Creating Streaks of Light

by Jonathan Williamson

In this Blender 2.5 video tutorial we show you a technique that makes use of array and curve modifiers to create light streaks like those you would see froma long exposure capture. The tutorial covers modifiers, materials and node compositing.

Note: this tutorial uses the official Blender 2.5 Alpha 2 release.

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Discussion

55 Responses to “Creating Streaks of Light”
  1. Reyn
    Posts: 4

    Hi, Reyn here. I think you got the wrong description for this vid tut.

    Quoted: “In this Blender 2.5 video tutorial we look into how to UV unwrap a full, stylized female character. The tutorial covers creating seams, unwrapping, pinning, and techniques to reduce stretching.”

    Hope this helps. Cheers.

    ^_^

    -Reyn

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    1
     Mar 4, 2010 at 10:33 pm
    Reply
  2. spacetug
    Posts: 8

    deja vu– http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=173251

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    2
     Mar 4, 2010 at 10:45 pm
    Reply
  3. hiram
    Posts: 4

    Nice!
    I always wanted to do this in blender. but never found a easy way. Thanks, and good Job, Johnatan.

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    3
     Mar 5, 2010 at 2:33 am
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  4. ginoskotheon
    Posts: 136

    Fun. Hey, I noticed that about 1/3 of the way through the video you selected some points on the curve . . . but it wasn’t a box select more like a radius select or something like that–how did you do that?

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    4
     Mar 5, 2010 at 3:15 am
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  5. Corniger
    Posts: 43

    @Will: that sounds like pressing “b” twice. Then you can “brush select” and modify the radius with the mouse wheel :)
    Great tutorial! More of that stuff, please!

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    5
     Mar 5, 2010 at 5:31 am
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    • jonathanwilliamson
      Posts: 1415

      @Corniger, @Will, the circle select is actually done by hitting “C” in Blender 2.5. In 2.49 it was “B” twice.

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      5.1
       Mar 5, 2010 at 10:20 am
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  6. Jacob Valenta
    Posts: 3

    Is there a way to make it so after like 3 seconds it will fade?

    I dont know if I was too clear there :\

    more like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY0YBhnAevU

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    6
     Mar 5, 2010 at 6:43 am
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    • jonathanwilliamson
      Posts: 1415

      You could make it fade by adding a Start Cap to the Array, giving it a blend like the End Cap, and then rather than extending the array along the entire curve you could send it part way and then move the actual arrayed object, causing it slide along the curve.

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      6.1
       Mar 5, 2010 at 10:22 am
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      • Jacob Valenta
        Posts: 3

        I’ll try that out, thanks!

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        6.1.1
         Mar 5, 2010 at 2:33 pm
  7. Sven
    Posts: 1

    Jonathan all your tuts are awesome and I find them very easy to follow… this site is one of the reasons I’m thinking of finally getting a paypal account.

    @Will that was Ctrl-LMB holding control to draw around them
    @Corniger I think your refering to “c” circle select.

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    7
     Mar 5, 2010 at 7:31 am
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  8. spacetug
    Posts: 8

    actually, in 2.5 it’s “C”

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    8
     Mar 5, 2010 at 7:37 am
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  9. veQue
    Posts: 22

    Hey Great tutorial, This is something i can use.

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    9
     Mar 5, 2010 at 7:38 am
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  10. internel
    Posts: 63

    @ Will and Corniger btw, in 2.5 to “brush select” you can use “C” instead of “B” twice in previous versions.

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    10
     Mar 5, 2010 at 7:42 am
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  11. marlowe
    Posts: 10

    @Will and @Corniger

    I thinks it is actually the lasso select. Hold down “control.”

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    11
     Mar 5, 2010 at 7:51 am
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    • ginoskotheon
      Posts: 136

      That’s what I’m looking for. Thanks.

      Will

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      11.1
       Mar 5, 2010 at 5:43 pm
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  12. ampace80
    Posts: 55

    @Will and @Corniger and @Tim – yes, he was using lasso select, hold Ctrl while left-click and dragging :)

    @Jonathan – mind=blown. nice one.

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    12
     Mar 5, 2010 at 10:26 am
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    • ginoskotheon
      Posts: 136

      @everyone,

      Thanks for the help . . . of course, the lasso select has been around since at least 2.49. Doh! You think you know a program . . .

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      12.1
       Mar 5, 2010 at 5:46 pm
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  13. comeinandburn
    Posts: 51

    You would be much better off and have a lot smoother results using add>curve>path.

    It’s easier to make smooth paths with just a few points, it behaves similar to using nurb handles.

    This reduces a lot of steps… (no converting to path, removing points, refining curve.. etc) if you what more resolution just up it in the curve options panel.

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    13
     Mar 5, 2010 at 11:22 am
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  14. Gregus Mihai
    Posts: 4

    thanks for another great one, Jonathan.
    Until now, you have the best 2.5 tutorial videos out there :)

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    14
     Mar 5, 2010 at 11:32 am
    Reply
  15. Spailler
    Posts: 9

    Very nice tutorial! Thank you Jonathan ! I particularly liked the “Node Editor” part (actually first time i used it !!!). Let’s do some light painting in Blender now :D !

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    15
     Mar 5, 2010 at 11:32 am
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  16. Luca
    Posts: 3

    Great tutorial, Thank you very much Jonathan.

    Only one think, to use Select Every Nth you should select only one vertex before.

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    16
     Mar 5, 2010 at 2:29 pm
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    • jonathanwilliamson
      Posts: 1415

      I realized that’s probably how it worked immediately after recording, thanks!

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      16.1
       Mar 5, 2010 at 2:50 pm
      Reply
  17. Jonathan M.
    Posts: 12

    This is awsome. Never thought of using an array like that. Like you said, particles are just too messy most of the time. They are more suited to things like fireworks or explosions.

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    17
     Mar 5, 2010 at 5:02 pm
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  18. henri salo
    Posts: 11

    Nice tut once again.
    Just one thing:
    You can save time cleaning up those curves by increasing the manhattan and cerulean distance settings on the editing tab under user preferences:
    Using big values (>30) lets you easily block out the overall shape (at the cost of losing details).

    To get rid of the blocky shape after doing this change the paths spline type to bezier or nurbs, whichever you like.

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    18
     Mar 6, 2010 at 1:06 pm
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  19. aoti007
    Posts: 12

    Great tutorial as always. Thank you!

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    19
     Mar 7, 2010 at 4:49 am
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  20. Whimsy Collective
    Posts: 12

    Very familiar to what Otavio Tatasoka did http://www.vimeo.com/2330279

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    20
     Mar 7, 2010 at 3:12 pm
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    • Tobey
      Posts: 98

      Thanks for sharing! :-)

      Great tut btw, nice effect.

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      20.1
       Mar 10, 2010 at 6:58 am
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  21. mrjimmyos
    Posts: 52

    THis is so freakin cool! How do you suppose I could animate it so that it retracts from the start point as it goes along?

    Also, there’s forums for blender cookie?

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    21
     Mar 8, 2010 at 6:42 am
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  22. Allan Awesomeness
    Posts: 46

    Jonathan, is this the answer to the Force lightning I wanted? How do I make it crackle?

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    22
     Mar 8, 2010 at 9:26 am
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  23. Allan Awesomeness
    Posts: 46

    But this is really cool, I’m not that good at 2.49, and so 2.5 is totally new.

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    23
     Mar 8, 2010 at 9:27 am
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  24. Whimsy Collective
    Posts: 12

    Blender Forum goto http://blenderartists.org/forum/

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    24
     Mar 8, 2010 at 9:28 am
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  25. Seb
    Posts: 4

    Cool tips as usual, nice tutorial…

    However, I think I followed it carefully but still have a problem with unwanted lines displayed in the rendered streak (with or without textures applied).. (I suppose it’s related to the modifiers ? I’m lost..)
    Here is the picture :
    http://hostit.warrenberberd.org/dl.php?file=22f361c62ee93ec6de590f290d36768d
    And here is the .blend file
    http://hostit.warrenberberd.org/dl.php?file=cd7517ddb2145b49215169844b802292
    Any clue about this ?

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    25
     Mar 10, 2010 at 8:47 am
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  26. gordycookies09
    Posts: 12

    Is there any way to easily flip all the streak mesh towards the camera
    (because every time the mesh is flipped away from the cam the graphics go bad)?
    The longer the streak is, the more tedious work i got until its all finished.

    thanks for your help.
    @jonathan: keep up the fabulous work youre doing :)
    im 18 and im trying to get some blender knowledge into my head but im hardly as good at it as you are :( …

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    26
     Mar 11, 2010 at 2:40 pm
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  27. DividedSpleen
    Posts: 1

    Hey, nice tutorial. I was wondering if you could help me with something else though, Blender keeps crashing on my computer and I can’t fix it. I heard about the bug in this tutorial and was wondering how I could fix that. I’ve tried re-downloading 2.5 alpha 1, as well as Alpha 2, as both are experiencing the same type of problem. I hope you have an answer, because everything I’ve made in 2.5 so far can’t be opened by it now. :(

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    27
     Mar 11, 2010 at 3:59 pm
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  28. Dominik
    Posts: 38

    What can i do to set the start point to the other end of the curve?

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    28
     Mar 13, 2010 at 6:42 pm
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    • jonathanwilliamson
      Posts: 1415

      While in Edit Mode for the curve press W > Reverse Direction

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      28.1
       Mar 13, 2010 at 8:47 pm
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  29. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    29
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
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  30. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    30
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  31. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    31
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  32. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    32
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  33. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    33
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  34. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    34
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  35. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    35
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  36. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    36
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  37. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    37
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  38. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    38
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  39. Matthew Bryan
    Posts: 11

    Sorry…. What randomly happened at 13:39-13:45?
    Help appreciated :)

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    39
     Apr 4, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    Reply
  40. 00cedge
    Posts: 2

    Thanks Jono!! that was awesome!

    @ Matthew: I believe he just changed to top view by pushing 7 on the numpad and then split the views?

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    40
     Jun 8, 2010 at 2:18 pm
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  41. axel
    Posts: 10

    i cant watch it

    there stands

    this is a vimeo plus feature

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    41
     Jul 12, 2010 at 3:36 pm
    Reply
    • wesburke
      Posts: 299

      This looks like it was a Vimeo wide bug for some reason, but should be good now. If not drop us a note to support@cgcookie.zendesk.com and we will help you out.

      Cheers, – W

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      41.1
       Jul 12, 2010 at 5:01 pm
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  42. Lucas Fowler
    Posts: 35

    hey great job do a tut on modeling a airplane or tank

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    42
     Oct 10, 2010 at 10:59 pm
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  43. Ivorius
    Posts: 1

    Great Tutorial!

    But I actually have a problem. I want to put these streaks in another project where other things are in, too. But if I do, my Nodes don’t work correctly because they apply to the whole scene!
    How can I seperate my streaks from the rest for the nodes?

    Thanks in before,

    Ivorius

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    43
     Dec 21, 2010 at 11:45 am
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  44. David Haymond
    Posts: 1

    Awesome, I’ve been looking for a way to do this.

    Thanks, Jonathan!

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    44
     Mar 7, 2011 at 12:32 pm
    Reply

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