Jennifer's Classroom

[Jennifer_P]

Well, I'll be jiggered Sophia--it looks like you don't have a UV Face Select Mode in your mode selection options! For me it's right between Vertex Paint and Sculpt Mode...Hmm...When you first open Blender, you know that secondary little black window that opens up? What does it say when you first open Blender? Does it say, "Compiled with Python version 2.5.
Checking for installed Python... got it!" ? And you're sure you've got 2.45, with the maroon bar at the upper right on the screen, and the panel with the flowers that appears when you first open Blender and disappears as soon as you move your mouse? From what I'm reading, in some of the "later" versions of Blender they're removing UV Face Select Mode and integrating that functionality into Edit Mode...I wonder if I'm the one who needs to upgrade? Well, I guess just see what you can do in Edit Mode for now, and I'll get back to you before I post the next lesson in about week or so, and figure out what needs to be done on both of our ends.

Btw, with a little help I managed to get my first age converted and then I found out I misjudged of the perspective of my "huge age" just a TEENY tiny little tad...

Teehehehehe--I recall one of our writers (I forget who) made this Age and when he linked in, he couldn't find it anywhere...then he realized he was standing on top of it! For reference purposes, you can create a cylinder that is 6 Blender Units tall--that's about the size of an Uru avatar.

And cute porcupine. Did you vertex paint him at all, or did you just render the picture in Solid view? And the legs are very pokey, I see...Can you get them to be more rounded? Have you tried all the different types of proportional edit falloff that are available just to the right of the button with which you turn proportional edit falloff on and off? And did you scroll your mouse while moving a vertex around, in order to increase and decrease the influence of proportional edit falloff?

I like the porcupine, but now I'm not sure if I want to post the picture I was going to under something that good! I still only have used basic shapes all streached out in different ways really, and I couldn't get my age to export that's for sure!

Hehe, go ahead and post it, Ehren. Modeling is actually pretty much about stretching basic shapes around! And Age exporting issue, huh? Bummer, I've had those (I'm having one now, actually, just don't have the time (or grit ) to deal with it). You should post on the Builders forum and ask for help; exporting issues are a real pain to try to fix on your own!!

[Sophia]

When you first open Blender, you know that secondary little black window that opens up? What does it say when you first open Blender? Does it say, "Compiled with Python version 2.5.
Checking for installed Python... got it!" ?

Yes, Jennifer, that is what it says!

And you're sure you've got 2.45, with the maroon bar at the upper right on the screen, and the panel with the flowers that appears when you first open Blender and disappears as soon as you move your mouse?

Jennifer, here is the picture I get when I open Blender, not exactly a bunch of flowers but it DOES say 2.45

Show Spoiler

blender.jpg (18.05 KiB) Viewed 3571 times

Heh, I just found the spoiler tag too

Jennifer, never mind, I reinstalled Blender and now everything is well, so please discard this message. I see it in the menu now, loud and clear! Yippee!

[Pryftan]

Oh jeez, I'm still running 2.44.

I've definitely been away too long.

[Nadnerb]

Regarding the startup image you posted:
That is 2.45.15, or 2.46 RC1. The UV edit mode no longer exists for you because it is now the same as edit mode.

[Ehren]

I got an idea on how to do a slightly different kind of tree, with lots of cones, and fairly carefull placement. I guess this idea has probably been done before, but I thought of it on my own at the time anyway...

Show Spoiler

So now my little art project looks like this

Show Spoiler

Pine tree almost looks like something someone made with construction paper.

[Sophia]

Lovely! Very nice indeed Nadnerb, funny thing though, I could not get it to work in RC1, the textures showed up in Blender but did not export to Uru. Anyway, I downloaded the "right" version 2.45 and I am all right now. BTW, why would you use vertex painting when you can have graphics textures? It seems a bit redundant... unless you wish to create a cartoon or something.

[Jennifer_P]

Good idea on how to make a pine tree there, Ehren--it looks quite nice, actually; I'm going to add that to the lesson with the trees in it as an additional exercise.

BTW, why would you use vertex painting when you can have graphics textures? It seems a bit redundant... unless you wish to create a cartoon or something.

Well, using vertex painting can make a game run faster than using a texture (although if you used a ton of vertices to make the vertex painting look better, that would be another story). So, you might have various scenarios in which you really don't need a detailed texture--for example, if the player will be looking at the painted object through a thick mist, if the object will always be too far away to see, if a place is too dark or shadowy to make out details in, etc. So then you'd get better performance by using a vertex painting rather than a texture. And I'm glad that Blender is working for you again...

[Sophia]

Thanks, yes, I am too, I am having so much fun with it... like Ehren, I had given up all hope before, it just seemed too complicated. Now, for the first time, with your lessons modeling seems within reach. I am really enjoying it and I am getting better (ah strike that, let's call it less terrible lol) all the time

[Corvus]

Your lessons are great, Jennifer, and I'm enjoying them very much.
I wanted to let you see some of my "homework":

Lesson7/Vertex Painting Show Spoiler

Lesson 8/Extrusion Show Spoiler

I have some difficulties with the Proportional Edit Fallout, pulling the vertices as far and in the direction I want them, but I'm keeping exercising.

I'm still working on the pillar, but I'm not satisfied with what I have so far.

[Jennifer_P]

Woah, that's some super work Corvus--especially on the porcupine. He's so cute I just want to snuggle him even though he's all prickly! And you've also done a very good job coloring Suzanne; she looks very realistic. You can see why vertex painting can work, if the object being painted is at a distance or somehow made difficult to make out.

I have some difficulties with the Proportional Edit Fallout, pulling the vertices as far and in the direction I want them, but I'm keeping exercising.

Hm, well, keep it up, and let me know if you find any specific barriers that are preventing you from going forward with the tool.

I'm still working on the pillar, but I'm not satisfied with what I have so far.

Yeah, that pillar's going to push your skills to the limit--it should just be possible with the knowledge you have, however. And after finishing it, think how easy these pillars will be to make...

By the way, do you notice that they just made one pillar and reproduced it throughout the scene? A good way to save time...But they didn't rotate the pillars to make the texture look different on each one! Naughty, naughty...