In this Blender 2.5 video tutorial we tackle something that is on most people’s “create before I die” list, a light saber. This tutorial focuses in on the post-processing aspect by setting up a node network to create the effect of the glowing blade of a light saber. Modeling is not covered in this tutorial, but the model is included in the source files to play with.
Note: this tutorial uses the official Blender 2.5 Alpha 2 release.
Wow, really nice, but it looks sooooo complicated.
I see your swartz is as big as mine hahaha.
I love the light saber node tutorial. That is awesome
You making slight mistakes is also a good part of eduaction, contrary to those “pseudo-perfect” tutors who talk as if they were omniscient just because they read their dull scripted tutorial lines.
Forgot to mention, great tutorial btw
thanks for the nodes tutorial! I never knew how to use the pass index.. super useful.
The possibilities of compositing and splitting scenes into layers keep amazing me and although sometimes I find understanding all the node setups rather difficult, I enjoy tutorials like these very much. Also, the mistake you make, intentionally or not, help me remember the important settings which, when omitted, can cause trouble. I spotted your mistake in this tutorial right away and was really keen on watching how you find out later on
Thanks for this and more tuts on compositing and post-processing are welcome.
This is a very informative tutorial. Now I know a practical application for the render pass index. I had no idea what to do with it, but now that I’ve seen this tutorial, I have several ideas on how I can use this. Great tutorial!
Yeah, that looks like fun. Thanks for the good tutorial!
Great little tut
The pass index tip is awesome !
Wow, this is so cool! Thanks for listening to my request! I appreciate it.
I’m making a Jedi in 2.49b, how do I take him and put him in 2.5?
Thanks Jonathan,
Allan
You can actually open 2.49b files directly in 2.5. I would recommend unchecking the “Load UI” box on the left side when you open it, though, so as to preserve the 2.5 layout.
Haha, I wish I had this tutorial last year
Question to Jonathan Williamson: What is the difference between the pass index and the render layers?
Thanks in advance.
Render layers allow for more customization and specificity. Pass index is great for when you just want to apply a filter to an object (or group of objects). There are some downsides to using pass index as it was used in this case, though: we used an alpha map (essentially thats what the ID Mask node does) and just blurred it as an image and added it on top of the original image. If we wanted to preserve the colors of the object we were blurring (if it had a texture, for instance), we’d probably use render layers, because we’d actually be blurring the image, and adding that on top. Hope that helps.
It surely does help. Thx
thanks again for a nice tutorial
I have a stupid qustion when seating up node do you have to do it frame by frame or can you tansfer all the node to another frame
When you render out the animation, the nodes should be applied to every frame automatically.
Thanky Billy McGuffin
Would you tell me where did you download your site template ?
That’s an interesting way to create the blade material; I’ve always used halos, and it’s much easier for me. Is there something wrong with using halos as a material instead of using the compositing nodes?
Awesome tutorial! I already had my own method, which had a better looking result [via more nodes] but it was a tad tedious because I was using render layers. I never knew about pass index! Thanks for this knowledge
nice one , … yes master .
Great tutorial, thanks.
Hi Jonathan, I have a problem i’ve followed your tutorial 4 times step by step but each time the blade stays solid white in the Render even though i attached the hue and saturation to the composite node….=( so frustrating…. after four times.
Hi Stefano, it sounds like you missed connected the final editing node to the Composite node. Without that step your render will always come out as the original.
-Jonathan
I think I fixed the render problem! I didn’t have Do composite in the Scene Tab (F10) it’s in the anim tab like this.
Do sequence
Do composite
Please let me know if that’s what the problem was since now it is rendering the glow
Will try again and see what happens.
Nope even at the beginning the model isn’t even showing in the backdrop, and when i did it the last four times i did EVERYTHING step by step it showed perfectly in the backdrop but when i rendered it nothing just the hilt and a white stick and i tried numerous things and I did attach the hue and saturation to the composite node but I did notice that when i attached the Hue and Saturation to the Composite node the composite node would then detach from the render layer for some reason…. I have no idea why i’m having all these problems just to create a glow around a simple stick…. I’ll stick with halo’s instead then it’s too complicated for me to use Nodes.
Hello again Jonathan, I tried one more time with blender 2.49b this time although it still doesn’t work it shows as a white stick as usual also i’m having some trouble with the colour since it’s still pretty white I’ve taken a screenshot if there is anyway i can contact you please let me know in the meantime I will send you a link to the screenshot.
Here are a few links just incase because I don’t want to keep spamming if one of the links don’t work =)
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll156/Dagon14/nodes.jpg
and this is what it is like when i render it.
Also when i go back into blender and load the file the viewers don’t show anything or the backdrop only sometimes when i click on a viewer then it comes and sometimes doesn’t come at all as far as i know?
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll156/Dagon14/nodes2.jpg
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll156/Dagon14/nodes3.jpg
Am I missing something? When I hit SHIFT+A to add the blur node, there isn’t even a Filter sub group much less the blur node. I’m using the most recent version of blender. 2.55
Great tutorial! It took me a couple times to get everything right, but now I’ve got a nice LEGO lightsaber all rendered and awesome looking. I’ve only got one problem, though. I’ve got a black, reflective surface under the saber, and while the glow is mostly fine, it’s not reflecting off the black surface. How can I fix this?
i have a related question, im trying to make a semi-transparent trashcan with a colored neon-glow. ive tried a few different ways to blur/glow the trans can but not the trash inside of it-all with varying degrees of success but also all dont quite give the effect needed. the trash always seems to be effected by something…heres a link to my .blend http://www.pasteall.org/blend/4892 you will see that the trash has no light…its the closest i can get with out using something other then blender (like psp to combine layers/mixing effects)anyone who would like may email me at [email protected]-which i set up just for this q
Really Nice tutorial though it did get a bit complicated near the end though! especially the Invert part but I managed I rewatched this tutorial so I can base it off what you did except I didn’t make the core as blurry even though it sometimes is especially in Star Wars Video games but I’m going more for the movie style
Video Game: http://ps2media.gamespy.com/ps2/image/article/611/611287/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith-20050509022909787.jpg
Movies: http://www.totalwallpapers.com/movies/wallpapers/general-grievous-vs-obi-wan-kenobi.jpg
Mine: http://i54.tinypic.com/213gqjd.png
This is great and it helped me a lot!
Now i just need to know how I can animate the blade when it goes out and everything will be perfect!
You could just animate the Transparency value to make it disappear
-Jonathan
thanks! I’ll definitely try to do that!
wow, this tutorial really help me a lot!
keep up the good stuff:D
-Bert
I really need some help. I’m modeling a light saber at the moment for a website and I am having trouble creating the rounded tip. Blender does not over a dome sort of thing and i am having a lot of trouble. Please help me. Email me at [email protected]
Great tutorial. At first, it was very intimidating to see all those node panels. But after some frustration, trial and error, I was able to pull it off.
cand be done on 2.6 cos the node types are missing, can u do a 2.6 vresion plz. great job by the way, but a tip 4 a 2.6 one, maby put a basic plan together so u can keep track of where u r up to. just an idea no offence intended
Great tutorial. It helps me very much for understanding compositing. I tryed to apply this for my own purposes… but… So I have a question. Instead of saber blade i use text “MY WEB SITE” for example. This text looks very nice with neon glowing effect, but i can’t save this with transparent background. I tryed to save in .png with rgba.. and received transparent background but without glowing effect. Help me please. What should i do to save Saber/text with neon glowing effect and on transparent background? Is it possible? i need it for my website.
I was able to do it on 2.49b. Had the following problems.
1. light saber has to be two objects.
2. assign both objects “Pass Index” in (F7) “Object and Links”.
2. indexed node trees (F10) “Render Layers” “Inde” button.
3. (F10) “Anim” “Do Composite” must be set for rendering.
I see I need to do the update python scripts tutorial so I can update scripts and use 2.5.
Hi, I am wondering how you would reflect the blade of the light saber. I have a robot holding a lightsaber and am wondering how to make the glow show in the reflections.
Thanks
Johnathan,
I’ve got my model and I’ve rendered it in Cycles. This uses Blender internal. Is there a way to render the blade like this in Cycles?
Certainly! You can use a shadeless node setup to achieve the effect: http://cgcookie.com/blender/2012/03/09/making-shadeless-materials-cycles-in-blender/
I have tried to follow this tutorial, but no matter what I do the end result is always inverted, the blur is white and the blade is the color that I add using the RGB value, any Ideas on what I am doing wrong?
Hi there, could you share a screenshot of your node setup and result? Then I should be able to help you out
Sure, the set-up thus far is
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2pwmEGnlWUdX2I4SnhOZWF3Ulk
sorry for the format, that was the easiest way I could think to share it.
hello guyz… I got the same problem as shadowbladef22 … At first everything was okay, then I added some lights and rendered it…and the result = inverted colors.. so have u solved it somehow please? thank you very much
Hey, I was able to fix my problem eventually, what I did was add a mask over the blur layer, so that you were seeing the white blade, and then behind it was the glowing effect. that wasn’t a perfect fix but it still looked good in the end. If you want i can post my nodes, but its a little complex because i used two different saber colors.