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!

Soccer Ball Part II

Hey guys! This one'll be reeaalllyyy brief because I'm on my way to stardom! Just joking, I have an important agenda to follow. So for this post, I won't be conducting an interview. I'll be *drum roll* STRAIGHTFORWARD.

Commands we used in this week's project:

Shift + G > Amount of Connecting Edges
 - This particular command selects ANY amount of connecting edges so you can delete or dissolve them anytime you want!

Alt + C > Curve from Mesh
- This converts your curve to a mesh, so it gives the exterior a rounded shape. We used this to make
the rings for our soccer ball!

Just Alt + C
- Again, this converts your curve to a mesh, and your mesh to a curve! You can manipulate either one. Keep in mind that the mesh is basically EVERYTHING (Faces, edges, vertices). The curve is... well, a curve!

LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY
Wait, am I advertising soccer balls now?

Emission
- It brings light to our precious little Blender world. (Or you know, light to reflect off our soccer ball)

Object > Transform > Align Objects
- This is basically the Align & Distribute for Blender! It takes two objects, and aligns them so that they're straight.

Question of the Day:
Why must you hold down Shift when scaling the rings of your soccer ball?

- Of course, you want your work to be nice and precise! Accuracy! Precision! YES!!! When you hold down Shift, your rings won't go out of control and get too big. They'll be petite and extra adorable.

Working on this soccer ball was pretty easy! You just need to be totally accurate. Also, you HAD to listen to Mrs.Buenaflor give out instructions, or else you'd get lost. You'd have to wait for the power point's release. So, lesson for all children, LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHERS OR ELSE YOU'LL GET LOST AND CONFUSED. I, for one, got lost and confused at some point. Don't make the same mistakes, guys. . . Or you could make those mistakes, and learn from them! WOW, a Blender lesson and Life lesson all in one post. I should get a prize.

See you later, folks!

Soccer Ball Part I

Happy Valentine's Day, beautiful people! How's everyone doing? You're all probably preparing for that special date, huh? No need to be embarrassed! Have fun tonight, darlings, and I hope you enjoy this spontaneous interview with Jim the Interviewer!

*crickets chirping* Oooooor maybe not! Unfortunately, Jim will not be here tonight because he has "plans" (Someone's a social butterfly). So, I shall answer the questions and send them to him for our next interview. Here's my draft!

JIM INTERVIEW DRAFT 1
Today's topic is the Soccer Ball. Wait, haven't we already talked about this?... NOPE, this is different! This one is special because it has *drum roll* STITCHES YAY. Let us begin!

Q: What's the difference between the icosphere, UV sphere, and truncated icosahedron?
A: Alright, I won't necessarily define these terms, but I'll talk about when each 3D shape is used. The icosphere is not symmetrical, so it should be used when you're trying to make a golf ball or something with a rough looking terrain; the UV sphere is best used when you're making a smoother object like the disco ball (because it's symmetrical). And finally, we have the truncated icosahedron. Because it has pentagons and hexagons, the truncated icosahedron looks pretty legit if you make a soccer ball (And that's why we used it!)

Q: What's the latest modifier you used to make the truncated icosahedron's structure rounder?
A:  We used the cast modifier! This baby could make an object extra smooth and plump, just by changing the "factor value"! Super awesome, and in my opinion, easier to manipulate than the "Smooth" button at the side.

Q: What's the function of Shift G, X, Tab, Extrude Individual, Mix Shader, and Subdivide?
A: Oh my, that's a lot!
Shift G - Opens up a menu where you can select certain parts of an object. For example, you could select all edges or vertices. Whichever you want, boss!
X - This one is quite obvious, guys. You can delete and dissolve stuff!
Tab - Tab changes the "mode". Would you like easy mode, or normal? Just joking, it switches from Object mode to Edit mode. And if you aren't paying attention, it closes a bunch of your tabs to the left.
Extrude Individual - It's when you select a bunch of faces as individuals (I'm not talking about people, okay)
Mix Shader - You can have not one, but TWO colours on your object!
Subdivide - Allows you to manipulate number of cuts, so it's easier to select and distort certain areas.


Q: What's the difference between "dissolve" edges and "delete" edges?
A: Delete is way meaner than dissolve, I'll tell ya that. Dissolve just melts away an edge or two you don't want, and doesn't tamper with the mesh. Delete, on the other hand, ANNIHILATES EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH! LITERALLY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! Sorry, sorry, lost my cool for a second there. But seriously, Delete, why you gotta be so rude?

Q: How'd you feel about this whole thing?
A: A lot of specific details to remember, but still easier than the Cloth Napkin. I stumbled a few times because Blender and I had a few misunderstandings, but everything's all good. One of the easiest projects I've done so far on Blender. You should try it out! It'll make you feel so accomplished because it looks pretty legit at the end. . . Well, from what I'm seeing, I conclude that it'll be totally legit in the end. Trust me.

Happy Valentine's again, my wonderful readers! Enjoy the night while it's still young!

Au Revoir, lovelies!

Is that a new constellation? 

3D Soccer Ball

Welcome back to another segment of "My Blog's Random Interviews"! Introducing your host. . . Mr. Interviewer! 

Mr. I: Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen! Today's topic, you ask? *suspenseful drum roll* DIGITAL ARTS! Ha, what do you expect from us?! Some 1st period World History lesson? Nope, nuh uh, Big N O - Sorry, that's the wrong show, folks. Now today, we'll be discussing the 3D Soccer Ball Model made by the one and only, Jackie! One and only guest, I should say.

*Loud Applause and Fangirl Screams from Audience*

Mr.I: Welcome back, Jackie! Great to see you, again! How are ya doing?

Jackie: Haha, I'm doing great, Jim. It's nice to be back. . . Again .__.

Jim (Wow, a first name!): *Nervous laugh* Uh, well, why don't we talk about your latest project? A 3D Soccer Ball, I hear.

Jackie: Oh yeah, sure. That is my latest project on Blender, and I gotta tell you Jim; It's wayyy easier than my last one!

Jim: Really now? I'd love for you to elaborate more for the audience, but I gotta stick to my questions or else I won't get paid! Am I right, folks?! *Crickets chirping - Jim clears throat* So, can you differentiate the Icosphere from the UV sphere? 

Jackie: Oh, of course! It's quite simple, really. The UV sphere, which was used in the last project, has a smoother cover, making it easier to distort. The Icosphere, on the other hand, has a hexagonal base - It has pointed edges, and is probably really sharp in real life. 

Jim: *Looks at index card* Alright, how about the modifiers? What did you use in this one?

Jackie: Well, I used two: Bevel and Subdivision Surface. And before you ask me about the differences, I'll beat you to it! Bevel was used to make the ball's texture more defined, and Subdivision was used to make the ball smoother. And because of these two, the ball looks totally legit! 

Jim: Totally, soccer balls are gray.
Jackie: Quiet, Jim! It's in the editing process.

Jim: Awesome! Now, what is the importance of keyboard shortcuts: F6, Shift G, Shift + Alt + S, Ctrl + B, and S?

Jackie: That's a lot, Jim! Let's go through this one by one.

S - scales an object

Ctrl + B - Shortcut to open Bevel's Operation Menu

Shift + Alt + S - Tinkers with the sphericity 

Shift G - Group Selection/Options

F6 - Operating Panel

Jim: Wow, I'm learning something every time you're here! Last question; Could you share your experiences with us? How'd ya feel making this 3D Soccer Ball?

Jackie: Honestly, Jim, it was easier than the last one! I didn't need to rotate all the way, or change the camera's view. It felt nice for a change. No need to stress over anything any more. I got to practice my Blender skills, learn new shortcuts, and it was fun making this Soccer Ball. I hope we have more projects like this! 

Thanks for dropping by! See you later, folks!