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- You are going to make several models.
- We’ll be making both high poly and low poly versions of these assets.
- We will emphasise how critical naming is when working with a larger project like this.
- You will be able to create your own mapping, with these we can make the illusion of detail.
- We’ll be constantly checking our model externally
- This will be focused mainly on an interior environment.
- Create assets to be exported straight into an external program, like a game engine.
- Creating our own textures, and other maps from high detail models and apply them to a low poly version.
- Focused on modelling the interior of the Gothic Church.
- You can use this technique within Blender itself too for optimisation.
- I am going to be testing my model externally as I go so you can appreciate the impact externally.
- We’ll be looking at Level Of Detail, in detail.
- I will be keeping my scene simple, primarily for teaching purposes!
- I encourage you to add more detail, experiment and have fun. Wouldn’t the scene look much more interesting with a chess set in it…
An Overview of Source Control
- The what and why of Version Control Systems
- Choosing your Version Control System (VCS)
- What files to include / exclude
- Commit = save a local snapshot
- Reset = roll-back to a previous state
- Branch, Push and Large File Support later.
A Look At Git Kracken
(New Video 11/2/2018)
- Understand that there is NO one way of setting up your filing system.
- Have a personal style of filing, if you don’t like mine, use yours.
- Talk with your ‘team’ you will form guidelines from your own needs.
Some Rigidity
- In a Team environment you will have guidelines or discuss with colleagues.
- Some other software might expect certain things to be stored and named in a certain way.
Naming
- In a Team / larger project it is critical that you can find assets, materials, textures.
- Naming files well will help you and others.
- There are some naming conventions that we will use in this section.
In Blender Organisation.
- We are going to be making a much more complex scene than any previously made.
- Organise it as you go, not afterwards!
- Use description names, cube, cube.001 etc is not helpful to anyone!
- Focus on representations of the right size and shape, but JUST Block work models.
- This allows quick iteration of your models.
- Remember higher detail often requires more processing time too!
LOD Numbers and Letters
- LOD 0 often refers to the highest detail model sometimes called the base model.
- To avoid confusion, we are going to use Letters!
- A represents the lowest polygon model, with B,C,D etc increasing in detail.
Watch Your Time / LOD
- LOD and time taken at usually directly proportional to one another.
- When fleshing out a scene and prototyping you probably want quiet a few assets.
- You can test models and your scene quickly.
LOD vs. Time Taken Example
“LOD”
A - B - C - D
Polygons*
200 - 2,000 - 20,000 - 200,000
Time Taken
30mins - 2 hours - 1 day - 1 Week+
*Every polygon counts!
Time includes other artwork too
Simple Shapes
- RH Triangle whose sides are 1,1,sqrt(2).
- Square 1x1 and other Integer Rectangles.
- Isosceles whose base is 1 and sides are 2.
- Equilateral Triangles of side length 1.
- These will all fit together well and consistently
Disadvantages?
- NONE… at this stage.
- Later it can feel restrictive.
- That is where you want to be customising and adding detail, not in the early stages
Formulae In The Fields
- You can type formulae into Blender’s fields.
- We can use this to solve otherwise complicated measurements.
(Updated 12/02/2018)
- Setup Up Our Repository.
- Register SourceTree.
- Learn how to exclude data from our repository.
- Stage our files.
- Make our first commit.
How Many Repositories?
- You could use a repo per model that you create, this would give you the best level of control.
- You could track your whole project in a repo.
- It will depend on the complexity of your project and how much control you NEED.
Excluding Data
- Allow faster commits at a smaller size and keeps the database simple and manageable.
- Avoid storing derived / generated data in the repository.
- Example here: will be our reference material.
Committing
- You’ll need to save all the documents that constitute that commit first.
- Just like saving your working folder and zipping it up at that moment in time.
- Learn how to manage repetitive tasks.
- Understand good uses for appending an Blend file into your scene.
(Updated 28/3/2018)
- Set your commit message before working
- Start building your building.
- Notice a few issues and work out a way around them.
- Learn about Datablocks.
- Understand that knowing about them is about to become much more important.
- We have come into contact with data blocks lots but let now go and explore them directly.
Datablock’s Characteristics
- Must have unique names per type.
- Can link to each other.
- Can link across blend files.
- Unused Datablocks are eventually removed.
- This is Where we have used Fake Users in the past to preserve that particular datablock.
Sharing Datablocks Example
- The same texture on many materials.
- The same material on many meshes.
- The same particle system and so on.
- We will often share and then make the data block unique.
- Learn more about linking to another blend file.
- Link an object datablock.
- Understand that there is a datablock hierarchy.
- Keep an eye out for when you might loose data.
- Learn more about linking datablocks.
- Understand what is happening when you link.
- Realising when you need to use a Proxy
Make Proxy
- Creates a New object, that is a parent of the linked data.
- Allows transformation of an object.
- Can now Scale, Move, Rotate etc.
- Otherwise exactly the same as the linked file.
- The object datablock is linked to original and any dependant datablocks.
- Learn why you want to make a linked datablock local.
- Understand we are starting to sever links by doing this.
- Learn about the various stages of making it local.
- Decide when would be a good time to localise a datablock.
Advantages And Disadvantages
- Advantage: You will have more local control.
- External files moved, project can stay together.
- Disadvantage: Potentially more work involved.
- Any edits you make on the original affect all linked data blocks but not the ones made local.
When Do you Localise?
- When the link is not required.
- When you want to make the asset unique in this particular file.
- When you want to make changes irrelevant to other potential projects.
Make Local: Option 1
- Selected Objects: Clones the object Datablock to the new blend file.
- All other datablocks remain linked to the original file.
- This allows changing of anything in the object datablock.
Make Local: Option 2
- Selected Objects and Data: Clones the object & data Datablock to the new blend file.
- This allows editing of the mesh data, breaking that link and making it a local file.
- The materials & other datablocks remain linked to the original object.
Make Local: Option 3
- Selected Objects, Data and Materials: Clones the object, data and materials Datablock.
- This allows editing of the object data & materials datablocks.
- Breaks those links, making them local to this file.
Make Local: Option 4
- All: As it sounds, this is pretty much the same as appending the object into the scene. It is now entirely local with no links to the original file.
- See how our scene looks and feels walking around it. Using the Fly / Walk Mode.
- Show you how to see the scene in Unity.
- Understand I am using Unity to keep the iterations quick and simple at this early stage.
Unity Is Optional
- Anything external to Blender, you can watch to see how it works and is coming across.
- Better understanding of external programs.
- Join in, if you have Unity installed and are interested in learning more about this prototyping method.
- Use a different way of moving the camera.
- See this gives you better control over what the camera is pointing at.
- Combine with fly mode for good control.
- Learn how to track a target.
- Understand what will export
- Realise some elements of your models will not export or will once, or not properly.
- Depends on the target package.
What Appears on Import
- Mesh data including UV Maps.
- Armatures and animation data will appear too if supported in the target package.
- Textures may appear or simple the base diffuse colour.
Reconstruction
- Textures often have to be reapplied.
- Shaders work differently in other packages.
- Materials would have to be remade.
- Particle systems are local to Blender.
- Test
Re-linking Blend Files
- Make a commit!
- Understand the order you NEED to do things in if you wish to change a linked file or it’s datablocks.
- See what happens if you change a link.
Moving or Renaming Blend Files
- Make a commit!
- COPY file(s) to new location.
- Rename the COPIED file(s) appropriately.
- Doing it it any other order will break links.
- Any links broken when saving will be lost forever!
Moving or Renaming Datablocks
- Make a commit!
- COPY file(s)
- Open up Copy and make datablock adjustments.
- Link new file into scene.
- Make links to the new object, replacing the old.
- Delete / Archive Old Blend file.
- Understand what a “profile modelling” is.
- Potentially speed up modelling by mirroring.
- Use a series of methods to produce a profile that we can use in our scene.
- Future: Use the same profile in different ways
Profile Modelling
- A profile is the outline you get when you view something from a particular angle.
- Imagine slicing through your model.
- Realise we have used them in the past: Lamp Base was produces with curves and the Pin was geometry based.
Methods Used
- We’re going to bump up our extrude speed
- We’re going to be using the bevel tool for construction and defining sharp edges.
- A subsurface modifier for making the surface.
(Updated 27/02/2017)
- Create some alternative detail.
- Convert Mesh objects into a Curve objects.
- Use those 2 curves to create geometry, one controlling the profile, the other a path.
- See this is great for more accurate path following.
- Use the Array modifier to repeat a mesh object the length of a curve.
- Deform the array using the same curve data.
- End up with some pretty awesome results!
(Updated 27/02/2017)
- Learn how to use light portals.
- Understand the limitations of their use.
- See that they can dramatically increase quality given a fixed number of samples.
- See they’re especially useful for indoor environments, lit by environmental lighting.
How Cycles Lighting Works
- Light rays are fired out from the camera until they hit a light source.
- With a Lamp Blender knows where the light source is so ONLY fires rays that will eventually hit the light source.
Emissive Materials
- With an emissive material Blender doesn’t know where the light source is.
- When the camera fires those rays, some of them will never reach a light source, this introduces more noise.
Environmental Lighting
- In an Interior with only windows letting light in. The rays bounce around a lot and only a few reach the light source. HDR/Environment lighting.
- This introduces a lot of noise in the final image.
How Portals Help
- Portals help by telling Blender where to aim those rays.
- This produces much less noise in the final image.
Limitations
- Portals are a cycles lighting feature.
- They increase light calculation time, however produce much much less noisy environments.
- Portals only work with Environmental light. Using them otherwise can reduce image quality.
- Have little impact if you put something in the way!
- Go over how to extract a previous version of your files.
- Become aware that Blender files that are made up of linked files need to be accessed and restored a different way.
- No longer ask what does UV stand for?!
- Overview the mapping in upcoming lectures
- Understand that we will be creating these maps from scratch, and then using them again to speed up further workflow.
- X,Y and Z are used for the Co-ordinates.
- UV are like the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ co-ordinates of an image.
- UV mapping is the process of projecting a 2D image to a 3D model's surface.
- Understand more about unwrapping.
- Be able to unwrap more complex models
- Realise this is a great starting point for a lot of meshes.
- See it gives a basic unwrap that we can work with.
Why Unwrap?
- A UV map, is a projection of a 3D mesh to 2D.
- Whilst unwrapping is necessary to project an image
- We can let blender ‘guess’ how to unwrap.
- Unwrapping gives you control over how your model is mapped in 2D space.
- Essential when using assets outside Blender.
- Essential when using textures within Blender.
- Necessary if you want control over how something looks.
- Do some organisation to our outliner before things get out of hand!
- Get an “LOD_B” Mesh Object Ready to be Linked into our main scene.
- Realise starting again is sometimes the best option.
- See that even well prepared scenes can be broken by subtle changes.
- Get help with problems you may have run into when making your building.
- Realise sometimes Smart UV project is 99% of the way there but something is not quiet right.
- Use UV/Image Editor to change individual parts on your mapping.
- (Updated 18/09/2017)
- Have a quick tour around my Church Vault.
- See the challenges that we can have with more complex Models.
- Troubleshoot some common unwrapping issues.
- Work out ways to make an unwrap easier and quicker.
- Realise that UV unwraps will have seams in them.
- Learn how to mark seams where you want them.
- Understand that this gives us the most control over our models unwrap.
What Is A Seam?
- It is a “cut” it your model, telling Blender how to unwrap your model.
- It allows you to separate parts of your meshes.
- Texture those parts individually.
Tips For Marking Seams
- Seams can easily cause distortion and misalignment of textures.
- Seams often occur on hard edges.
- They are made where you are least likely to see them.
- Understand that this gives us the most control over our model.
- Create your own Image using Blender.
- Become more familiar with the image editor.
- Realise Blender’s limitations when it comes to image editing.
- Understand you may have to use external packages for better control.
The Diffuse Map
- Create a hand painted texture in the UV image editor and apply it to your models!
- Be creating the diffuse map from scratch
- Explain what the diffuse map does.
What Is A Diffuse Map?
- Is the most common map, and the one most people think of when someone says “texture”.
- It defines the colour and patterns on a surface.
Diffuse Maps
- Can be challenging to imagine a surface without light source, or rather with uniform light
- Avoid creating detail that would usually be generated by bumps on the surface.
- We are going to avoid painting shadows too.
- If done, this is called ‘baking’ into the image.
- Learn how to use images to control your materials.
- Understand why these control images are black and white.
- Create a simple stage for our building.
Why Black and White?
- These Greyscale images define “values” on a per pixel basis.
- Black represents a value of 0 and white a value of 1.
- You map them to your model like you would any other image.
- Use a texture to control how light interacts with a surface.
- See how to use a texture as a bump map in Blender Render.
- Use Generated textures rather than hand made.
Bump Maps
- Normal and Height/Displacement maps are both types of bump maps.
- We’re going to use a displacement map.
- They tell a shader HOW to interact with light.
- This gives the illusion of detail on a surface.
- Can increase render speeds vs geometry.
- Create real detail using a texture.
- Use a displacement map to alter geometry.
- Understand that you need geometry first to modify.
- Use the displacement influence in Blender Render.
- Then use the displacement modifier in a similar manner.
An Important Reality
- They are not suited to things like generating a final brick wall. V High Poly count required.
- They're very useful for applying detail e.g. scales on a lizard/fish or dragon.
- Great for generating geometry and then optimising
- For larger items, like terrain.
- Understand they are a type of bump map.
- Gain a greater understanding of how normals work.
- They contain direction information not height information.
- There are 4 Main Types
- Create a normal map.
- Understand when to create a normal map.
- Use a process called baking.
- See the baking is the fundamental process for creating other map types too in Blender.
- Understand about cages and why they are used.
- (Updated 15/09/2017)
- Understand that resolution will control the level of detail at a particular distance.
- Realise when a texture is too large or too small.
- Learn about the power of two (POT) and why and when it is important.
- (Updated 12/06/2017)
Power Of Two
- Computers work with 1s and 0s, or Binary.
- A lot of external programs need POT textures.
- They aren’t necessary in Blender but are a good standard to adhere too, especially when working with external programs.
- Don’t have to be ‘square’, providing side length is a POT.
Which Numbers are Power of 2?
- Mathematically they’ll be 2 to the power of n or 2^n. eg. 2^5 = 32
- If you have been around computers for a while you’ll recognise this sequence: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512,1024, 2048, etc.
Textures Of Different Sizes.
- Need their own UV Map.
- Probably not exportable due to multiple UV maps.
- Best to stick to one texture size for any given unwrap.
- Larger textures require more memory.
What Size Textures
- How far away is the camera from the object/texture?
- How big is the object?
- What’s the “Retina” Texture level?
- rTexture = 3266 * Tan(Size/Distance)
- Learn how to use the multi resolution modifier.
- See it is similar to the subsurf. modifier and great for multiple resolutions of a single model.
- Learn to control how sharp edges.
- Understand that this is best applied to a base mesh that is close to the ‘final’ low-poly version.
- Learn how bake detail from the higher multires to a lower one.
- Very similar to before, but this time only one model.
- Learn how to copy attributes of a mesh object.
- See this is great when you have lots of components, for e.g. need the same material.
- Understand it’s a destructive operation e.g. copying materials will overwrite a meshes current materials
- Making your UV map more uniform, minimising distortion and optimising image use.
- Understand the use of margins
- Learn more about seams and their placement.
- Create a hand painted texture directly onto your model
- Be creating a diffuse map from scratch