Let Blender Animate For You!

In this follow up Citizen video to “Rigging a Spiral Phone Cord” I’m going to show you how a dynamic rig can make animation simple and realistic. Though a physics-based rig isn’t the best answer for all situations, it can certainly be a tremendous time saver and easier road to realism. Wouldn’t it be nice to only worry about animating the base and receiver while the cord animates itself? That’s the power of computer graphics simulation that we will be tapping into in this video!

Why animate if you can simulate? Unlock this video by joining Citizen!

Dynamic Simulation in Blender

Since we already setup the rigging framework in the preceding video, with a bit of modification we will create a cord rig that obeys the phone receiver and base the same way it would in reality. The biggest hurdle to conquer here is simulating a curve object so we can maintain the modifier-dependent spiral cord model. Even though Blender allows us to directly simulate a curve as a softbody, I believe cloth simulation offers better control and a more believable result. And since mesh objects are the only object type that can be simulated as cloth I’ll show you how to transfer a mesh’s simulation to a curve object.

This technique offers a very practical solution for many dynamic rigging tasks.

MUSIC: “Desire” by Donnie Drost

Learn how to quick re-use a previous tool or action via the Operator History in Blender.

Due to the nature of modeling and animation workflow, there’s many times that we use a tool over and over again. This may not seem like a hassle, but the time we take to access those tools can really add up. Over the course of a large project seconds become minutes and minutes become hours.

In Blender we can quickly reach a previously used tool or command by accessing the History list or via the Repeat Last operator. This can greatly improve our workflow efficiency.

You can call the History menu from the Toolbar (T) or via the hotkey F3. Alternately, you can simply repeat the last command with Shift+R, or also from the Toolbar.

Today I am excited to announce CG Cookie’s newest project. Over the next few months we will be gathering the best Blender artwork around and compiling it into a beautifully bound, professionally printed art book that is worthy of your coffee table. The current working title is “Art of Blender – Volume 1”

Why an Art book?

This is a project we have wanted to do for quite some time and we feel the time is right. The Blender community is full of talented artists and we think it will be great to showcase the incredible work they produce in a way that really lets the work shine.

Submit your artwork below

However, this book is about more than just showcasing great artwork. We also wish to display the achievements of this great community, all built around open-source. Through the book we will be including making-of walkthroughs from top Blender artists that bring additional educational value to the book while also helping show off the accomplishments of the artists, developers, producers, and everyone else that helps make this community great.

In that light, we also want to create the art book to help further Blender’s on-going development. So 5% of each sale will be donated to the Blender Foundation development fund. The development fund helps create a sustainable environment for the progression of the Blender code-based and other projects around Blender (such as blender.org, documentation, etc). Read more about the Blender Development Fund: http://www.blender.org/blenderorg/blender-foundation/development-fund/

How will this come together?

An art book takes a lot of work and so we will be taking the next few months to put things into motion. Below is a rough milestone goal:

• Announcement and Call for entries: (Today)
• Pre-orders open for the Art Book: (Mid-June)
• Deadline for Call for Entries: (July 15th, 2013)
• Blender Art Book complete and send off for printing:  (Fall-ish)
• Book is publicly available and pre-orders shipped:  (2-3 months after files sent to printer)

These dates are not exact and may change, though we are going to do our best to hit them. The most important step is to get some artwork in!

Call for Entries!

This book is all about the art and so we need you, the artist! Use the button below to submit your best Blender artwork to us for consideration of inclusion. Please read the submission guidelines and make sure your image qualifies.

Level of quality we are looking for

Check out the Blender Cookie featured gallery and the Blender Artists Gallery forum. These images are of the level of quality we are looking for on the Art Book.

F.A.Q.

What resolution should my image be?

For initial submission you may send any size that you have. However, if your image is accepted you will need to prepare a print-ready version. We will specify the exact details at that point.

Do I need to pay to submit an entry?

Nope! CG Cookie is taking on all costs for printing and handling of the images.

How are accepted artists compensated? 

Each artist that is featured in this Blender Art Book will receive a year-long Citizen membership. Our hope is to also offer a free copy of the book to each accepted artists, but we cannot guarantee this yet, due to the high costs of production. All accepted artists will also gain exposure by being featured in the publication, which will be distributed through CG Cookie and tentatively the Blender.org e-shop.

May I submit work I’ve done for a client? 

You may submit client work if, and only if you have explicit, written permission from that client.

What are the specs of the final printed book?

Currently we are looking to create an 8.75″ x 11″, Portrait, Hard cover,  180-200 pages. This is subject to change as the production progresses.

What will be the final price of the book?

The book will tentatively be priced at $49.95. However, there will be a discount for all pre-orders.

May I submit more than one entry?

Yes, you may submit more than one image to be considered for the book.

May I submit an image which was created in Blender but rendered with an external render engine?

Most definitely! So long as the work is created primarily in Blender then it’s acceptable.

Kjartan Tysdal is an experienced Blender artist who has had the pleasure of being  involved in projects such as Tears of Steel and spent some time on the Royal Yacht of Norway!

Artist Portfolio site: http://www.kjartantysdal.com/
Blender Network Profile: http://www.blendernetwork.org/kjartan-tysdal/

When you meet someone new on the street and they ask, “What kind of work do you do?” How do you answer?

That’s never easy. I use to tell people that the basics of what I do is more or less the same as how Pixar make their movies, but people never really seemed to understand what I was talking about, so I’ve stopped doing that.

I try to explain that there is a lot of variation in the work I do, and that I have done work toward commercials, television, industrial animation, vfx and architecture. It usually takes a bit of time to explain, and they tend to look very confused when I’m done..

What was the most challenging aspect about modeling the Quadbots for Tears of Steel?

Figuring out how to UV and texture that whole model was a huge challenge, partly because there is no way to enter edit mode for more 1 object at a time in Blender. Also simple things, like just staying organized was hard because the Quadbots consisted of hundreds of separate objects, and I had to make sure that everything I did was clean and easy to work with down the line for Jeremy (the rigger).

The biggest challenge was probably figuring out and designing all the different parts. Ian (the director) wanted something that looked completely unique, but also slightly utilitarian, as if they had a purpose other than being generic “killer-robots-with-huge-guns”. I don’t think I succeeded in that, but I think it at least looks quite original and interesting, so I’m fairly happy with how it turned out.

You mentioned yourself as a “generalist.” How do you think this benefits you in your day-to-day art?

Having worked as a generalist for a number of years has definitely made me a lot more independent and confident whenever I need to take on a full project. It forced me to think of projects as a whole, and it also made me a pretty decent problem solver.

It’s always necessary to present my projects in a nice way. Having some experience with lighting, compositing, FX and rigging sure makes that easier.

Do you have a favorite subject to work with? Hard surface modeling, sculpting or painting?

Sculpting is probably what I enjoy the most. I really like that it’s possible to create characters and creatures directly in 3d without the hassle of normal poly modeling. I mostly use Sculptris for my initial sculpts and Zbrush for the high poly sculpting, but I’ve also used blenders native sculpting tools from time to time.

I’ve also gotten more into digital painting. I enjoy that as well, but that is still just a hobby. My ambition is to get more comfortable doing 2d work, and then use those skills in my 3d work.

What was the biggest lesson or experience you took away from working on Tears of Steel?

Tears of Steel was the first time that worked together with other blender artists. I learned a lot from just observing how they did things. I also learned that doing weekly meetings on Fridays with chocolate and beer is a great way to end a work week.

How long have you been playing StarCraft, and what is your favorite aspect about the game?

I grew up with games and StarCraft is one of the first PC games that I can remember playing. My favorite aspect of StarCraft is definitely the cool design and aesthetic of the characters, props and environments. You can tell that they have put a lot of effort into making it look as good as possible. I think that sci-fi games can be a great source for inspiration, and I take a lot of inspiration from game universes like Mass Effect, Killzone and Gears of War.

When you are working, do you listen to any music? If so, what kind?

You can probably make an educated guess based on this project: http://www.kjartantysdal.com/projects/dragon/ I usually listen to (cheesy) music with lots of guitar. Some examples are Iron Maiden, Steel Panther, AC/DC, Neil Zaza and Buckethead.

I also like to listen to audiobooks while working sometimes. For example, during the Tauren Marine project, I listened to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

How did you find yourself in the 3D/Blender world?

That’s a long story. 3D was at first just a hobby for me, but I quickly decided that I wanted to pursue it as a career. I spent pretty much all of my free time learning from web tutorial and books, and after doing that for a few years, I was lucky enough to get a job doing it full time.

I had been doing CG for almost 7 years before I decided to use Blender as my main tool. Until then, I had used a variety of different software for my work, and I spent a lot of my free time evaluating rendering engines and CG apps. I was looking for a CG application that I could really focus on and master, and after a long time, I decided to go with Blender. I had been a big fan of the blender open-movies, and I wanted to try to get into one. That was 1 year before project Mango started.

How was serving on the Royal Yacht of Norway? Pull any experiences to help you as an artist?

I mostly just served coffee to the crew. I tried to do 3d on my free time, but there wasn’t any tables on the boat. It’s really hard to do 3D if you don’t have access to a table. I ended up drawing a lot instead. I gained the reputation on board for being the “drawing guy”. I got to draw some cartoons of “rules at sea” for a pamphlet that was used during Queen Sonja of Norway’s 70th birthday. I even got a personal thank you letter from Her Majesty + a gift (it was a vase with her insignia on it).

If you could work anywhere or on any project, what would like to be doing?

Game cinematics! It is the coolest type of production I can think of. I’m a huge fan of cinematics from companies like Blizzard, Digic, Axis Animation and Blur. If I ever have a bad day and need some quick motivation, I’ll watch a couple of cinematics from those companies and I’ll be back on track.

Thanks for the time Kjarton!

Be sure to check the rest of Kjartons work at: http://www.kjartantysdal.com/

The Quick Tools Add-on Improves Workflow With A Series Of Shortcuts and Macros

Blender offers a very powerful and fast workflow for many different tasks, but sometimes improvements can be made. Using the multitude of Blender add-ons available we are able to alter and improve the way we work in Blender.

In this case, the Quick Tools add-on is an extension developed by yours truly that offers a set of easy-access menus in Object mode, Edit mode, and Sculpt mode. These menus contain a series of commonly used tools and custom macros that work to speed up repetitive tasks.

Once enabled, you can access these menus from the 3D Viewport with the Q key. If you wish, you can change this hotkey easily from User Preferences > Input > 3D View > Object/Edit/Sculpt.

Download the Quick Tools Add-on

You can download the latest version of Quick Tools HERE.

Bug Reporting

If you stumble across any bugs in the add-on please submit a bug report via the Issue Tracker on our GitHub Repo: https://github.com/CGCookie/script-bakery/issues?state=open

Modeling and Rigging with Modifiers

Though a spiraled chord is a simple concept and perhaps an afterthought when considering to model a phone, it can prove to be a tricky object to manage.  Luckily with Blender’s Screw and Curve modifiers spiraled objects are both easy to model and easy control.

What You Will Learn

1. I’ll show you how the Screw modifier allows a minimum amount of mesh input to generate a perfect spiral of any length and any frequency.
2. Using the Curve modifier we can attach our spiraled mesh to a bezier curve.  This gives us the ability to contort our chord with perfectly smooth curvature while maintaining the spiral nature of the geometry.
3. Then I’ll explain how Hooks can be used to manipulate the control points on a bezier curve without being in Edit Mode.
4. Finally I will incorporate the spline into an armature that can be used to animate the phone and the chord.

]]> http://cgcookie.com/blender/2013/05/09/rigging-a-spiral-phone-chord-in-blender/feed/ 50 http://cgcookie.com/blender/2013/05/06/awesome-user-survey-2013/ http://cgcookie.com/blender/2013/05/06/awesome-user-survey-2013/#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 21:32:56 +0000 Jonathan Williamson http://cgcookie.com/blender/?p=49776 Our users are the reason we’re ]]>

Our users are the reason we’re still here.

There’s no doubt about it, CG Cookie would not exist today if it weren’t for all you. You, the users, are incredible and we’re so grateful to have you with us.

In an effort to continue improving CG Cookie we want to hear from you. Your feedback allows us to better focus our efforts on creating a place that is not only valuable, but also enjoyable to you.

 Fill out the survey below

Please take a moment and fill out the survey below to help us make CG Cookie even better. If the embedded form does not show up you can also fill out the survey here: https://cgcookie.wufoo.com/forms/z7p7r3/

If you have any questions or concerns comment feel free to comment below or email us directly: support@cgcookie.com

We got the chance recently to chat with David Lesperance, a 6 year game industry artist who has worked with such studios as Blizzard, Midway, 343 and most recently at  Valve.

To start off, could you give a brief description of who you are and what you currently do?

Currently I work at Valve with a TON of very very smart people. My focus is around helping out with art needs and I’m also slowly learning programming. I also really enjoy teaching on the side as well.

So working at Valve with all of there great franchises has to be fun, which one of their games do you like the most?

Counterstrike is amazing, even though I suck at it. Love the Left for Dead franchise and of course Half-life.

You’ve had a very successful career in the gaming industry, did you know in school this is the direction you would go?

I started working professionally when was about 16 or 17. I was doing automotive related 3d in Michigan where I grew up. I’ve always enjoyed games and film. So choosing to do it professionally really aligned with my love of computers as well as trying to find a job that was somewhat safe during the recession. As far as knowing about having a talent for it, I don’t really feel like I have talent for it now lol. I just love what I do and try to do the best I can.

Your portfolio is very impressive, specifically the amount of detail you get in each piece. Can you give us a breakdown of your common creative workflow?

Its honestly super organic. I would call it a mess but I have a lot of fun with it which is the most important thing. I really try to focus on composition and try to give as much detail without it being too busy. I also study a lot of photography which really really helps. I basically keep hitting the art piece till it either looks right or I can’t stand to look at it any more ha!

What are you favorite tools of the trade to create and how would you want those tools to evolve in the coming years.?

I’m a max dude along with Zbrush. I use whatever I can get a hold of to make my life easier. For my personal work I render with Vray. Honestly I would love to actually see some kind of big change in terms of workflow throughout all of the software thats floating around. The current year to year release is a mess in terms of actually making something good or worth buying. The lack of true innovation is what needs to change. Great things are happening with Modo which gives me hope. I also would like to see them make the software more accessible to those who want to learn it. You should be able to learn it for free and not get hammered with watermarks. It encourages piracy in my opinion. Someone working on their portfolio won’t can’t afford to shell out 4 to 5k for a software license. Its not realistic.

What’s the time of day you love working the most?

For my professional career. I like to work a very sustainable shift. I tend to start at 8 or 9 am. Work till about 6 or 7pm. I don’t really agree with game crunches or death march hours. It can really hurt your development and really burn you out. For my personal work I tend to do the 12 am to 2 or 3am shift.

If you could meet any other artists living or dead whom would it be and why?

Bernini is by far my favorite artist. Given the chance I would love to meet him. He is hands down in my opinion one of the greatest sculptors to have lived. I really think we lost something when we go back and look at baroque and Renaissance art. Bernini’s understanding of composition in a 3d space is something that most modern artists will never come close to. He’s a true master.

If you were not working in games what do you think you would like to do?

Actually I think about this alot. I think it would have to be being a doctor. Honestly it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.

If you could talk with your younger self, what would you advise him?

I really wouldn’t tell him much. I think that when you are presented with choices in life you make the best you can with what you have then and they’re…actually thats not true. I would tell me to buy a ton of Apple and Google stock.

Lastly, if you could be the front man of any band, who would it be and why?

Slayer or Motorhead. I wouldn’t want to replace the singers or anything because Tom and Lemmy are gods, but I think it would be pretty gnarly to rock out Reign in Blood or Killed by Death with the greats would be epic. Thanks!

Check out David’s website: http://david-lesperance.squarespace.com/

Put your skills to the test by modeling this character design by Tim Von Rueden

There’s no better way to practice your new found skill-set than to put them to use creating a real project. To help you apply the techniques and workflows you learn from the many tutorials here on Blender Cookie we like to give you an occasional exercise. These exercises are meant to be very laid back and fun, simply encouraging you to practice working in Blender. This way when the time comes to apply your knowledge to a professional project you have the experience to do so.

Exercise: Model An Airplane Pilot

For this exercise you are tasked with modeling the pilot character that goes with our Small Airplane. This is the same design that will be used in an upcoming Citizen course on the same subject.

Instructions:

These exercises are not strict, but here’s some basic guidelines.

1. Download the concept and modeling sheet above
2. Model the character, using any techniques you wish, but preferably the end-result should be animation-ready (e.g clean topology that will deform well)
3. Submit a render of your character by clicking Submit Image below this post.
4. The deadline for render submissions is Sunday, May 12

Resources:

If you find yourself struggling at any point check out these additional resources, courses, and tutorials for guidance.

• Modeling a Small Turtle Character - http://cgcookie.com/blender/cgc-series/creating-a-little-cartoon-turtle-in-blender/
• Modeling a Little Hippo - http://cgcookie.com/blender/cgc-series/modeling-hippo-blender/
  
• Understanding Mesh Topology - http://cgcookie.com/blender/cgc-series/learning-mesh-topology-collection/

Learn how to use Dynamic Topology Sculpting in Blender

The dynamic topology system in Blender allows for a much more organic, creative sculpting process. It gives you much more flexibility in not only how, but what you sculpt by not limiting you to the original starting basemesh.

When working with dynamic topology, Blender will automatically tessellate the mesh under your brush stroke to account for the detail needed. This gives you the ability to add detail anywhere you wish, create new forms, and work with a much more optimized polycount since the tessellations are localized.

Check out CG Cookie Citizen for more sculpting training

To learn more about using dynamic topology in your workflow and creating finished sculptures I recommend you check out Kent Trammell’s training series on Creature Modeling For Production, and his Citizen course on Hard-Surface Sci-Fi Weapon Sculpting.