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.

The post Tip: Using the Operator History in Blender appeared first on CG Cookie.

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

The post Using the Quick Tools Add-on appeared first on CG Cookie.

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.

The post Rigging A Spiral Phone Chord in Blender appeared first on CG Cookie.

Hello Everyone and welcome to this shape and light brush tutorial with Sander Mosk.

Below are some of the steps taken during the tutorial in which Sander will explain the process of creating a light brush and how working with different layer modes can create some cool effects that will give off a 3-Dimensional feel to the piece.

Thanks for checking out this Shape and Light Brush tutorial, if you have any comments or questions leave them in the section below!

The post The Shape And Light Brush Tutorial appeared first on CG Cookie.

Learn to animate a line draw using the Line Renderer Component

I recently worked on a project where I needed to draw a line from one game object to another. That is easy enough to do using the Line Renderer component, however, I wanted to animate the line renderer moving from point A to point B. In this video quick tip, I show you how I accomplished this effect with just a small bit of scripting.

Finding a position along a line

The key to animating the line is to calculate a position along the known distance of the line and feed this updated position to the line renderer component’s “SetPosition” method. You do this in the Update function.

To calculate the postion along the line, I used the following steps.

1. Get the unit vector in the desired direction
2. Multiply by the desired length
3. Add the starting point.

In order to actually animate the line, I increment a variable that is interpolated between 0 and the known distance of the line. The interpolation is handled by using Mathf.Lerp.

The post Animate a line draw using Line Renderer Component appeared first on CG Cookie.

See How to Rig your Characters with Rigify

Rigify is an automated rigging tool written by Nathan Vegdahl that makes the character-rigging process fast and simple.

If you’re like me, you spend most of your time in Blender modeling and texturing characters for still renders.  However, sometimes I want to see my static character spring to life in animated motion.  So the anticipation and excitement builds enough for me to venture into the rigging realm, motivated by lofty dreams of character animation! Though hours later I end up raising a white flag in a confused and frustrated surrender to the often overwhelming task that is rigging.

For Blender users out there who experience similar rigging inabilites Rigify is the answer to your character animation needs.

What You Will Learn

1.  Enabling the addon.

2. Customizing the meta-rig to achieve the best performance from the generated rig.

3. Generating the rig.

4. Automatic skinning your character model to the rig.

5. What Rigify doesn’t do for you.

Music:  “The Universe and My So-Called Life” by Pitx

The post Quick Rigging With the Rigify Addon appeared first on CG Cookie.

Hello Everyone and Welcome to this step by step tutorial on creating an Urban Warrior with Ivelin Trifonov.

He is a fantastic artist that works some great stuff with lighting and interesting characters. He was generous enough to show us his process in creating a modern style character. Below is a .gif of the finished step step tutorial.

Ivelin Trofonov:

1. I always start with a fast sketch of the character, trying to capture his posture and movement.

2. Here I start marking the main volumes, lighting and making sure the character is standing solid on the ground plane. I work with broad brush strokes, defining the main shapes and masses.

3. I continue defining the shapes of the figure with broad brush strokes, and establish a basic background. Still working in black and white.

4. It is important to constantly flip the picture – like that we ensure a fresh look over the painting. I put on the hero’s clothing.

5. In this phase, I start working in details over the ”warrior”, and bring forth the enemies  he is fighting with – old TV’s

6. Coloring time – I create a new layer with blending mode set to Color. Doing this I keep the values of the painting, while adding colors to it.

7. Adding textures – usually I put them over the whole painting on multiply or overlay layer mode and play around with the opacity. I start developing the main focus of the painting – the face of the hero and a part of his shoulder, illuminated by the TV screen.

8. I make some color corrections and in the same time continue polishing the painting.

9. I start adding some elements in the background – a few silhouettes of buildings, trying to establish a depth in the picture.

10. I add some life in the TV screens by adding a blurred image over them.

11.Final touches – adding last details, final color corrections and voila! – my “Urban Hero” is done!

Thanks for checking out this step by step tutorial with Ivelin Trifonov.

The post Written Tutorial: Urban Warrior appeared first on CG Cookie.

Vehicle Modeling Course in Blender

The Vehicle Modeling DVD was released in the first quarter of 2011, after the Intro to Blender and Character modeling series. It was our first physical DVD ever shipped and has shipped more than any other training DVD we’ve ever produced. However, now that the series has reached the ripe age of 2 years, it is being inducted into the CG Cookie Citizen library, making it accessible to all Citizen members.

Trade the value of a couple lattes for complete access to our Citizen training library

What you’ll learn

In this intensive, mesh modeling training series, you will be taken through the complete process of modeling a very detailed, sci-fi vehicle in Blender. The series makes use of modeling sheets and concept art by David Revoy. This series is presented in such a way to be ideal for all levels of users. Each tool used is explained along the way for new users but the topics presented will intrigue even the most advanced modelers. Throughout this series you will learn extensive modeling techniques, mesh topology, and workflows for creating a manageable model in relatively little time.

Beauty renders of the final model

Included in the download

The source files for this series contain the original concept art and modeling sheets by David Revoy, a video breakdown form David himself showing how the concept came together, and all the .blend files for the final model.

The post Modeling a Sci-fi Vehicle appeared first on CG Cookie.

Learn how to model and texture an electric guitar in Blender.

Have you ever wanted to create a 3D version of that perfect guitar you’ve been eyeing? Now, as a prequel to Kent Trammell’s tutorial on Rendering a Guitar in Blender, you can learn how to model an electric guitar in Blender with subdivision surfaces.

The modeling process is started by creating the main forms of the body, neck, and head of the guitar, followed by adding all of the detail bit by bit. In particular, you will learn how to create the shape by focusing on the topology of the more difficult areas first. Once the modeling is all complete you’ll learn how to texture the guitar to prepare for rendering.

In this final  video, part 04 of this guitar tutorial series you’ll learn how to unwrap the UVs of the model and texture it in GIMP.

The post Modeling an Electric Guitar in Blender – Part 04 appeared first on CG Cookie.

Hello Everyone and welcome to Creating a Character Turnaround from a Concept Piece tutorial!

In this tutorial I am taking you through the process of creating a character turnaround, the front,side and back, based on a concept art piece. Earlier this week I got back into working on a character concept for my illustrated novel and I decided that this would be a great opportunity to show you guys how to create a modeling turnaround sheet based of a single concept. While I was in school, I had to do this many times to help me see the different details and form while I was modeling. So this tutorial covers the stages of how I went about creating a turnaround for each of my character concepts.

DOWNLOAD PILOT TURNAROUND SHEETS

Original Time: 1 hour, 10 min

Software: Photoshop

Below are some key frames from the tutorial highlighting the different stages of the turnaround creation!

1. I start out by creating guidelines to help keep his proportions in perspective. I focus on creating the shapes of the stylized character, so for this one, the body and head shape were the focus.

2. After a sketchy initial layout, I work up the clean line work on top

3. For the back view I can copy the front view over and erase the inside of the character and fill it in with the back details.

4. For the side view I bring the front view up close and work with keeping everything lined up with each other.

5. After all around clean up work, here is the final turnaround.

If you would like to create a turnaround from more of an atomically correct concept piece, checkout this tutorial post about creating a male turnaround from a concept piece: HERE

Thanks for watching! If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them in the section below!

The post Creating a Stylized Character Turnaround from Concept appeared first on CG Cookie.