Sunday 31 December 2017

Tuesday 28 November 2017

Basic perspective principles/notes - Quick/unfinished Drawings

This is a page of notes about perspective drawing. It's been a long time since I've drawn anything and so I wanted to complete a quick revision exercise. Hopefully it will get me back into the habit.

My aim isn't to have anything polished or finished atm. I simply want to revise some basic principles.

Here you will find some notes on very basic perspective principles/rules, some quick sketches and an unfinished line drawing along with various links. 



Reference links for One Point Perspective:
Reference links for Two Point Perspective
Perspective Drawing in Photoshop
01. Setup
Here is a reference image from chasrowe.com  showing a two point perspective system with a station point(90 degrees) and a cone of vision(60 degrees).httpwww.chasrowe.comhowToimagesperspectiveDrawing.jpg
My version:
  • Red Square= station point (with 90 degree lines extending to Vanishing Points)
  • Green Inner Circle= Cone of Vision (60 degrees - minimal distortion)
  • Light Blue Horizontal Line = Horizon
01_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI
I created some actions for the repetitive placement of the left and right vanishing points. This allows me to zoom in on a particular section and create the perspective line with a shift/click. I also made an erase action.
06_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI
06b_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI.jpg
02. Ellipses
Here are some links and notes on ellipses that, in turn, can be used to create squares in perspective.
Reference sourced from: The Bad Ellipse: Circles in Perspective - The Minor Axis is the Key
03a_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI
The following images were sourced from Here (sfsu.edu - Scott Robertson & Neville Page):
e_1
httpuserwww.sfsu.edutrogu420referenceperspectivetutorialsellipses.html
With this in mind we can create a circle with the minor and major axes.
03b_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI
When we work digitally we can squish the circle into an ellipse, which is just a circle in perspective, with the minor axis pointing towards a vanishing point and the edges of the circle touching as shown in the above image, directly above/below the circle mid point or along a perspective line extending from the mid point.

Close to, or outside of, the cone of vision distortion will cause alighnment issues. My cylinder extends out past the COV.

Here is a link to a video by Irshad Karim describing how to do this.

03_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI
The Cube by itself:
02_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI

Adding more ellipses to create a cylinder and using this "scaffolding" to rough in some shapes.
06e_PERSPECTIVE_SCI-FI

Adding some background Mech/Tech Stuff. I think  it will be a walkway. I also defined the frame region. Normally its best to frame a region far inside the cone of vision however, as I want to experiment a bit,  I've extended the scene beyond this region.
backGroundBuildingBP01

Exploring some shapes with ellipses. Note the direction of the minor axis:
backGroundBuildingBP02b

Exploring more shapes:
backGroundBuildingBP03

Forms extracted from construction lines:
backGroundBuildingBP04b

Adding a science fiction tunnel outside the cone of vision. (note: I added some wires and tubes to the cylinder but didn't like them)

backGroundBuildingBP06

Simple cross lines to obtain an even spacing. Note the direction the the minor axis in red.
tunnel03 

tunnel05 

Creating evenly spaced lines
tunnel06 

tunnel07 

Some mechanical objects:

I"ll take some progress photos and see what works and what doesn't. I'm interested to see if creating constructions, lines as rough guides, is helpful.

First a helicopter created by sketching a box and adding construction lines - like chipping away at a block of marble:

HELI_01 

Next airplane sketched from a bunch of sketched boxes with the aim of finding placement points for curves.
HELI_02

Some very quickly sketched  ideas drawn from an initial box.
Page 1:

sheet001c_nwjones_drawings 
Page 2:

sheet002d_nwjones_drawings

Page 3:sheet003_nwjones_drawings

Some progress shots complied as animated gifs:
heliDoodle 

buggyDoodle2 

Note: I was a bit lazy with my ellipses and didn't stick to the initial structure at the front. Consequently things look a bit off.

Another way to perspective freehand sketch is from the inside out. Scott peterson is a  master at this technique. Check his site out here: Scott Peterson on YouTube
This feels like modeling in 3D and starts from a basis of what, in 3D, would be called image planes for side and top views. The side view is therefore drawn along the center line and the top view on the ground plane. Positional co-ordinates are then plotted and mirrored to the other side via the ground projection. From these positions forms are built.
My first attempt is a tadpole. Note image planes on the center line, running through the center of the tadpole, and on the ground plane.
tadpole
Here is my second attempt - more made up stuff. The front curves of the plane are completely off but I like this process a lot. Practicing straight lines and ellipses should sort out some of the issues.
scfiPerspThumb001d 
Page 4:
planesSciFi01b

I'd like to choose one and redraw it into the Sci-Fi scene I started with as an experiment.
sketchBot06

Base shape from circles:
BotDev01
BotDev02
All shapes were multiplied back into the scene:
BotDev06
BotDev03

Unfinished Line drawing:
BotDev07

Here is a very old and unfinished life sketch I did - with a warped perspective. This effect can be created by keeping in mind a 5 point perspective system like the one described here: How to draw in 5-Point Perspective


Here are some old perspective drawings I created around a decade ago together with the perspective lines used to create them. They were commissioned by Republic Films.

StadiumPerspLines01 

Stadium01 

Image converted using ImgCvt 

Image converted using ImgCvt 

lastSupper01 

lastSupper_perspLines01

Thursday 12 October 2017

Blender modeling Notes


This  page documents my first steps learning blender. I'll also add to the page over the next week or two as I explore more of what blender can do. So far I'm really impressed.

Click HERE for an older interview with  Ton Roosendaal. It gives some history and context to blender.

Note: Page last added to  on 18/10/17
As blender relies heavily on numPad keys,  and the "emulate numpad" overrides various shortcuts, I'm using a numPad keyboard for easy access on the left of my keyboard.
numPad
Hotkeys:
Navigation:
  • MMB = Orbit
  • Ctl + shift + Middle Click /or/ Scroll Wheel = Zoom
  • Shift + F5 = Viewport
  • 0(numPad) = Camera Mode (Enter/Exit)
  • 5 = Orthographic Perspective
  • 1/3/7(numPad) = Front/Right/Top View
  • Ctl + 1/3/7(numPad) = Back/Left/Bottom
  • Home = Frame All
  • .(numPad) = Frame Selection
  • Shift + C = Reset Viewport
  • Shift + F = Video Game Navigation
Object Viewing - In Viewport:
  • /(numPad = Frame Selection
  • Z = Wireframe
  • Alt + Z = Toggle Texture/Shader
  • Shift + Z = Toggle rendered/Shaded
  • (Shift + B + release) + Drag = Zoom into Portion
Editing/Creating Objects:
  • Shift + A = Add Objects
  • Ctl + Tab = Switch Edge/Vertex/Face panel
  • Tab = Edit Object Mode
  • Left Click = Move 3D Cursor
  • Ctl + A = Apply objects transformations (like freeze trans)
  • Y = Edge Split
  • Ctl + 1/2/3/0 = Subdivision Amount
  • Ctl + # = Add Subdivisions
  • U = UV uwrap
  • K = Knife Tool
  • I = Inset
  • E = Extrude
  • Alt + M = Merge Vertices (options panel ex: merge to centre)
  • Ctl + R = Loop Cut(Scroll wheel to add loops - pre right click)
  • Ctl + J = Join Objects
  • Ctl + B =Bevel (scroll for subdivs)
  • G + G = Slide Vert/Edge/Face
  • V = Rip
  • Alt + V = Duplicate Edge Loop on Object
  • F = Fill/Bridge Edges/Verts
  • P = Separate Selected (Verts/Face/Edge)
  • G + O = Offset and slide vert across edge
Within the Sculpt Brush
  • D = Draw Tool
  • Click + Drag = Add
  • Shift + Click + Drag = Subtract
  • F + Drag = Brush Radius
  • Shift + F + Drag = Brush Strength
  • C = Clay Brush
  • 2 = Clay Brush
  • G = Grab Brush
  • 7 = Grab Brush
  • I = Inflate/Deflate Brush
  • 8 = Inflate/Deflate
  • Shift+5 = SculptDraw
  • Shift+6 = Smooth
  • S = Smooth Brush
  • Shift+C = Crease Brush
  • L = Layer Brush
  • 9 = Layer Brush
  • M = Mask Painting
  • 0 = Mask
  • K = Snake Hook Brush
  • Shift+T = Flatten/Contrast Brush
  • P = Pinch/Magnify Brush
  • 1 = Blob Brush
  • 3 = Clay Strips Brush
  • 4 = Crease Brush
  • 5 = Fill/Deepen
  • 6 = Flatten/Contrast Brush
  • Shift+1 = Nudge Brush
  • Shift+2 = Pinch/Magnify Brush
  • Shift+3 = Rotate
  • Shift+4 = Scrape/Peaks
  • Shift+7 = Snake Hook
  • Shift+8 = Thumb

Moving Objects:
  • G = Move  (+ X/Y/Z to Constrain)
  • S = Scale   (+ X/Y/Z to Constrain)
  • R = Rotate (+ X/Y/Z to Constrain)
  • G + 5 = Move 5 Units
  • R + 2 = Rotate 2 Units
  • W = Panel (select Bridge)
  • Shift + C = Cursor at 000 (plus frame focus)
Selecting;
  • A = Select/Deselect All
  • B(release) + Drag = Box Selection
  • B(release) + Drag + Shift = Box Deselect
  • B(release) + Left Click(drag) = Rectangle Select(add)
  • B(release) + Middle Click(drag) = Rectangle Select(Remove)
  • C + Left Click = Circle Selection(add) - (+ Scroll for Circle Radius change)
  • C(release) + Shift = Circle Selection(remove) - (+ Scroll for Circle Radius change)
  • Ctl + Left Click - Lasso Selection(add)
  • Ctl + Shift + Left Click - Lasso Selection(add)
  • Alt + Right Click = Select Edge Loop
  • Ctl + Alt + Right Click = Select Edge Ring
  • L = Select shared Verts/Edges/Faces
  • Ctl + +(numPad) / -(numPad) = Grow/Shrink Selection
Duplicating/Deleting/History/Hiding Objects:
  • H = Hide
  • Shift + H = Hide Unselected
  • Alt + H = Unhide
  • X = Delete Panel
  • Shift + D = Duplicate
  • Alt + Shift + D = Duplicate
  • Ctl + Alt + Z = Undo History Panel
Snapping/Cursor;
  • Shift + S = Snap Cursor to Selection
  • Ctl + Shift + Alt + C = Set Origin (Geo to Origin/Origin to 3D cursor etc)
  • Shift + S = Cursor options (ex: Cursor to center)
Animation:
  • Alt + A = Play/Pause
  • Shift + Alt + A = Play in Reverse
  • Left/Right Arrows = Next/Previous Frame
  • shift Left/Right Arrows = Beginning/End of Timeline
  • Shift + Up/Down Arrows = Jump Forward/Back 10 Frames
Windows & Panels:
  • Shift + Spacebar = Window Focus
  • Ctl + Ring Arrow = Scroll through window setups
  • Shift F4 = Python Console
  • Shift + F10 = UV Unwrap Window
  • F10 = Image Window
  • Shift + F7 = Editing Window (modifiers etc)
  • N = Transform Window Toggle
  • T = Tool Bar Toggle
  • Ctl + I = Invert Selection
  • Shift + F9 = Outliner
  • Shift + F3 = Node Editor
  • Shift + F11 = Text Editor
  • Shift + F7 = Properties Editor
  • Shift + F2 = Logic Editor
  • Ctl + .(NumPad) = Object Focus
  • Spacebar = Search Menu
Layers:
  • M = Move object to Layer Panel
  • 1/2/3/4 etc = Layer number
Changes - By right clicking on a menu we can add a shortcut hotkey to an item. We can also add it directly into user Preferences/Input:

addHotKeySmoothShade01
Hotkeys added:
  • Ctl + ` = Smooth Shade
I also switched the '"select with" mouse buttons around:
mouseClickSwap
I'm used to the way the Maya Viewport looks so I installed the following "Maya Lover" Theme from Here. It's just cosmetic but I like it.
mayaTheme
Modeling Practice - Ant (I'll document my first modeling attempt in blender)
  • Shift + S to center the cursor via the panel
  • Shift + A to add - mesh - cube
BLENDER_ANT_01
  •  Ctl + R to place a loop cut through the center of the object
  • Z to make the object transparent (so we can select the back faces)
  • 1(numpad) to switch to front view
  • B + Release + drag for rectangular selection of left side faces
BLENDER_ANT_02
  • Spacebar - "type add m" bring up the add modifier panel
  • Add mirror modifier
BLENDER_ANT_03
BLENDER_ANT_04.jpg
  • To constrain the central verts to the Y and Z axis we need to enable "clipping":
  • To see the mirrored mesh we need to turn on "cage to modified result":
BLENDER_ANT_05
  • Show the back facing verts so we can select them
BLENDER_ANT_06
  • Base mesh for the head, abdomen and thorax.
BLENDER_ANT_07
BLENDER_ANT_08
  • Extruding some legs
BLENDER_ANT_09
  • Within the transforms window(N) / display / Shading there are a number of Metcap shaders which are excellent for picking up surface imperfections while modeling.
BLENDER_ANT_10
  • Subdivisions with cage
BLENDER_ANT_11
  • To isolate an area for modeling the details we select the faces we want to isolate and Shift + H.
BLENDER_ANT_12
  • A little more tweaking
ant04
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Testing Out the Sculpt Brush
  • Before starting to sculpt - Apply Mirror Modifier and delete Subsurface Modifier if we are starting from a model created with the above method
BLENDER_ANT_13
  • Spacebar + "add m" to add modifier  Multiresolution
BLENDER_ANT_14
  • Switch to sculpt mode
  • For roughing in a sculpt we can switch to Dyntopo
BLENDER_ANT_16
  • Choose Brush and start sculpting
BLENDER_ANT_17
  • Hotkeys of Note: F = Brush Radius Shift F = Brush Strength
  • Sculpting from a poly UV Sphere, (in Dyntopo mode), allows us to sculpt in a similar way to zbrush - as we would in real life with clay.
faceSculpt01
Once we are happy with a Dyntopo sculpt we can retopologize the mesh in one of two ways:
  1. The easy way is to buy a script like "RetopoFlow" which appears to be similar to Maya's quad draw tools.
  2. The second/free way  is explained HERE  by Zacharias Reinhardt.
Process notes:
  • Create plane with cursor at 000.
  • Ctl + R to slice in half /  delete Left Side
  • Add Mirror modifier / enable clipping
  • Add Subsurf modifier / set as simple (not Catmull-clark)
  • Add a Shrink Wrap modifier / choose target mesh / set the offest to .002 / enable "keep above surface" / make sure the triangle icon is enbled so that we see the Verts.
  • To avoid selecting verts on the other side - (alt + b = Clipping border) - (alt + b to remove clipping border).
Alpha brushes in sculpt mode:
BLENDER_ANT_22
  • choose brush mapping style
BLENDER_ANT_23
  • We can use a stencil - (note hotkeys: RMB = move stencil / shift + RMB = Scale Stencil / Ctl + RMB = Rotate stencil)
BLENDER_ANT_24
  • Some details added to the mesh with alpha brushes
details
  • With a shiny gold met material we can see more details
BLENDER_ANT_26

Modeling with Blender's Skin Modifier

Setup:
  • Create plain(shift + C to center Pivot) / Alt + M  / Merge at center / Edit Mode / Spacebar/"Add Modifier"/ Mirror/Skin/SubDiv 
Modeling:
  • Extrude + G + Move / Ctl + A(x,y,z) for Scale / Ctl + R = Add Vert
Test - Bipedal Character:
  • Starting with Torso and Feet - a little bit tricky
new01b
  • Attempt at constructing the hand
hand01
  • Base mesh completed
baseMesh02
  • From here we could use the sculpt tools to refine the character and then retopologize the mesh once we are happy.
 In sculpt mode - start clay style sculpting:
  • Clay Brush / Area Plane 
  •  Dyntopo Enabled / + Subdivide Edges / + Brush Detail
  •  Ogre type creature created from the base mesh using the above brush settings


Blender is a much loved, free and open source 3D application with a thriving user community. It was originally created by Ton Roosendaal as an in house software tool at  NeoGeo - an animation studio he co-founded. It was later released as free creation tool.
Visit:
Open Project Films created by the Blender foundation: