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Blender Mega Thread

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  • Zieg
    Hi guys,

    Firstly I apologize for the length of this post, but I think this will solve the Blender rage I'm reading...

    About 6 months ago I decided to get into 3d modelling and animation, etc., and started up in Blender mainly because it is freeware, I was impressed with its capabilities. Being a noob, I found it difficult at first but because of the large amount of new-user friendly tutorials, I eventually learned and am now considering learning 3ds or maya.

    Is Blender the best software for modelling or animation? Probably not, but that is a matter to be decided from reviewing finished works of art from the Program, not its design flaws. Discounting the credibility of software that is able to create animations like Sintel simply because of an elitist view of not having paid $3000-$7000 for the software and licenses, or jumping into a design program at a University or College for tens of thousands of dollars without knowing if you will even enjoy it... is a little silly.

    If every pencil in the world was $5000 and you wanted to learn how to draw, that is perhaps quite an expensive mistake if it is really not for you. If I created a synthetic pencil that performed very similarly for free, what is stopping everyone from learning to draw if they wish, without getting into debt?

    Blender is an amazing stepping stool into the awesome artistic world, and if the artist believes the extra cash spent on professional 3d software is worth the added capabilities it provides to them, then wonderful. The more capabilities Blender has in relation to the professional suites, the better, in my opinion.

    Again, just my two cents.
  • greevar
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    greevar polycounter lvl 6
    Zieg wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    Firstly I apologize for the length of this post, but I think this will solve the Blender rage I'm reading...

    About 6 months ago I decided to get into 3d modelling and animation, etc., and started up in Blender mainly because it is freeware, I was impressed with its capabilities. Being a noob, I found it difficult at first but because of the large amount of new-user friendly tutorials, I eventually learned and am now considering learning 3ds or maya.

    Is Blender the best software for modelling or animation? Probably not, but that is a matter to be decided from reviewing finished works of art from the Program, not its design flaws. Discounting the credibility of software that is able to create animations like Sintel simply because of an elitist view of not having paid $3000-$7000 for the software and licenses, or jumping into a design program at a University or College for tens of thousands of dollars without knowing if you will even enjoy it... is a little silly.

    If every pencil in the world was $5000 and you wanted to learn how to draw, that is perhaps quite an expensive mistake if it is really not for you. If I created a synthetic pencil that performed very similarly for free, what is stopping everyone from learning to draw if they wish, without getting into debt?

    Blender is an amazing stepping stool into the awesome artistic world, and if the artist believes the extra cash spent on professional 3d software is worth the added capabilities it provides to them, then wonderful. The more capabilities Blender has in relation to the professional suites, the better, in my opinion.

    Again, just my two cents.

    That's a very interesting perspective considering how often people here promote learning basic drawing skills as a fundamental step to gaining good digital art mastery. I started on Gmax, graduating to 3DS later on and then moved away from that to Blender because its workflow fits my way of thinking better than Autodesk software ever did. It let's me think spatially about the interface rather than contextually, which fits a visual/tactile learner such as I am. It also allows my right and left brain to work together to accomplish things faster than working entirely in one side.
  • artsymptom
    Hi guys, I'm some kinda new in this community, Blender is my main 3d package, gimp is starting to be my main 2d package too. (still love photoshop so much :poly127: ). I would like to know, if there is some tool like unfold in blender, the unwrap works great but, after looking at this full tutorial http://www.3dmotive.com/training/photoshop/hand-painted-weapon-texturing/?follow=true , I feel like I really need unfold XD, I'm using headus uv layout until I find how to do the same way like Murphy Tyson but in blender. Any suggestion?
  • hgabriel
    I really support Blender though it is on the losing end of the spectrum here. I first learned custom animation and a lot of 3d modeling through this so I have to love where I came from.

    It is not that packed with features though when compared to other software but can very well stand on its own. I love how things could be made simple through Blender, while still offering a lot of options.
  • Dim
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    Dim polycounter lvl 10
    2.61splash2.png

    2.61 is out with some REALLY big improvements. Totally new rendering engine, dynamic paint (like painting with particles), ocean simulation, and some new motion tracking tools.

    Release log and download: http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-261/
  • Michael Knubben
    You type that into google and hope it detects whatever language that is.
  • Snowfly
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    Snowfly polycounter lvl 18
    Just when it seemed there weren't any useful updates for game art-

    Automatic retopology modifier:
    http://www.blendernation.com/2012/01/04/remesh-modifier-trunked/

    Sounds like it dynamically retopologizes on the fly too, i.e. is animatable.
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    Snowfly wrote: »
    Just when it seemed there weren't any useful updates for game art-

    Automatic retopology modifier:
    http://www.blendernation.com/2012/01/04/remesh-modifier-trunked/

    Sounds like it dynamically retopologizes on the fly too, i.e. is animatable.


    thats not for make your LP mesh, it is kinda like dynamesh in zbrush
  • Snowfly
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    Snowfly polycounter lvl 18
    uhhhhhh...yes, i know.

    sketch sculpt > remesh > clean sculpt > manual retopo
  • SnowInChina
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    SnowInChina interpolator
    tested the bmesh build with the new cut tool

    its awesome, but it keeps crashing when i try to add a cylinder =(
    anyone elso got this problem ?
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    @SnowInChina,

    Yea the new knife is great :D
    I get the issue with cylinders too, but its getting more and more stable with each commit.



    New UV tools from GSoC are up on Graphicall and with anyluck they should be in the next official release :)

    64bit
    32bit

    The improved stitch works really well and it also contains subsurf aware unwrapping and Relax/Pinch/Grab brushes for UVs too!
    Pretty awesome!
  • SnowInChina
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    SnowInChina interpolator
    andy, do you know if there are any intentions on adding a cage based baking system to blender in the near future ?
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    andy, do you know if there are any intentions on adding a cage based baking system to blender in the near future ?
    Not currently, but it's something I keep pushing for.
    I am going to write up a suggestion paper explaining why they are needed and what cages do, along with some examples or stuff you can bake with uniform ray distances. (smoothing groups etc.)
  • SnowInChina
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    SnowInChina interpolator
    New UV tools from GSoC are up on Graphicall and with anyluck they should be in the next official release :)

    iam not really a fan of blender uv tools
    they just dont do a very good job on hardsurface stuff

    i watched a video of the new toolset from GSoC and its just not there yet
    iam envious of max relax & stitch
  • ironbearxl
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    ironbearxl polycounter lvl 18
    I can't figure out how to disable the fill holes option in the uv editor. 2.49 had a uv calc panel but it must be removed or buried away somewhere in 2.6?
  • Lamoot
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    Lamoot polycounter lvl 7
    In 2.6, unwrap your mesh, then press F6 in the 3d window. This brings up a panel with all of the options of the last operator used (works for other operators as well). There you will find the Fill holes option. You will also be able to change from Angle Based to Conformal unwrapping method, the latter being more useful for hard surface stuff.
  • Computron
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    Computron polycounter lvl 7
    Andy, what is your relation to blender? Are you a developer?
  • ironbearxl
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    ironbearxl polycounter lvl 18
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    Computron wrote: »
    Andy, what is your relation to blender? Are you a developer?

    No, Im just a user :)
    I make scripts (the PolySphere one is in Blender as of 2.6 ^^), use Blender a ton and try and keep my ear to the ground in regards to new features etc.
    Aside from that, I just try my best to lend a hand to my dev. friends as much as possible by testing new stuff and offering suggestions from an artists perspective :)
  • Computron
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    Computron polycounter lvl 7
  • SnowInChina
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    SnowInChina interpolator
    playing around with a new blender build with cycles & bmesh

    i love the new render engine

    kolben1.png
  • Dim
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    Dim polycounter lvl 10
    A friend of mine just started trying to use Blender. He's a Max user.

    Blender_blender_blender_blender_blender.gif
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    playing around with a new blender build with cycles & bmesh

    i love the new render engine

    kolben1.png

    Yea, Cycles is awesome. They just added render passes for the next release too ^^
    Dim wrote: »
    A friend of mine just started trying to use Blender. He's a Max user.

    Blender_blender_blender_blender_blender.gif

    :D
    I must admit that I love the 3d cursor, though I never set it's location with left mouse...far too imprecise :/
  • planaria
    seriously, once you learn how to use the 3d cursor it is teh awesome
  • SnowInChina
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    SnowInChina interpolator
    planaria wrote: »
    seriously, once you learn how to use the 3d cursor it is teh awesome

    quote for truth
    also, tell him to enable dynamic spacebar menu in settings -> addons

    its great since you have all these rather hidden options in one menu
  • Dim
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    Dim polycounter lvl 10
    2.62 is out.

    splash1.png

    Download: http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/
    Release Notes: http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-262/

    Some highlights:
    Remesh modifier (essentially Dynamesh, but all quads)
    New UV Tools
    A brand new Boolean library
    Object tracking
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    Dim wrote: »
    2.62 is out.

    blender-2.62-splash.png

    Download: http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/
    Release Notes: http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-262/

    Some highlights:
    Remesh modifier (essentially Dynamesh, but all quads)
    New UV Tools
    A brand new Boolean library
    Object tracking

    :D
    The new UV tools are a major improvement...I really suggest everyone check them out
  • Computron
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    Computron polycounter lvl 7
    When do they plan to add n-gon support in the main build?
  • SurlyBird
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    SurlyBird polycounter lvl 13
    Blender is legit. Love the direction it's been going for some time now. Just keeps getting better and better. Definitely a breath of fresh air and while it may never replace the monolithic tools in place at most studios, it is such a great option for small indies, iOS development and freelancers (provided they still work with Max, Maya, XSI et al.) How cool is it to get constant updates and to not worry about licensing-this or dongle-that (snicker)? And you can't beat the price (though I am going to make it a point to donate to the cause).
  • Dim
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    Dim polycounter lvl 10
    @Computron: Barring any large show stoppers, 2-3 months. It's slated for 2.63. As is, it's mostly stable, but some of the tools still need a bit of work before primetime (including the bevel and knife tools).
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    Yea, Bmesh will be going into trunk within the next week or so. Ton has advised people to be aware of the merge before committing anything, so 2.63 looks like it's pretty set in stone, unless as Dim says, there are any show stoppers.
  • planaria
    wut , bmesh is actually going to be released ?? THIS IS MADNESS ?!
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    my body is ready.
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    wow is that a proper move and stich tool?
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    passerby wrote: »
    wow is that a proper move and stich tool?
    :)
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    BMesh has been merged into trunk! After years it finally happened :D
  • Mongrelman
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    Mongrelman polycounter lvl 18
    Awesome! Can't wait to see how the modeling tools expand from that.
  • SurlyBird
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    SurlyBird polycounter lvl 13
    Awesome! BMesh is good stuff.

    Don't know if this has been mentioned in this thread, but check out this awesome Blender-to-Cryengine 3 add-on tool being created by a chap going by the handle angjminer:

    Cryblend Thread on crydev.net

    He's been making impressive progress in the past few days and wants to develop the tool to a level it will be a fully-Blender-Foundation-blessed add-on.

    Interview with angjminer
  • Dim
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    Dim wrote: »

    isnt UDK moveing away from ASE towards more of a fbx pipeline.
  • Dim
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    Dim polycounter lvl 10
    Yeah, but Blender's FBX exporter was pretty crap last time I used it.
  • FelixSchl
    I find the title funny. Been subscribed to their developer mailing list for nearly two years now and I did not get the feeling that anyone is terribly worried about "competing" so much as to simply write good code and make their features stable, usable and very fast. Something I cannot say about many other 3D packages where stuff breaks constantly and the people I worked with just accept it as "something normal that just happens." On the other hand, crashing Blender takes skill :)

    Actual competition might occur when the Blender foundation launches their professional, commercial support program they were debating about a while back. I hope this doesn't happen though because if everyone learns Blender I cannot be that sneaky guy anymore who does his work in a quarter of the time with less effort :P
    I must admit that I love the 3d cursor, though I never set it's location with left mouse...far too imprecise :/

    You can turn "Auto Depth" on in your preferences which causes the 3D cursor to be placed on the surface of the mesh where you click. I find that very effective for placing new objects. Side effect is that the camera will rotate about that point too though.
  • kat
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    kat polycounter lvl 17
    What are you talking about, Blender breaks all the time - I have years worth of "oh nose.. not again" on KatsBits.
  • leilei
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    leilei polycounter lvl 14
    Dim wrote: »
    Yeah, but Blender's FBX exporter was pretty crap last time I used it.

    If only there was a proper PSK pipeline that respects sharp edges....
  • FelixSchl
    leilei wrote: »
    If only there was a proper PSK pipeline that respects sharp edges....

    Are you using the Edge Split modifier and marking sharp edges with ctrl+e+k?

    Have not tried it but that should work since it is actually breaking up the marked edges into separate vertices. Correct me if I am wrong, but that is exactly what game engines end up doing anyway, isn't it?
  • leilei
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    leilei polycounter lvl 14
    FelixSchl wrote: »
    Have not tried it but that should work since it is actually breaking up the marked edges into separate vertices. Correct me if I am wrong, but that is exactly what game engines end up doing anyway, isn't it?

    Yeah, but last time I even did the 'apply modifier' and then exported a PSK I remember it automatically merging my separate sharp vertices.
  • FelixSchl
    Just tried it and I can confirm that behaviour. Exporter code and docs look like they could need some lovin' as well
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    kat wrote: »
    What are you talking about, Blender breaks all the time - I have years worth of "oh nose.. not again" on KatsBits.

    The unstable nightly builds of blender crash just as much as any commercial app!

    ;)


    Jokes aside, I've been having psd opening issues recently, works fine in 2.57 and lower, but 2.58->2.62 it just wont recognize psd files, but in any build of 2.63 it works again.

    I'm running 32bit versions of blender in win7-64bit, and I do have quicktime installed.
  • metalliandy
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    metalliandy interpolator
    FelixSchl wrote: »
    You can turn "Auto Depth" on in your preferences which causes the 3D cursor to be placed on the surface of the mesh where you click. I find that very effective for placing new objects. Side effect is that the camera will rotate about that point too though.
    Yea :)
    I meant more that I tend to place it on verts, at the origin or in the centre of an object via the snap menu in edit mode. Come to think of it, I might as well assign left mouse to something different in edit mode :P
    eld wrote: »
    Jokes aside, I've been having psd opening issues recently, works fine in 2.57 and lower, but 2.58->2.62 it just wont recognize psd files, but in any build of 2.63 it works again.

    I'm running 32bit versions of blender in win7-64bit, and I do have quicktime installed.
    They decided to remove psd support in 2.58 due to issues with Quicktime being included in Blender and concerns over it's compatibility with the GPL license. Nathan was looking into a way to get gif and psd support back in so maybe he found a way?


    In regards to FBX...I was listening to the Blender podcast and Campbell said that that though Blender cant use the actual FBX SDK due to Autodesk restricting it's license so that it can't be distributed with free programs, someone in the community could make an exporter using it and then people could be linked to it. If Autodesk were less restrictive, this would be much less of an issue.
  • Andreas
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    Andreas polycounter lvl 11
    Every time I go to use meshes created by addons I am so dissapointed that you can't move/scale/rotate the objects without losing the settings. I know I've whinged about this before but it really irks me. Don't know how people go on about ngons and not this issue, wish there was a fix for it :(

    Also the gems add-on is near useless IMO. There should be all sorts available!

    Also, too many add-on meshes have inverted normals as standard, just shoddy.

    [/whitewhine]

    Still I love you so Blender.
11314161819139
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