Learning Blender 1st Edition A Hands On Guide to Creating 3D Animated Characters

Learning Blender walks you through every step of creating an outstanding animated character with the free, open source, 3D software Blender, and then compositing it in a real video using a professional workflow. This is the only Blender tutorial to take you from preproduction to final result, and it’s perfect for both 3D novices and those who’ve used other 3D Software.

Focusing on Blender 2.71 and above, 3D-professional Oliver Villar explains all the basics, including Blender’s interface, controls, and how to manipulate objects. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you’ll follow a realistic 3D workflow through a complete project.

You’ll find chapters on every aspect of the character creation: design, modeling, unwrapping, texturing, shading, rigging, and animation. Once your character is ready and animated, you’ll learn how to integrate it into a real video using camera tracking techniques, lighting, and compositing. Each skillset is taught hands on, and available online video tutorials (more than 5 hours) will guide you through Blender’s trickier tasks.

By the time you’re done, you’ll understand how the whole process fits together, and how to use Blender to create outstanding characters for all media. You’ll also build strong Blender skills you can apply in any 3D project, whether it involves characters or not.

Learn How To

• Master Blender’s innovative user interface, navigation, and selection techniques
• Create your first scene with Blender and get comfortable with its core tools
• Prepare for projects so they’ll go as smoothly as possible
• Use modeling tools to create a 3D character
• Bring your character to life with color, textures, and materials
• Create your character’s skeleton and make it walk
• Make the most of Blender’s Camera Tracking tools
• Add lights to your 3D scene
• Render with Blender Internal or the powerful new Cycles render engine
• Composite your 3D character into a real video
• Switch to Blender from 3ds Max, Maya, or XSI

11+ Hours of Video Instruction

Introduction to Blender LiveLessons provides a comprehensive overview of Blender, the professional, free, open source software used to make 3D graphics and animation for animated films, visual effects, art interactive applications, and video games.

Description

Blender Foundation Certified Trainer Oliver Villar starts from scratch, downloading and installing Blender. Then he jumps into the interface and basic controls. Learning how to create and manipulate objects is the next step before creating a simple scene to understand the workflow. After that, he goes a little deeper, explaining how to model your own creations and unwrapping and shading in both Blender Render and Cycles. An introduction to rigging and animation gives designers the ability to deform and animate their models. Finally, the rendering and compositing process is explained to show how to achieve the resulting image or video. The course aims to take beginners in a journey through the main basic Blender features to help them understand how 3D works.

Skill Level

• Beginner

What You Will Learn

• How to install and run Blender
• How to use the interface and navigate in the 3D scene
• How to create your first 3D scene
• How to use Blender’s modeling tools
• How to unwrap, add materials, and apply textures with Blender Render and Cycles
• How to use rigging and basic animation tools
• How to light and render
• How to use the node editor for compositing and taking your render to the next level

Who Should Take This Course

• Designers and artists interested in creating 3D still images or animations for marketing, design, or visual effects

Course Requirements

• Understanding of using an OS, navigating through folders, and basic usage of a computer.
• Having a keyboard and a mouse (preferably a keyboard with a numeric pad and a mouse with a middle mouse button).
• Design and previous 3D knowledge helps, but the course starts from the beginning, so this is not mandatory.

Table of Contents

Lesson 1: Blender Basics

This lesson covers how to download and install Blender, use the main interface elements such as areas and editors, and configure Blender with your custom settings.

Lesson 2: 3D Navigation and Selections

Lesson 2 shows you how to navigate in your 3D scene, use navigation keyboard shortcuts, and configure the 3D View and object selections.

Lesson 3: Creating Your First Scene with Blender

In this lesson you learn the basic workflow to create your first 3D scene with Blender: creating and transforming objects; adding modifiers, materials, and lights; and rendering the final result.

Lesson 4: Advanced Object Manipulation

This lesson explains how to transform (move, rotate, and scale) objects using snapping options. It gives you an understanding of datablocks, duplicating and instancing objects, and using pivot points.

Lesson 5: Using Modifiers

Lesson 5 covers the process of adding modifiers to your objects, and you learn about the most-used modifiers and in which cases you can apply them.

Lesson 6: Modeling in Edit Mode

In this lesson, you see how to access the different interaction modes, and then you dive into the main modeling tools to create your own 3D meshes and adjust their shapes. Finally, there is a practical exercise to put those modeling tools to good use.

Lesson 7: Unwrapping and UVs

Before you can apply textures to a surface, you need to unwrap it and create its UV coordinates. In this lesson, you learn how to use the tools available to do this. You also see how to test those UVs and make sure they work right.

Lesson 8: Materials and Textures

This lesson covers the process of adding materials and textures to 3D objects in both Blender Render and Cycles.

Lesson 9: Introduction to Rigging

In this lesson, you learn about armatures and bones, parenting, and constraints. An armature made of bones is what allows you to create a rig that moves your complex objects in an efficient and comfortable way. Also, you see how to deform a mesh based on the bones’ movement, useful for posing organic models or characters.

Lesson 10: Introduction to Animation

After seeing what the different animation editors do, you learn how to set keyframes, add timing to an animation, use animation curves and interpolation, and mix or manage different animations using the NLA Editor.

Lesson 11: Rendering in Blender Render

This lesson shows you how to reach the final resulting image from your 3D scene through the rendering process in Blender Render. For that, you learn how to add lights and configure the render settings.

Lesson 12: Rendering in Cycles

Rendering in Cycles is similar to Blender Render, but there are some substantial changes, and that’s why in this lesson you learn about the rendering process and settings for Cycles.

Lesson 13: Introduction to Compositing

In this lesson, you learn how to use the Node Editor for compositing. Using nodes, you add the final touches to your render. Things such as color correction, mixing different render layers, and adding effects like a vignette are all possible during nodes compositing, before exporting the final output.

About LiveLessons Video Training

The LiveLessons Video Training series publishes hundreds of hands-on, expert-led video tutorials covering a wide selection of technology topics designed to teach you the skills you need to succeed. This professional and personal technology video series features world-leading author instructors published by your trusted technology brands: Addison-Wesley, Cisco Press, IBM Press, Pearson IT Certification, Prentice Hall, Sams, and Que. Topics include: IT Certification, Programming, Web Development, Mobile Development, Home and Office Technologies, Business and Management, and more.  View all LiveLessons on InformIT at: http://www.informit.com/livelessons

“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, including 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 doesn’t 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

Blender, the free open source 3D software is liberating millions of creative professionals to create projects that would never have been possible before. Many are turning to Blender to create realistic 3D characters for today's huge markets in gaming and video. Learning Blender is the first tutorial that walks you through every step of creating an outstanding animated character and then composing it in a professional-quality video.

Covering the newest version of Blender (2.70), this tutorial is perfect for both 3D novices and those who've worked with expensive competing programs. Working Blender designer and trainer Oliver Villar first explains all the basics, including Blender's interface, controls, and tools. Once you've mastered these core techniques, you'll follow a realistic 3D workflow through a complete, book-length project.

You'll find complete chapters on every aspect of character creation: design, modeling, unwrapping, texturing, shading, rigging, animating, lighting, and rendering. Next, you'll walk through various techniques to complete your project:  camera tracking, adjusting lighting, creating render layers, scene integration, advanced compositing, and more. Each skillset is taught hands-on, and online web videos guide you through many of Blender's trickier tasks.

By the time you're done, you'll understand how the whole process fits together -- and how to use it to create professional-quality characters for all media and any creative requirement. Along the way, you'll also build deep Blender skills you can apply in any 3D project, whether it involves characters or not.

This book covers:

·  Blender's user interface, controls and tools

·  The entire workflow a professional 3D project goes through

·  Designing, modelling, texturing, rigging, and animating characters

·  Compositing 3D objects into real video footage

·  Other Blender features, like simulations, particles, and smoke and fire...

Create Amazing 3D Characters with Blender: From Design and Modeling to Video Compositing

Learning Blender walks you through every step of creating an outstanding animated character with the free, open source, 3D software Blender, and then compositing it in a real video using a professional workflow. This is the only Blender tutorial to take you from preproduction to final result, and it’s perfect for both 3D novices and those who’ve used other 3D Software.

Introduction to Blender LiveLessons provides a comprehensive overview of Blender with 10+ hours of video instruction. Blender Foundation Certified Trainer Oliver Villar starts from scratch, downloading and installing Blender. Then he jumps into the interface and basic controls. Learning how to create and manipulate objects is the next step before creating a simple scene to understand the workflow. After that, he goes a little deeper, explaining how to model your own creations and unwrapping and shading in both Blender Render and Cycles. An introduction to rigging and animation gives designers the ability to deform and animate their models. Finally, the rendering and compositing process is explained to show how to achieve the resulting image or video. The course aims to take beginners in a journey through the main basic Blender features to help them understand how 3D works.

Preface         xxiii

Acknowledgments         xxix

About the Author         xxxi

Learning Blender Ancillaries         xxxiii

Part I: The Basics of Blender         1

Chapter 1: What You Need to Know about Blender         3

What Is Blender?   3

Commercial Software versus Open-Source Software   4

The History of Blender   5

The Blender Foundation and the Blender Institute   7

The Blender Community   9

Summary   9

Exercises   10

Chapter 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

Chapter 3: Your First Scene in Blender         29

Creating Objects   29

Moving, Rotating, and Scaling   30

Naming Objects and Datablocks   33

Interaction Modes   36

Applying Flat or Smooth Surfaces   37

Modifiers   38

Blender Render and Cycles   41

Materials   42

Turning on the Lights   44

Moving the Camera in Your Scene  45

Rendering   46

Summary   48

Exercises   48

Part II: Beginning a Project         49

Chapters 4: Project Overview         51

The Three Stages of a Project   51

Defining the Stages   53

A Character-Creation Plan   55

Summary   56

Exercises   56

Chapter 5: Character Design         57

Character Description   57

Designing the Character   60

Adding Color   66

Final Design   67

Character Reference Images   68

Other Design Methods  69

Summary   70

Exercises   70

Part III: Modeling in Blender         71

Chapter 6: Blender Modeling Tools         73

Working with Vertices, Edges, and Faces   73

Selecting Vertices, Edges, and Faces   74

Accessing Modeling Tools   74

Selections   75

Mesh Modeling Tools   78

LoopTools   94

Tips and Tricks   95

Summary   96

Exercises   96

Chapter 7: Character Modeling         97

What Is Mesh Topology?   97

Modeling Methods   99

Setting Up the Reference Planes   101

Modeling the Eyes   103

Modeling the Face   107

Modeling the Torso and Arms   116

Modeling the Legs   125

Modeling the Boots   127

Modeling the Hands   129

Modeling the Cap   133

Modeling the Hair   136

Modeling the Final Details   140

Summary   144

Exercises   144

Part IV: Unwrapping, Painting, and Shading         145

Chapter 8: Unwrapping and UVs in Blender         147

How Unwrapping and UVs Work   147

Unwrapping in Blender   148

Things to Consider before Unwrapping   155

Working with UVs in Blender  156

Unwrapping the Rest of the Character   162

Packing UVs   163

Summary  165

Exercises   166

Chapter 9: Painting Textures         167

Main Workflow   167

Painting in Blender   167

Creating the Base Texture   170

Texturing in 2D Image Editing Software  172

Seeing the Painted Character in Blender   176

Summary   177

Exercises   178

Chapter 10: Materials and Shaders         179

Understanding Materials   179

Shading Your Character with Blender Render   183

Shading Your Character with Cycles   197

Summary   205

Exercises   205

Part V: Bringing Your Character to Life         207

Chapter 11: Character Rigging         209

Understanding the Rigging Process   209

Working with Armatures   210

Rigging Your Character   215

Rig Organization   225

Skinning  228

Creating the Facial Rig  235

Creating Custom Shapes   241

Applying Final Touches to the Rig   242

Summary  243

Exercises   244

Chapter 12: Animating Your Character         245

Inserting Keyframes   245

Animation Editors  246

Animating a Walk Cycle   251

Summary   257

Exercises   257

Part VI: Getting the Final Result         259

Chapter 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

Testing Camera Tracking   270

Summary   271

Exercises   271

Chapter 14: Lighting, Compositing, and Rendering         273

Lighting Your Scene   273

The Node Editor   275

Compositing Your Scene in Blender Render   281

Compositing Your Scene in Cycles   287

Rendering   290

Summary   292

Exercises   292

Chapter 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

Maps Baking   296

Python Scripting   297

Summary   297

Index         299