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Blender 3D.md

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Blender 3D

https://www.blender.org/

  • Left Mouse Button: Select (Shift-LMB: extend selection)
  • Right Mouse Button: Context menu
  • Mousewheel: Zoom, Click+drag to Rotate
  • Pan: Shift-Mousewheel
  • Rotate: Mousewheel
  • Zoom: scroll with Mousewheel

Note: Z axis is up (towards the sky).

More:

  • F12 (Mac: fn + 🔊): Render image (cancel with Esc)
  • Z: Toggle Wireframe/Solid/Rendered
  • Space: Play timeline

Transformations (Move/Rotate/Size)

  • G: Move, use X/Y/Z to lock dimensions (Shift-X to exclude X and just do Y and Z). Or drag arrow on object (if 3D Transform Manipulator “hand” is enabled). Reset position: Alt+G.
  • R: Rotate (options: see Move). Reset rotation: Alt+R.
  • S: Scale/resize (options: see Move). Reset scale: Alt+S.
  • Numeric input: box at bottom-left corner of area.
  • Alt+O: Reset origin

Cursor and Grid

  • Reset Cursor: Shift-C
  • ⌘+Drag in transformation handle to snap-to (Magnet button).
  • Shift-S: Snap to Cursor/Grid
  • Shift-Tab: Snap to Grid

Areas, Workspaces, Scenes, Layers, Collections

User interface

  • Windows: a floating window in your OS, can contain Areas and Workspaces.
  • Areas: viewports/frames inside a Window
    • Split: by moving cursor to corner, it turns into a +
    • Join: + cursor, then drag into other area
  • Workspaces: Areas are grouped into Workspaces, with predefined tabs at top of screen with Layout, Modeling, etc.

File structure

  • Scenes: each file can contain multiple scenes, which share other data such as objects and materials.
  • Layers: can be used to render different elements or different groups of elements in your scene separately. A “larger” concept than Collection; and Collections can be included/excluded in a Layer (checkbox).
  • Collections: used to just logically organize your scene, or to facilitate one-step appending or linking between files or across scenes.

Creating and Manipulating (Multiple) Objects

  • Shift-A: add object
  • X: Delete object
  • H: Hide. Shift-H: hide all but selected. Alt-H: unhide all.
  • ⌘-P: Parent object 1 to object 2
  • Shift-D: Duplicate, Alt-D Duplicate Linked

Object Types

  • Text: tab for Edit mode, then edit text
  • Metaballs: add more balls in Object Mode, they will “melt” together

Modifiers

  • “Modifiers” properties panel
  • Array: copy/clone objects
  • Bevel: bevel edges

Shaping (Individual) Objects

  • Tab: Toggle Edit/Object mode
  • ⌘-Tab: Vertex/Edge/Face mode

Actions:

  • A: Select all/none
  • B: Select box (B+B: select circle)
  • X: Delete
  • F: Make face (polygon)
  • E: Extrude
  • ⌘+B: Bevel
  • W: Specials: Remove doubles, Subdivide, Bevel, Flip Normals, etc

Curves

  • ⌘-LMB: Add points
  • C: Close curve
  • ⌘-J: Join curves

Modelling

  • Extrude
  • Inset Faces
  • Bevel
  • Loop Cut/Knife
  • Spin (e.g. make a cup of a silhouette): Edit Mode, select a face, then Spin in toolbar
  • Bevel along curve (e.g. make rails)

Materials and Texturing

  • Material panel
  • Load texture: 🟡 near Base Color → Image Texture

Finding materials

Load Material Library:

  • File → Append or Link
  • Select .blend file
  • Select Material
  • Use Cmd-Click to select materials
  • Click Load Library

UV Editor: Scale Texture

  • Enter UV Editor panel
  • A: select all
  • S: scale
  • G: to move

UV Mapping/Unwrap

  • Select vertices.
  • ⌘+E, then Mark Seam.
  • Change mode to "UV Face Select".
  • Show view "UV/Image Editor".
  • U key, then "unwrap".
  • Create texture (square), then Load image.
  • Enable "TexFace" on material before rendering.

Lighting

Types: Point/Sun/Spot/Area

Use Spot lights for more control (halos).

Three-point studio style lighting

More info:

Camera

Select camera, then:

  • G: Move. Click mousewheel: dolly, move in/out.
  • R: Rotate

Orthogonal perspective: Select camera, then Object Data properties panel

Animation

  • I: Insert Keyframe
  • Alt-A: Animation Preview

Physics

  • “Physics” sidepanel

Rigid body:

  • Physics → Rigid Body
  • Remove: × button in front of Rigid Body
  • Type: Active = physics, Passive = animation system
  • Dynamic off = for walls etc
  • Animated: on = controlled by animation system. Toggle this off to let the physics to take over.

Rendering

  • Toon render → use a Toon Shader
  • Ambient Occlusion: “Render” properties panel → Ambient Occlusion

Render movie

  1. Blender Output tab: set to “FFmpeg Video”
  2. Set output folder, default is /tmp
  3. Render → Render Animation (abort with Esc)

Render movie from still frames

  1. Render image sequence as PNG’s, normally outputs to /tmp folder
  2. File → New → Video Editing
  3. Add → Image/Sequence
  4. Set length of movie in frames
  5. Render → Render Animation

Solid Modelling and 3D Printing

http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/prepping_blender_files_for_3d_printing

  • Check if manifold (watertight): ⌘-Opt-Shift-M
  • Hide other: Shift-H
  • Export to .STL for Shapeways etc.

Split part of a mesh into its own object by selecting all the vertices in the mesh and hitting the P key Selecting a single vertex and then holding down ⌘-+ will select all attached vertices.

Metric units:

  • Scene → Units → Metric
  • Grid is 1m by default → default Blender Cube is (2m)^3
  • Can change mm/m scale when importing to Shapeways

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/blender/metric-imperial-units.php

Solid Modeling 2

  • Set units: Scene → Units: Metric (default: m, Scale: 0.01 = cm). Set grid size in Display → Grid. http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/blender/metric-imperial-units.php
  • Set sizes in "XYZ Euler" (near Display settings).
  • Object → Apply Transformation (⌘+A) to clear scale factors etc.
  • View ortho is helpful.
  • Export as: OBJ, STL format.
  • Modifiers:
    • "Solidify": make walls
    • "Subdivision" modifier for smoothness
    • "Mirror" modifier to avoid doing things twice
  • Important:
    • Need an "escape hole" for leftover material
    • "Non-manifold edges": open/not water-tight, or shared by

Importing

Import 2D PNG Images

PNG billboard with Alpha channel

  • Enable the add-on “Images as Planes”
  • File → Import → Images as Planes

Import 2D Vectors

  • SVG: just File → Import
    • Then either right-click: Convert To → Mesh
    • Or right-click: Adjust Extrusion
  • Illustrator: AI v8, use Alt-C in Object Mode to convert curve to mesh

3D Scanning and Photogrammetry

  • iOS apps: Scaniverse (FBX format), Polycam (glTF format is free)
  • Import FBX with textures into Blender

3D File Formats

Mesh:

  • OBJ
  • GLTF
  • DAE
  • FBX
  • USDZ
  • STL

Point cloud:

  • PRO
  • DXF
  • PRO
  • PLY
  • PRO
  • XYZ
  • PRO
  • LAS
  • PRO
  • PTS

Motion Tracking with Video

Tutorial by Ian Hubert: https://youtu.be/lY8Ol2n4o4A – summary:

  1. Set up your scene:
    • Activate the Motion Tracking workspace (hidden, so use “+” button)
    • Open video with “📁 Open” button above video preview window
    • Match frame rate in the scene with video (30 fps for iPhone)
    • Click “Set Scene Frames” to match length, and “Prefetch” to load video in memory
    • Set suitable motion model, e.g. “Perspective”
  2. Track control points:
    • Go to middle of video, and ⌘-leftmouse to set control points
    • Hit A to select all, then click the <--i track buttons back and forward. Note: you need 8 good tracking points, whereof 3 good points for the “floor” (see step 3).
  3. Solve Camera Motion:
    • Open “Solve” tab, check Keyframe and Refine Focal Length
    • Press “Solve Camera Motion”, see solve error top-right corner (ideally < 1.00px)
    • Click on Clip Display (right corner) and turn on Info, that will show what points bring the most error – delete those and “Solve Camera Motion” again
  4. Create the background and floor:
    • “Solve” tab → Set as Background, then Setup Tracking Scene
    • Select 1 tracking marker → Set Origin
    • Select 3 other tracking markers → Floor

https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/movie_clip/tracking/introduction.html

Add-ons

How to install Blender add-ons:

  1. Download the add-on ZIP to your computer.
  2. Go to the Add-ons section in Edit → Preferences.
  3. Click Install button, then select the add-on ZIP using the File Browser.
  4. Enable the add-on with the checkbox.

Debugging mode

Run /Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/Blender from Terminal to see log messages.

More Info

Ideas to add

  • Geometry nodes
  • Cloth simulation
  • Environment texture, HDRI image