Tutorial Mashup: Understanding Blend Modes

Here's a collection of tutorials (Photoshop and GIMP) that focuses on understanding the many different blend modes that are essential in texture painting and compositing.

This information is applicable to any graphics application that has layers and blend mode features.

Examples of blend modes in Blender



Understanding Photoshop Blending Modes

Photoshop Blendmodes Explained

Submitted by martinamca: Texture Blending in Blender

Explaining Blending Modes in Photoshop and GIMP (Multiply, Divide, Overlay, Screen)
How Blending Modes Work, Part Two. (Dodge, Burn, Soft Light, and Hard Light)
Layer Modes Part Three (Difference, Addition, Subtraction, Darken, Lighten)
GIMP and Photoshop Layer Modes, Part Four (Hue, Saturation, Color and Value)

Using Blend Modes in Photoshop - Part 1 Access the other parts via the links at the end of the tutorial.

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

News: 2.5 DVD Content update

Just a quick update on the pending BlenderNewbies Blender 2.5 Training DVD.

Tutorials currently in production:

• Rubber Ducky (not textured, yet)

• Grass Styles
• Cartoon Modeling from Photos
• Starting and Managing Personal Projects
• Plenty of progressive exercises to really solidify your understanding of uv texture mapping (color, bump, specularity, reflection, ambient occlusion, dirt, etc.)
• Crash recovery  :)
  

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

Using ZBrush MatCaps in Blender

In this tutorial we'll take a look at how to use ZBrush MatCaps in Blender, and where to find MatCaps.

This works with Blender 2.5 and 2.49.



Watch the video tutorial...

Resources

• ZBrush MatCap Library
• ZBrush MatCap thread at Blenderartists.org
• ZBrush forum MatCap Repository
• "kwout" Firefox Extension for cutting out webpage images

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

Announcing the BlenderNewbies Blender 2.5 Training DVD Pre-Order

I'm very happy to announce that I've begun production on my next Blender Training DVD!

This DVD will cover Blender 2.5 exclusively and will contain many hours of new and unpublished tutorials. There won't be any 2.5 versions of any of my existing tutorials so this will be fresh new content!

The training will be mostly small project-based tutorials so that what you learn is in the context of a real project scenario. This helps you understand not only How to do something, but also helps you have a better understanding of Why and When. Also, the project-based tutorials will allow you to repeatedly experience the full workflow so you develop a better understanding of how things work together.

In addition to the project-based tutorials, there will be several quick tips and technical demonstrations.

All of the tutorials will be broken up into sections lasting no more than 30 minutes so you can always have time to sit down and complete a lesson (no long tests of endurance and patience).

The level of the training will be for Beginner- to Intermediate-level users. Keystrokes will be shown as needed. If you're just getting started with Blender or 3d graphics, this DVD will be of tremendous value to you. However, no one really likes their results to look like beginner stuff, right? So, the lessons will be taught so that the results you get will be something you'll be confident in sharing with others. Bad lighting and crazy texturing will not be taught. :)

As a Blender Foundation Certified Trainer, I'm very serious about the tutorials I create, so the attention to detail and quality will be high (content, product materials, packaging, and delivery). The focus will be on teaching, instead of merely demonstrating. Also, there will be skill-building elements included such as exercise files, puzzles (crosswords, word finds, etc.), and short tests.

So, what will the DVD cover?























and more!

(In no specific order at this point)

• Interface tour QuickStart videos for the user interface
• Easiest approach to learning how to model a human head with good topology
• Rendering tips
• Lighting tips
• Several short modeling exercises (with texturing)
• Animation basics
• Animating a bouncing ball
• Modeling and animating a spacecraft
• Sculpting basics
• Basic Video Editing
• Using text in Blender
• Smoke basics
• Cloth basics
• Particles basics
• Hair basics
• Composite Nodes basics

also

• Plenty of links to helpful resources within the Blender Community
• HTML interface for the disc contents

This list will likely change to some degree based on Blender's development. However, I will be sure to post information throughout the DVD's development to provide sneak previews, updates, and specific tutorial titles. A lot of smaller details (modifiers, interface elements and tools, etc.) will be covered within the context of the projects and in Reference videos.

What will the DVD not cover?

• In-depth rigging
• Game engine
• Python programming
• In-depth character animation
• every aspect of Blender

The DVD will cost a modest $35 USD plus shipping. It will consist of two FOUR DVD-ROM discs.

NOTE: Due to the increase in the number of discs provided (from 2 discs to 4 discs), the cost will increase to $50 USD plus shipping after May 13, 2011.



Update: Official Release Date Changed...
Update: Partial Mindmap of DVD Structure...

Update: Some content examples...
Update: Bouncing Ball tutorial example...
Update: More Bouncing Ball lessons...
Update: LOTS of Trees in Wide Open Spaces
Update: more updates...
Update: New Tutorial for 2.5 DVD ("yardwork")
Update: 2.5 DVD Update
Update: DVD update: Bearsly Junior Learns a Lesson


Update: News: BlenderNewbies DVD Update (texturing sample)
Update: For Pre-Order Customers Only, providing temporary download links for groups of the video tutorials from the DVDs.
Update: Final Update

Order below:

Shipping cost:

• $3.00 U.S. deliveries
• $4.00 Canada
• $9.04 International

I'm really excited to finally get started on this project and I look forward to creating a top-quality resource for getting you up to speed with Blender 2.5!

Thank you for support! Please feel free to ask any questions or comment.

Kernon

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

Quick Tip: Creating Procedural Noise Textures that are Stable During Animation

In this quick tip, we’ll take a look at how to easily create a procedural noise texture that’s stable during animation, unlike the default “Noise” procedural texture that’s available in Blender.

Version Compatibility: 2.4x, 2.5 alpha zero
Tutorial Level: Beginner

You can check out the tutorial at BlenderCookie.com

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

Enabling Texture Visibility on Both Sides of a Face

By default, Blender will display uv-mapped textures on only one side of a face. To get them to be visible on both sides, do the following:

Here we have a Plane object with an image texture mapped onto it.


Here is the back side of the Plane with no texture visible.


To make the texture visible on the back side, Tab into Edit mode and select the face. Then, go to the Editing buttons window (F9) and locate the Texture Face panel as shown. Enable the Twoside option, and that's it!


You now have the texture displaying on both sides.

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

Bring Out More Details in Some of your Applied Image Textures

Do some of your applied image textures look a little blurry when rendered?

Well, here's a tip that can easily add a little bit more crispness to some of those textures. This applies specifically to Image textures.

The parameter involved is called MipMap. It can be found in the Texture buttons window (F6), on the Map Image panel. This panel is only visible after having added an Image texture to your object.



MipMap

With the MipMap option enabled (the default), Blender will create several lower-resolution images of your texture and automatically use them based on the objects distance from the camera. Because less memory is require to process these low-res textures, render speeds can be enhanced, as well as increased framerates within the Game Engine.

However, this can sometimes result in less crisp textures, it depends on the texture and your preference for how things should look. The difference is usually subtle and it often requires doing some test renders, but it can often result in crisper looking image textures. This may not provide consistent results in an animation so, you'll need to do some comparision renders to be sure.

How it Works (from Wikipedia)
Each bitmap image of the mipmap set is a version of the main texture, but at a certain reduced level of detail. Although the main texture would still be used when the view is sufficient to render it in full detail, the renderer will switch to a suitable mipmap image (or in fact, interpolate between the two nearest, if trilinear filtering is activated) when the texture is viewed from a distance or at a small size. Rendering speed increases since the number of texture pixels ("texels") being processed can be much lower than with simple textures. Artifacts are reduced since the mipmap images are effectively already anti-aliased, taking some of the burden off the real-time renderer. Scaling down and up is made more efficient with mipmaps as well.

Here are two renders where the only settings difference is the MipMap option.


Find more info on the other options available on the Map Image panel.

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

News: Search for Blender Materials from within the Blender Toolbar

Hey,

I just added a new search tool to the Blender Browser Toolbar that will allow you to easily search for Blender Materials found at the Blender Open Material Repository!





The Blender Open Material Repository* is a great site where Blender users share custom Blender Materials. It's also a good resource to save time and learn more about how to create your own materials.

---

Learn more about Blender Materials and Textures.

*a link to the Blender Open Material Repository can be found in the Blender Toolbar under Extras -> Blender Materials.

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics

Basic Decaling video with Japanese Subtitles!

Thanks to Nanmo, Japanese subtitles have been added to the Basic Decaling video! The video is in the MKV format and is easily viewable in the VLC media player or Media Player Classic.

Thanks Nanmo!

Download the 17.8MB MKV file.

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

Video: Basic Decaling in Blender

Well, here's another Blender tutorial! This time we take a look at how to apply decals to a 3D mesh object. It's really very simple but, there are a couple of snags you might run into and I demonstrate how to resolve those issues.

Check it out and be sure to let me know what you think by leaving your comments here or, discussing it in the new BlenderNewbies forums.

- TIP ---------------------------------

Daedalus Young points out:

...I found the decal was also showing on the opposite side of the object....

kwk provides a quick solution:

...You can simply use the "ClipCube" option [instead of the Clip option] in the "Map Image" tab of the "Texture buttons" (F6).

Nyrath provides even more details to resolve this issue:

I have found that ClipCube is not quite enough. You have to scale the Z leg of the Empty object so it is shorter than the distance between the center of the empty and the rear face.

In essence, with Clip Cube, the length of the Z leg on the Empty controls how far the decal can penetrate into the object you want to paint. This can be important if the object has a curved surface.

---------------------------------------


Watch the tutorial online
(FLV streaming, Length - 12:41)


Here's another demonstration of the same technique created by Pablo Lizardo. The sphere that you see is an Empty object with its draw type set to sphere. He also uses multiple procedural textures instead of an image.

texturing using emptys for positioning from Pablo Lizardo on Vimeo.

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

Video: Oven-Baked Pretzels in Blender 3D (Complete)

I love hot, oven-baked pretzels. I haven't had one in a good long while, though. So, I thought I would create some 3D pretzels in Blender!

This video tutorial series will take a look at how you can create 3D pretzels in Blender. We'll start from a collection of reference images and go, step-by-step, all the way through to the final render.


For more experienced users, here's a PDF file of the outline used in the creation of the tutorial. It provides a good overview of the entire process.


I hope you enjoy it.


Part 1 - The Draft Scene

• We take a look at our reference images
• Establish a basic work environment in Blender
• Create a draft version of the oven and conveyor belt
• Create some proxy objects for the pretzels

Watch the tutorial online (faster access to different chapters!)
(SWF streaming, Length - 17:54)
Or, Download the 48.8MB ZIP file to view it offline (load the HTML file in your browser).
Or, Download via Torrent.


Part 2 - The Basic Pretzel Mesh

• Create pretzel mesh using a curve, BevOb, and Shrink/Flatten (Alt-S)
  

Watch the tutorial online
(FLV streaming, Length - 10:56)
Or, Download the 70.8MB ZIP file to view it offline (load the HTML file in your browser).

torrent available later...


Part 3 - Sculpting Details

• Learn some basic sculpting keystrokes that free you from the Properties panel
• Use sculpting to give the pretzel more volume and realism

Watch the tutorial online (faster access to different chapters!)
(FLV streaming, Length - 14:45)
Or, Download the 60.3MB ZIP file to view it offline (load the HTML file in your browser).

torrent available later...


Part 4 - Materials

• Flattening the bottom of the pretzel mesh
• Multi-Layered materials
• Vertex Painting
• Texturing the conveyor
• Adjusting the pretzel proxies
• Replacing the pretzel proxies

Watch the tutorial online (faster access to different chapters!)
(FLV streaming, Length - 53:41)
Or, Download the 183MB ZIP file to view it offline (load the HTML file in your browser).


torrent available later...


Part 5 - Soft Shadows, Lights, Tweaks

• Using Mist for Shadowy Areas
• Soft Shadows Demo
• Applying Soft Shadows
• Object Name Editor script
• Adding and Tweaking Details
• Lighting the Scene
• Final Environment Tweaks
  

Watch the tutorial online (faster access to different chapters!)
(FLV streaming, Length - 1:02:55)
Or, Download the 180MB ZIP file to view it offline (load the HTML file in your browser).

torrent available later...


Reference Material:

• Mist
• Buffer Shadows
• Ambient Occlusion
• Blender Spotlights
• Blender Lamps
• Ambient Light
• Loop Cuts

Part 6 - The Finishing Touches

• Adding "feet" to the Pretzel
• Final Adjustments to the Basic Pretzel
• Making Each Pretzel Unique
• Final Tweaks
• A Little Post-Production
  

Watch the tutorial online (faster access to different chapters!)
(FLV streaming, Length - 41:38)
Or, Download the 162MB ZIP file to view it offline (load the HTML file in your browser).

torrent available later...


Reference Material:

• Numpad-Asterisk(*): align view to selected object(s)
• In Vertex Paint mode, you can sample colors faster by right-clicking any desired color within a 3D View.
• To save an image of your render to file, press F3. The file will be saved according to your current Output Format settings.
• The OSA (anti-aliasing) filter used is Mitch, which helps to sharpen the quality of the edges and some textures. The sharpest OSA filter, however, is CatRom. (see BlenderWiki's Oversampling details)
  
• Exposure and Range
• Output Formats
  

technorati tags: Blender3D, 3D, graphics, Blender tutorials

How to Use Video as a Texture in Blender

This quick tutorial will show you how to easily add video as a texture. This was originally going to be a video tutorial but, halfway through it, I felt like I was making too big of a deal out of something really simple so, the tutorial is now in a FlashPaper format and also as a PDF file.

Enjoy!


You can also get this as a one-page PDF file.

technorati tags: video texture, 3D, graphics, texture