LAST POST FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR!

Like all good things, my blog must come to an end. This will be my last post because I'm done with Digital Arts for the year! Yay me! Hope you all enjoyed my posts - and hopefully you learned a thing or two from me. It's been a wonderful journey and I'm glad I got to document each and every step of the way. Here's to the last video/ blog post! Cheers!

The Nodding and Hopping Mushroom

Hey guys! So for the past few weeks, I talked about the mushroom - how it was created, animating it so it could hop, what tools I used to fix it. Well, this week, we finally finished the mushroom! YAY! Our final mushroom can hop and nod. Totally adorable!

Question #1:
What is skinning?

- Skinning is the process of associating the vertices with the bones. We used this during the second week, after painting the mushroom and adding in the armature.

Question #2:
What are actions and sprites?

- Actions are an object's movements in an animation. For example, the mushroom had two actions: Hop Action and Nod Action. Before we set the final names, both actions were called "Armature Actions". Actions can be found in the Action Editor (and obviously, you'd EDIT stuff here).

- Sprites are computer graphics that may be moved on-screen and manipulated as a single entity. They are 2D images or animations that can be integrated into larger scenes. You can change the sprite's size by going to Render Context -> Dimensions panel

Question #3:
What are the steps in creating Hop and Nod actions?

The Hop
1. You should first be in Object Mode. Right click the armature, and you'll be in Pose Mode.
2. Select all the bones by pressing A until they are ALL selected (stalk and cap)
3. Right click the stalk bone only and press I to view "Insert Keyframe Menu". Select Scaling
4. Go down to the Timeline and set the frame to 4.
5. The stalk should still be selected, press S to scale, and then Z to restrict it to the Z axis.
6. Squish your mushroom down so it looks like it's prepping for the jump. Left click to accept scaling.
7. Type I and select Scaling again.
8. Advance to frame 8, and hold down Alt + S so your mushroom will go back to normal.
9. Type in I and select LocScale. You can watch your animation so far (Esc to stop it)
10. Advance to frame 14, and type in G then Z to bulk up your mushroom like a tough guy. Left click to accept the height. Press I and select Location.
11. Go to frame 16, type in G then Z, and suspend your mushroom in the air. Type I and select Location
12. Go to frame 20, type in Alt + G, then type I and select Location. Hover your pointer over the last frame (20), and left click it if it's not selected - Press E to end your frame, and you're done with the Hop! (For now)

The Nod
1. Make sure you're at frame 1. Go to View and select Right and Persp/Ortho (so it'll be in the orthagonal view)
2. Right click the cap bone and press I. Select Rotation
3. Go to frame 5; press R to rotate your mushroom to the left, and press I - select Rotation.
4. Move to frame 10. Press Alt + R to make your mushroom normal again. Press I and select Rotation
5. Click on the last frame (10) and type E to end the animation. You can preview the animation by pressing Alt + A.
6. In the Action Editor - Dope Sheet Window, name the action NodAction, then click F to make a fake user.

Question #4:
What are the functions of Dope Sheet Window and Action Editor?

- The Dope Sheet Window holds all the animations in it. If multiple objects were animating, they'd all be listed there. This is basically a complex version of the Timeline. The Action Editor is similar to this because it also holds things for our object. But instead of holding animations, the Action Editor lists down the "actions" being performed by the object.

Question #5:
What are the following commands/actions: Ctrl P and Creating Fake User

- Ctrl P is used to show the Set Parent To Menu. To skin the bones, we selected With Automatic Weights under Armature Deform to control the amount of influence the bones have over a certain vertex.

- Creating a Fake User keeps Blender from trashing an unreferenced element that you might want to use later. We used this for our actions to merge them later on in the project.

Yay happy hoppy mushroom \m/ Hope you guys enjoyed! Or at least learned something .__.

The Skeletal Mushroom

Afternoon, everyone! It's been super hot lately, so that means it's almost SUMMER VACATION! I can't wait! You know what else I can't wait for?! OUR FINISHED MUSHROOM! It's gonna look so cute, I swear. Last time, I talked about creating the mushroom itself. For this post, we'll talk about the mushroom's skeleton! That's right, my mushroom has bones. Awesome, isn't it?

1. What is texture?
- Texture is like the evolved form of material. With texture, you can add certain features to a 3D object so it seems like you can actually touch and feel it. You could make a flat plane look rough, or make a pokeball look smooth. Usually, texture goes on top of material (which, I believe is mainly used for clothing and such)

2. Why do you have to save the image before saving the Blender file?
- So after painting my mushroom for an hour or so (with the eyes, mouth, spots, and body) I saved JUST my file and closed Blender. The next day during Digital Arts, I opened the file and... ALL MY HARD WORK WAS LOST. I had to repaint the whole thing, which was horrible :( Thankfully, the eyes looked extra adorable. Lesson learned, folks, if you don't save the image before anything else, you'll have to repaint the whoooole thing.

3. What is armature and rigging?
- To put it simply, armature is the skeleton itself. It's the bone in your future mushroom. Rigging is the process of putting in the skeleton. See, wasn't that easy?

4. Name 3 new tools you used for this week's activity.

Mushroom: So hot on this island, my skin
melted off. 

- Texture paint: This had the whole art shebang! It allows the user to use different sized brushes (you could adjust it to your liking) to paint an object. There are several brush types and of course, different colors to choose from. I used this to paint my mushroom TWICE.

- Armature: This added a skeleton or "single bone" to my mushroom. I extruded the original armature to create a longer bone for my mushroom cap. It looked pretty weird, but I hope it turns out great. To select armature hold down Shift + A, scroll down to find armature, and select single bone.

- Wireframe: This is another way to view an object. It only outlines the lines of the object, so it's easier to select. For this week's activity, we ended with this.

The Mushroom

Welcome back, everyone! Today, we'll be discussing a new Blender project *drum roll* THE MUSHROOM. And this isn't one of your ordinary mushrooms, folks. We're making A SUPER MARIO MUSHROOM! Hopefully .__. I have yet to finish the project so I hope it'll turn out great. (Praying that my Blender skills get me a legit looking Super Mario Mushroom)

With that, let us begin! And no, this will not be an interview because Jim is already on Spring Break. Lucky.

Question numero uno:
What are the following: Triangle Fan, XYZ Points, UV Points, UV Wrap, UV Image Editor?

- Triangle Fan: This was added to our cylinder to change its top, making it easier to distort and manipulate. The new top had triangular faces that all met at one point. Later, we used this Triangle Fan to create our mushroom's cap.

- XYZ Points: XYZ points are used for 3D objects. Obviously, with a 3D mushroom, we had to change these points to 0 so our mushroom would look more authentic.

- UV Points: I have come to believe that this is XYZ's alter ego. UV points are used when you convert a 3D object to a 2D image. In fact, we did this - which, by the way, was pretty legit to me. I won't spoil it for you so don't worry! That part is coming soon.

- UV Wrap: Wow, this basically dismantled our object in another window (Again, I will not spoil it). This part scared the fudge out of me! I thought I lost the object. Anywho, UV Wrap dismantles your object in "said window" so you can see the whole object! It's just that the parts are all splayed out like a dinner table on Thanksgiving.

- UV Image Editor: THIS is "said window"! We used this to convert our 3D object into an image, thus creating those UV points. And, we manipulated this object through this editor by messing around with the UV Wrap.

Awesome looking mushroom in the process!

Question #2:
How do you use the lamp? Like really, how?

- First of all, Blender must be open and you MUST be at the part I'm talking about. From there, you can start placing your lamps! Simply, switch on over to Object mode, hover your mouse pointer on the right screen (literally the right screen), and hold down Shift + A. There, you'll see some options. Go down to lamp, and select the "point" lamp. You can put as many as you want!

Question of all Questions:
What are two methods of wrapping you used in creating this model?

- Like everyone else, I used Smart UV and Cylinder Projection. According to wiki.blender.org, Smart UV "breaks the mesh into islands based on an angle threshold". Cylinder Projection, on the other hand, "projects UVs onto a cylindrical surface" (I mean, that was pretty obvious. The name was derived from it)

That's all for today, folks!

My Video Tutorials! (Part 2)

This is my 2nd video tutorial! Originally, I was supposed to create an opening pokeball, HOWEVER my laptop couldn't handle the awesomeness, soooo I created something simpler for everyone! Presenting, Text With An Awesome Bright Background!


Steps for this wonderful project:

1.      Delete cube

2.      Shift + A –> Select Text

3.      R –> X –> 90

4.      Tab to edit mode

5.      Enter own text

6.      Tab to object mode

7.      Object Data –> Extrude Value = .1; Bevel Depth = .02; Resolution = 3

8.      Scroll down to paragraph section

9.      Change letter spacing to 1.4

10.  Go to material

11.  Click new

12.  Change to cycles render

13.  Select use nodes button –> anisotropic BSDF –> choose color (red)

14.  Set roughness to .2

15.  Change to orthographic View

16.  Switch to front view

17.  Zoom in

18.  Shift + A –> Mesh –> Plane

19.  Press S –> 15 –> Enter

20.  Go to front view

21.  Move plane until it’s under the text.

22.  Set material for floor

23.  Set color (hex = 303030)

24.  Zoom out until you see the lamp

25.  Press G to move lamp to center of text                                                                       

26.  Switch to top view

27.  Move lamp back until it reaches certain distance (length of letters)

28.  Zoom out

29.  Select floor (Right click)

30.  Drag floor so that it overlaps the lamp just a little bit

31.  Rotate view until you see lamp next to the first letter

32.  Select object data

33.  Make sure size is 0.1

34.  Click Use Nodes button –> strength button = 10000

35.  Click rendered to see what it looks like so far

36.  Make sure text is selected (Select up on outline)

37.  Go to modifiers

38.  Select edge split

39.  Go to world button

40.  Change color (hex = 252525)

41.  Save work

42.  Select solid from viewport shading

43.  Select lamp -> shift + s -> cursor to selected

44.  Shift + A -> UV Sphere -> S = .05

45.  Move UV Sphere a little behind the lamp

46.  Set material for it

47.  Change material type to Emission -> Strength = 1000

48.  Switch to camera view

49.  Lock camera view -> Press N ->  Lock camera to view (checkmark) -> press N again

50.  Shift + A -> Empty -> Plain Axes

51.  Switch to front view

52.  Position object at center of word (Move blue and red arrows)

53.  Switch to right view

54.  Zoom out so you can see text and object

55.  Position object at center of text (green arrow)

56.  Switch to camera view

57.  Select camera (Outliner at the top)

58.  Go to constraint -> add object constraint

59.  Select track to -> select empty -> click -Z button & up value = Y

60.  Rotate view until lamp is on right side of text (end letter)

61.  Zoom out a little

62.  Select camera -> set frame to 1 -> hover pointer over camera window -> press I

63.  Select location-rotation (loc-rot)

64.  Set frame to 100 (Make sure lamp is between first two letters) -> press I -> select loc-rot

65.  Set end frame to 120

66.  Go to rendered on viewport just to check

67.  Save your work

68.  Go up to screen layout menu –> select compositing –> make sure compositing button is selected at bottom – checkmark use nodes

69.  Expand area by closing panel (N)

70.  Shift + A –> Output –> Viewer

71.  Checkmark backdrop

72.  Connect render layers to viewer

73.  Click render button to see it there

74.  Press V to zoom in (zoom out Alt V) *Optional*

75.  Shift + A –> Converter –> Math (Move over viewer and layers to drop it into place)

76.  Select greater than –> Value = 263

77.  Shift + A –> Filter –> Glare (Drop between math and viewer)

78.  Type = streaks –> iterations = 5 –> threshold = 0 –> streaks = 7 –> Fade = .94

79.  Shift + D to duplicate Glare #1 (Drop between Glare #1 and Viewer)

80.  Streaks = 8 -> Angle offset = 20 –> Fade = .9

81.  Minimize space (Press triangle for glares)

82.  Connect render layers to viewer

83.  Shift + A – color – mix (Drop between layers and composite)

84.  Connect glare to mix (Left side)

85.  Connect mix to viewer (Right side) –> change Mix to Add –> Save your work

86.  Switch back to Default

87.  Click render button -> go down to sampling -> render samples = 50

88.  Go to output section above – select file you want to send it to

89.  Change PNG to OGG Theora

90.  Save work before rendering

91.  START RENDERING  

If you win in any event, you are allowed
 to celebrate by exclaiming "GET REKT!"

Alright guys, you are the only limitation to this project. It is up to you to be patient and precise. It is also up to you to make your work look CAPITAL B E A UITFUL

*Little side note: Rekt is not an offensive word in this video; It is a geek term synonymous to "win" or "crushing the enemy" 

And with those thoughts in mind, enjoy Blender and save the world.

My Video Tutorials! (Part 1)

I'm back, folks! I have a new blog post for you all! This week, I'll be talking about *drum roll* MY VIDEO TUTORIALS! Yay, what fun! My first video was *second drum roll* DISSOLVE ANIMATION! What's that you say? I already did that? HA, well my dear blender noobs, I never told you the steps to creating dissolve animation. With that, HERE YA GO!

Steps for Creating Dissolve Animation
*Warning: This will eat up your time, energy, patience, and battery life. If you have the guts to move on, please proceed*

1. Set the material for the cube. 

2. Select the cube by clicking on it. 

3. Select the material button. 

4. We’re going to keep Diffuse BSDF, but I’ll change the color to red (you can change it to any other colour) 

5. Rename the cube and move it out of the way so it’s off the grid. I am now switching to orthographic mode.

6. Select the cube > Click on the material button

7. Next, I will add the text. Hold down Shift + A and click Text. 

8. Zoom in so you can see it better. 

9. Rotate by pressing R then X then 90. 

10. Switch to edit mode by pressing Tab. 

11. Use backspace to delete the text, and add in your new text. 

12. Switch back to object mode. Pan your view so you can see the whole word. 

13. Next, select the Object Data button. 

14. Scroll down to geometry and change its extrude value to 0.05; Bevel will be changed to 0.02; Resolution will be 2. 

15. Go to the Material button again, and doll up your text. 

16. I will choose the color red for my text. Now convert your text to mesh by holding down Alt + C – Select Mesh from Curve/Meta/Surf/Text

17. Click your left mouse button to drag the green cursor on the timeline. 

18. Set the frame to 20 by typing in the number, or manually moving the cursor. 

19. Go to the Render button (The camera over here) and change the end value to 135. Make sure that the frame rate is 24 fps (or frames per second).

20. We are now switching back to the text. Select the sparkly icon or the Particle button. 

21. We’re going to add another particle system by clicking new or the plus sign. 

22. We will leave the emission number to 1000, change the start frame to 20, and the end frame to 30. Lifetime will be 100. Faces, Random, Distribution, and Random should be selected. 

23. Click play under the timeline to view your progress. Press pause when you’re finished. 

24. Go back to Particles button, scroll down, and select the object button. Under that, go to Dupli Object and select cube. Change the size down to 0.01 and press play. 

25. Pause the animation, and go down to the Field Weight Section. Set its Gravity to 0 and press play once more to watch the newly enhanced animation.  

26. Scroll up to Velocity. Change the Emitter Geometry to Normal – 0. 

27. Now hold down Shift + A, go to force field, and select turbulence. Drag the red arrow so that it is now in the center of the text. 

28. Go to the Physics button up here and set the Strength to 2.

29. Save your work now.  

30. At this time, select the original text, go to Particle button, and scroll down to the Render section. 31. Reset your animation to Frame 1 (make sure emitter is checked) and hover your mouse pointer over emitter. Press I. This is your 1^st key frame. 

32. Set the Time Line to frame 30, hover your pointer over emitter and press I. 

33. Set your Time Line again to frame 31, DESELECT emitter by removing the check, hover your pointer, and press I. 

34. Set the Time Line to frame 70, but this time hover your pointer over Size Value. Press I. 

35. Set the Time Line to frame 130, change the particle size to 0.001, hover over emitter, and press I. Now your particles will totally disappear at frame 130.

36. We will set a plane for the text to sit on. Hold down Shift + A, go to mesh, and select plane. 

37. Move the blue arrow underneath the text. 

38. Scale by pressing S, type in 100, and press Enter. 

39. Set the new material for the plane by clicking the Material button and new. Keep the white colors. 40. Change the Surface to Mix Shader. The 1^st Shader should be Diffuse BSDF; 2^nd Shader should be Glossy BSDF. Change the glossy shader’s roughness value to 0. Change the FAC value to 0.3.

41. Now go to the Physics button and click Collision

42. Switch to Right Side View by pressing 3, or going down to view and clicking it manually. 

43. Zoom out until you see the lamp. Select it and drag the green arrow 7 – 8 units to the left. 

44. Go to Object Data and change the Lamp Size to 3. Select Use Nodes, Emission, and change strength to 5,000. 

45. We need to lock the camera’s view now so press N, click Lock Camera to View, and press N again. 

46. Now position your text for the camera. We are now going to change the background color to black. 

45. Click the World button. Click on the gray color and change it to black.

46. Select text now. Go up to Particles and change the emission number to 20,000. Set the frame to 1.

47. We’re almost ready to render! Click the Camera button right here, go down to sampling, and change Samples Render to 50. 

48. Go up to the Output section. Click the folder icon, and select a place for your project. Click accept. 

ECSTATIC YES

49. Change the file format now. Change the PNG file to OGG Theora. 

50. Save your work before you render! This will take a long time. Click Animation and start rendering!

WOW, so many steps, yet such an easy project for Blender! The only limitation you'd have is Blender itself. I used Blender Version 2.72, so obviously if you follow mine, you'd need the update version of Blender. 

I hope you enjoy, and please tune back in!

Dissolve Animation

Welcome back, everyone! Hope you've been enjoying the week! Last day of February! Can you believe that?! Time flies by so quickly. Everything's been hectic lately so, I never really looked at the date until today. Anywho, today I have brought forth a new Blender project *drum roll* DISSOLVING ANIMATION! Wooo, we're levelling up, guys!

Random Interview #10356738-8329130

Jim: Good Morning Everyone, this'll be a quick interview because I got a life to get back to at 10. And for today, we have with us, Ms.Jackie. . . Once again.

Jackie: Gosh, Jim! Such a Debbie-Downer today! Lighten up, things could be worse!

Jim: Oh, things are, Jackie! I recently came back from a special interviewer's competition, and well, someone who wasn't worthy enough won. You could tell it was completely rigged, especially because he won all the other awards! He had notes up his sleeve, he was monotonous, and he OBVIOUSLY scripted out his supposed "spontaneous" interview. Gosh, the judges never even followed the scoring criteria! Is this who we're sending to represent us at the Nationals?! Man, he's going to humiliate us by getting last place again. 

Jackie: I feel ya, Jim. Why don't you make an appeal? Don't you have buddies to back you up?

Jim: Course, I do! But I have to run it through my managers. *Coughs nervously* Alright, let's get back to this interview. So, could you please explain the following commands: Mesh from Curve/Meta/Surf/Text, Emission, Emission Number, Lifetime, Particles System, Dupli Object, Force Field, Turbulence, Short-cut key I.

Jackie: Sure, Jim!
Mesh from Curve/Meta/Surf/Text:  This basically changed the object's mesh to the text format, so we could manipulate the letters as text, and not 3D shapes.

Emission: I used this to make the light source stronger.

Emission Number: The Emission Number adds or subtracts the number of particles you want in your animation. 

Lifetime: Sets how long the particles will be present.

Particles System: This is the sparkly button! In Particles System, we could manipulate the fps, how many particles we want, where the particles went to, how long they stayed for, and many more! Everything about Particles, yay!

Dupli Object: When we selected this, the object wouldn't be rendered as a cube, but smoother.

Force Field: Force fields are external forces that give dynamic systems motion.

Turbulence: This makes the particles move smoother during the animation

Short-cut key I: This sets the key frames and a bunch of other important frames you want/need.

Jim: Next Q, why must you change the size of the particles to 0.001?

Jackie: That's towards the end. So, during the animation, the particles will look like they're slowly fading or dissolving away.

Jim: What's the importance of a timeline?

Jackie: The timeline holds all the key frames and organizes them. You can manipulate it so that certain things happen during a particular frame. If we didn't have a timeline, our animation would go berserk.

Jim: What's the difference between gravity and collision? Are there any similarities?

Jackie: Gravity controls how much the Global Gravity has an effect on the system. Collision prevents the particles from moving through the floor during the animation. They are somewhat similar, Jim. Both affect the outcome of the animation and how the particles will move.

Jim: And again, for our finale, how'd you feel about this project?

Jackie: Almost done, Jim!
Jim: Some people just want to see the world burn

Jim: It's finally over. . .
Jackie: Optimism is key, Jim

Jackie: Well, you need to be patient because the rendering is taking suuuuch a loooong time! I'm still rendering as we speak. Overall, this project was easier than both the Soccer Ball and the Cloth Napkin. Looking back, the Cloth Napkin was such a hassle! This project was fairly easy, I swear to you Jim. You just need to know where to set the key frames and like, you need to have a LOT of time on your hands!

Jim: Nice. I'll try this project out to get my mind off of everything. This better not frustrate me!

Jackie: It won't! . . . Probably.

See you later, everyone!