Jennifer_P wrote:Cute, isn't he? But I think he needs some beady black icosphere eyes.
Click the"Set Smooth" button and it'll look close to professionally made
Jennifer's Classroom
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
Click the"Set Smooth" button and it'll look close to professionally made
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
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Jennifer_P
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Re: Jennifer's Classroom
Welcome to the class, Gabriel. 
Well, it's good to hear that your thumb ball doesn't seem to be causing any difficulty. You let me know if it does though, would you?
Well, it would look better anyway; I wouldn't call it professionally made yet though.
(Thanks anyway!) I limited the techniques I was using to the ones in the Lessons so that the class would be able to recreate it with the knowledge they have.
Well, it's good to hear that your thumb ball doesn't seem to be causing any difficulty. You let me know if it does though, would you?
Click the"Set Smooth" button and it'll look close to professionally made
Well, it would look better anyway; I wouldn't call it professionally made yet though.
(Thanks anyway!) I limited the techniques I was using to the ones in the Lessons so that the class would be able to recreate it with the knowledge they have. -
Jennifer_P
- Posts: 729
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:54 pm
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
Lesson 9
Okay guys, this is the biggie: texturing. Texturing brings models to life!
Today we're just going to slap a texture on a plane; we'll work on improving our control later.
So let's start off with a fresh scene. Delete the default cube and create a plane instead. Now (with your mouse in the 3D view window) hit the "s" key and then the "5" key and then "Enter" and you will scale the plane up to 5X its previous size. Done? Okay then, give the plane a new material. Just leave its color alone for now, it won't make a difference anyway.
So, you know how the subwindow where you change the color of the material is titled "Material" at the top? Well, look over to the right and you will see another subwindow entitled "Texture", into which the orange arrow is pointing. In the Texture subwindow, click "Add new". Okay, that's enough in this window. Now, look where the blue arrow is pointing at: a leopard skin print button which reads "Texture buttons(F6)" if you hover over it. Go ahead and click that...and you'll see a new "Texture" subwindow. And in that texture subwindow, you'll see a little menu called "Texture Type" in which you tell Blender what kind of texture you want to use. We'll be using an image for our texture (you pretty much always will be) so go ahead and choose the option "Image" in the Texture Type menu. As soon as you click it, two new subwindows, "Map Image" and "Image" pop up. In the Image subwindow, do you see where it says "Load"? Well, we'll be using that button to find an image on our computer and load it as our texture. But first, we need an image to load! Where can we get such an image?
Where to get textures, and what sort to look for
Well, that is fairly easy--do an internet search for "Free textures" and you will find thousands of textures at your fingertips, from moldy bread to wood to rusty metal to fabric. You name it, they have it. One caveat--always check the terms of use (usually you'll find them in small print at the bottom of the screen) and make sure that by using a texture you aren't agreeing to some weird license. Sometimes the author will want credit for his textures, or won't let you use them commercially (and then where would you be if Cyan restarted an UU situation with a cover charge for participating? If your Age got in, you'd be using the texture commercially--and illegally.) or something else. The best terms you can get on a texture is to find one that is "public domain." There's no copyright on those, no license, no nothing--you can alter them, sell them, use them however you please, and no one can say otherwise. So, we'll use a public domain image for our texture:
http://www.burningwell.org/gallery2/v/t ... 4.jpg.html
Save this picture to your computer somewhere where you'll remember where to find it and name it "Square grey stone wall texture". It's a good idea to give your textures descriptive names, since eventually you will build up your own little library of them and you could have more than twenty different types of stone textures.
Loading the texture
Now back to Blender. Where were we? ...Oh yes, we were about to hit "Load" in the Image subwindow. So go ahead, and click "Load", and then you'll see Blender's browsing-for-a-file screen, which works very weirdly. In the area where you would click a file to select it, there are two dots, and above those, a single dot. The double dots will take you up a level in the files, and to go down a level you just click on a file to open it like you would normally. Also, in the upper left of the screen (right below the P button) there is a button with two arrows (one pointing up and the other down) that will allow you quick access various handy locations on your computer (for example, the desktop, My Documents, the .blender file, and various drives besides C:\) Well, find "Square grey stone wall texture" and hit "Select Image". Now see how the wall image shows up in the Preview subwindow on the left?
Windows and applying the texture
Alrighty, so we have our texture loaded. Now we need to apply it. To do this, we must first split the 3D view window into two windows. This is pretty easy; just put your cursor at the intersection between light grey of the menu where File is and the dark grey of the 3D view window. When your cursor turns into a black doubleheaded arrow, right click and choose the option "Split Area" in the little menu that pops up. Now move your mouse down into the 3D view window and a grey line should split the 3D view window. If it doesn't, just keep trying until it does; it's a bit finicky I'm afraid. Click the grey line to place it, and voila, you now have two 3D view windows. Now in the pic I made with all the pretty colored arrows, see what the red arrow is pointing at? That clickable menu will change the type of window that is displaying. Notice that the 3D view window is represented by the "tic tac toe" icon and the Buttons window is represented by the "=" icon. Ooh, and look up by File...File is actually in a header bar, the header bar of the User Preferences window (represented by the "i" icon). Try changing all three windows into 3D view windows. Now change the windows you normally have back to their normal uh...windowness, but change the new window into the UV/Image Editor window (see green arrow). Meanwhile, change the 3D View window from from Object Mode or Edit Mode into UV Face Select mode. Make sure the plane is selected...
All set up? Okay, then in the UV/Image Editor window's header bar, click "Image" and choose the menu option "Open". Then locate and choose "Square grey stone wall texture" (psst--did you notice that you're in the File Browser window, represented by the file icon?). Well, that takes care of that--you should see that the plane is now covered with a square grey stone wall texture. Well, hop into Object mode now, and watch your texture disappear--eek! Don't worry, it's easy to get back. Just change your viewing type from Solid to Textured (the yellow arrow is pointing at that control). And there's your plane. Isn't she a beaut? Just think of all the things you can do with textures--you can wallpaper a room, cover a tree trunk with bark, make your orange cone look like it's made out of real plastic, make rocky walls, sandy dunes, snowbanks, and skydomes--and oh so much more!
Hooray!
Okay guys, this is the biggie: texturing. Texturing brings models to life!
Today we're just going to slap a texture on a plane; we'll work on improving our control later. So let's start off with a fresh scene. Delete the default cube and create a plane instead. Now (with your mouse in the 3D view window) hit the "s" key and then the "5" key and then "Enter" and you will scale the plane up to 5X its previous size. Done? Okay then, give the plane a new material. Just leave its color alone for now, it won't make a difference anyway.
So, you know how the subwindow where you change the color of the material is titled "Material" at the top? Well, look over to the right and you will see another subwindow entitled "Texture", into which the orange arrow is pointing. In the Texture subwindow, click "Add new". Okay, that's enough in this window. Now, look where the blue arrow is pointing at: a leopard skin print button which reads "Texture buttons(F6)" if you hover over it. Go ahead and click that...and you'll see a new "Texture" subwindow. And in that texture subwindow, you'll see a little menu called "Texture Type" in which you tell Blender what kind of texture you want to use. We'll be using an image for our texture (you pretty much always will be) so go ahead and choose the option "Image" in the Texture Type menu. As soon as you click it, two new subwindows, "Map Image" and "Image" pop up. In the Image subwindow, do you see where it says "Load"? Well, we'll be using that button to find an image on our computer and load it as our texture. But first, we need an image to load! Where can we get such an image?
Where to get textures, and what sort to look for
Well, that is fairly easy--do an internet search for "Free textures" and you will find thousands of textures at your fingertips, from moldy bread to wood to rusty metal to fabric. You name it, they have it. One caveat--always check the terms of use (usually you'll find them in small print at the bottom of the screen) and make sure that by using a texture you aren't agreeing to some weird license. Sometimes the author will want credit for his textures, or won't let you use them commercially (and then where would you be if Cyan restarted an UU situation with a cover charge for participating? If your Age got in, you'd be using the texture commercially--and illegally.) or something else. The best terms you can get on a texture is to find one that is "public domain." There's no copyright on those, no license, no nothing--you can alter them, sell them, use them however you please, and no one can say otherwise. So, we'll use a public domain image for our texture:
http://www.burningwell.org/gallery2/v/t ... 4.jpg.html
Save this picture to your computer somewhere where you'll remember where to find it and name it "Square grey stone wall texture". It's a good idea to give your textures descriptive names, since eventually you will build up your own little library of them and you could have more than twenty different types of stone textures.
Loading the texture
Now back to Blender. Where were we? ...Oh yes, we were about to hit "Load" in the Image subwindow. So go ahead, and click "Load", and then you'll see Blender's browsing-for-a-file screen, which works very weirdly. In the area where you would click a file to select it, there are two dots, and above those, a single dot. The double dots will take you up a level in the files, and to go down a level you just click on a file to open it like you would normally. Also, in the upper left of the screen (right below the P button) there is a button with two arrows (one pointing up and the other down) that will allow you quick access various handy locations on your computer (for example, the desktop, My Documents, the .blender file, and various drives besides C:\) Well, find "Square grey stone wall texture" and hit "Select Image". Now see how the wall image shows up in the Preview subwindow on the left?
Windows and applying the texture
Alrighty, so we have our texture loaded. Now we need to apply it. To do this, we must first split the 3D view window into two windows. This is pretty easy; just put your cursor at the intersection between light grey of the menu where File is and the dark grey of the 3D view window. When your cursor turns into a black doubleheaded arrow, right click and choose the option "Split Area" in the little menu that pops up. Now move your mouse down into the 3D view window and a grey line should split the 3D view window. If it doesn't, just keep trying until it does; it's a bit finicky I'm afraid. Click the grey line to place it, and voila, you now have two 3D view windows. Now in the pic I made with all the pretty colored arrows, see what the red arrow is pointing at? That clickable menu will change the type of window that is displaying. Notice that the 3D view window is represented by the "tic tac toe" icon and the Buttons window is represented by the "=" icon. Ooh, and look up by File...File is actually in a header bar, the header bar of the User Preferences window (represented by the "i" icon). Try changing all three windows into 3D view windows. Now change the windows you normally have back to their normal uh...windowness, but change the new window into the UV/Image Editor window (see green arrow). Meanwhile, change the 3D View window from from Object Mode or Edit Mode into UV Face Select mode. Make sure the plane is selected...
All set up? Okay, then in the UV/Image Editor window's header bar, click "Image" and choose the menu option "Open". Then locate and choose "Square grey stone wall texture" (psst--did you notice that you're in the File Browser window, represented by the file icon?). Well, that takes care of that--you should see that the plane is now covered with a square grey stone wall texture. Well, hop into Object mode now, and watch your texture disappear--eek! Don't worry, it's easy to get back. Just change your viewing type from Solid to Textured (the yellow arrow is pointing at that control). And there's your plane. Isn't she a beaut? Just think of all the things you can do with textures--you can wallpaper a room, cover a tree trunk with bark, make your orange cone look like it's made out of real plastic, make rocky walls, sandy dunes, snowbanks, and skydomes--and oh so much more!
Hooray!
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
Oooo I can not wait to get to here and start to texture. These leesons are great, cheers.
Szark
Szark
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Jennifer_P
- Posts: 729
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:54 pm
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
Oh yeah, texturing just increases a model's beauty oh so much.
So how's everybody doing? Any problems, questions?
So how's everybody doing? Any problems, questions?
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pappou
- Posts: 269
- Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:27 am
- MOULa KI#: 65259
- Location: U of Texas @ Arlington (ret)
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
My big problem is not being able to remember past lessons.
I know -- i just need to go back and practice them. [Also need to work in one or two other little things to keep the rent money coming in]
The stone wall was a snap; what i am working on presently, is finding the 'Orange arrow'. [Just joshin'] What i should be working on is building textures as beautiful as D'eux's. I tried to patch up a 4 story courtyard wall today, and it is terrible. Just shows i don't even know PhotoShop that well.
Anyway, here is one of the stone wall textures i worked on in the meantime; i have had no luck in placing it onto a cube -- many problems with that. But guess that lesson will be forthcoming?
Your lessons are very good Jennifer. I could never have figured this out from the Noob series.
Edit PS: Just realized that it was my fault on the 'Orange Arrow'; my copy of Lesson 9 must have cut off the end of the screen shot. My bad.
I know -- i just need to go back and practice them. [Also need to work in one or two other little things to keep the rent money coming in]
The stone wall was a snap; what i am working on presently, is finding the 'Orange arrow'. [Just joshin'] What i should be working on is building textures as beautiful as D'eux's. I tried to patch up a 4 story courtyard wall today, and it is terrible. Just shows i don't even know PhotoShop that well.
Anyway, here is one of the stone wall textures i worked on in the meantime; i have had no luck in placing it onto a cube -- many problems with that. But guess that lesson will be forthcoming?
Your lessons are very good Jennifer. I could never have figured this out from the Noob series.
Edit PS: Just realized that it was my fault on the 'Orange Arrow'; my copy of Lesson 9 must have cut off the end of the screen shot. My bad.
- Attachments
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- Les9-5 Stone Wall 3 small.jpg (56.22 KiB) Viewed 3937 times
pappou
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pappou
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Re: Jennifer's Classroom
I hate to bother you with this thing again, Jennifer, but could you lay out precisely which buttons to push when you say:
..................."Give the plane a new material"
[as you did at the beginning of Lesson 9]
thanks
..................."Give the plane a new material"
[as you did at the beginning of Lesson 9]
thanks
pappou
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pappou
- Posts: 269
- Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:27 am
- MOULa KI#: 65259
- Location: U of Texas @ Arlington (ret)
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
Oh, pain, pane, nothing but pain.
I was trying to figure out how to carve out the cube to make a room, then decided i better settle for decorating its exterior first. Good thing. I find i cannot even get <Texture> on the far right side except in a new window, so i cannot use <Add New> to brick up the other wall:
When i can get all the textures together, i plan to use the Jennifer pavers for the floor in the house.
I was trying to figure out how to carve out the cube to make a room, then decided i better settle for decorating its exterior first. Good thing. I find i cannot even get <Texture> on the far right side except in a new window, so i cannot use <Add New> to brick up the other wall:
- Jennifer stone house.jpg (17.18 KiB) Viewed 3885 times
When i can get all the textures together, i plan to use the Jennifer pavers for the floor in the house.
pappou
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Jennifer_P
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- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:54 pm
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
Agh, I hate to say it, but I don't think I'm going to be able to help you out until Saturday (at the earliest). Work and school have gobbled up my free time! 
But maybe one of the other kind GoW forum members can work this out before then?
Eh, really I need to put more review and less new stuff in the lessons I guess. What's the good of picking up a new tidbit of knowledge if an old tidbit falls out at the same time?
Yes, more advanced texturing will be in the next lesson...
Sorry I can't get back to you now on this!
But maybe one of the other kind GoW forum members can work this out before then? I know -- i just need to go back and practice them. [Also need to work in one or two other little things to keep the rent money coming in]
Eh, really I need to put more review and less new stuff in the lessons I guess. What's the good of picking up a new tidbit of knowledge if an old tidbit falls out at the same time?
Anyway, here is one of the stone wall textures i worked on in the meantime; i have had no luck in placing it onto a cube -- many problems with that. But guess that lesson will be forthcoming?
Yes, more advanced texturing will be in the next lesson...
Sorry I can't get back to you now on this!
Re: Jennifer's Classroom
pappou wrote:Oh, pain, pane, nothing but pain.
I was trying to figure out how to carve out the cube to make a room, then decided i better settle for decorating its exterior first. Good thing. I find i cannot even get <Texture> on the far right side except in a new window, so i cannot use <Add New> to brick up the other wall:
When i can get all the textures together, i plan to use the Jennifer pavers for the floor in the house.
If you've seen my shell and tried to work out how I did the chute, which is the same method for carving out the inside of a mesh follow this link
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Booleans
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all