator on several short films, including the award-winning short The Devices of Gustav Braüstache, Bachelor of Science. He is the author of Introducing Character Animation with Blender and several other books on Blender from Sybex. You can follow him on Twitter at @_tonymullen.
Table of Contents
Introduction xxi
Part I Fundamentals of Blender 3D 1
Chapter 1 Working in Blender 3
Chapter 2 Working with Textures and Materials 33
Chapter 3 Sculpting and Retopo Workflow 87
Chapter 4 Rendering and Render Engines 133
Part II Physics and Simulations 161
Chapter 5 Getting Flexible with Soft Bodies and Cloth 163
Chapter 6 Working with Particles 201
Chapter 7 Volumetric Fluid, Smoke, and Fire 253
Chapter 8 Bullet Physics and the Blender Game Engine 315
Part III Video Post-production in Blender 367
Chapter 9 Compositing with Nodes 369
Chapter 10 Advanced 3D/Video Compositing 419
Chapter 11 Working with the Video Sequence Editor 453
Part IV Blender-Python 481
Chapter 12 The Blender-Python Interpreter 483
Chapter 13 Python Scripting for Blender 503
Part V Mastering the Blender Game Engine 531
Chapter 14 Creating Assets for the Blender Game Engine 533
Chapter 15 Making Things Happen in the Game Engine 573
Chapter 16 Python Power in the Blender Game Engine 605
Appendix The Bottom Line 631
Index 647