Learning the Blender Interface Part I : Keywords and Using the Mouse

     In order to understand the interface and explanations, certain keywords must be explained first. Let us begin by starting with just the very basic common words.

Translation/Translate: is the ability to move the object(s) in a linear way with in the 3-D space.

Rotation/Rotate: ability to move the element(s) or object(s) around a specific center and axis.

Scale: ability to change the size and/or proportion of the element(s) or object(s)

I added color to the cube for clarity

Axis/Arrows: represents the dimensions in 3-D space

x: represents the width

y: represents the height

z: represents the depth

World origin: is the intersection of all three axes and is the center of the 3-D space.

These are the common keywords for parts of a 3-D polygon. What is a polygon? Well it happens to be as Isaac Kerlow states, "closed planes bounded by straight lines" (pg. 98). Refer to the picture for help.

Face/Plane: is defined as the area bounded by lines.

Edge: is two adjacent surfaces.

Vertices/Vertex: are the points found by the intersection of two or more edges.

     Before any modeling can be done, learning the basics of the interface needs to be done first. This interface is seen when Blender is started for the very first time. The very first time I opened this program, I found out I could change my view with my mouse. Try these out and get a basic feel for it. Just remember that where ever the cursor of the mouse is pointed, that is where any movement will be centered around

• Using the mouse wheel (MW), wheel upwards, you will notice your view has zoomed in. When you wheel down, you zoom out. 
• Press down the mouse wheel and hold, then drag the mouse around and you will notice your screen will begin to move around. This allows the user to look around their object with ease and get certain angles that may need to be scene for camera views. This type of movement is a free form rotation in which there is no set axis point to rotate on.
• Hold down shift + MW roll up and down and the window will scroll vertically.
• Hold down ctrl + MW roll up and down and the window will scroll horizontally.
• Hold down shift + MW and the move the mouse around. The camera view will move from that point of view to where ever the mouse is let go.
• Hold down ctrl + MW and move the mouse around. The camera view zooms in and out more smoothly compared to using the mouse wheel.
• When you press the right mouse button and hold down over the object(s), the object(s) that are selected will be moved freely. Click again to release the object(s) in the place you want to leave them.

In the next blog post, I will discuss the actual interface parts and important keyboard binds.
Find anything else out while using the mouse, leave a comment! Or have any questions about other basic keywords that I may have left out, do not hesitate to ask!

References

Flavell, L. (2010). Beginning Blender: Open source 3D modeling, animation, and game design. New York: Apress.

Getting Started Before Modeling in 3-D

     Before any modeling can be done, there needs to be some basic research done. My first objective in my research was to figure out what kind of 3-D programs I would want to work with and what programs the industry uses the most. There are several companies in the industry that I would love to be able to work for, and I used those companies to look up what type of programs they use. For instance I found out that the program Maya is a great source to start out with for any company when it comes to modeling. The problem is, the program is very expensive. As a student, Maya provides a free student version that leaves a watermark on anything that is created with in the software. On top of that, there are software agreements that state nothing can be made and used commercially other than to learn. Because I am a student, I have the student version for Maya 2013 and I will use it to learn basics. There is another 3-D program that has been around for years and it is completely free. This completely free and open source software is called Blender. The Blender interface is a bit complicated and frustrating but it is as Ami Chopine states, "the most powerful of all the free 3-D tool sets" (pg. 11). I personally messed around with blender years ago when I was still in high school, and I loved it. From what I hear, the interface has completely changed and I must relearn it. Even though I will relearn the software, I am going to use it as my main program for projects. Now the onto the next step.

     After the research has been done for what programs to use, the next step is to take a look at the system requirements for them. For Maya, the requirements can be found at their website depending on what version is being used. The requirements for Blender can be found on their website and are pretty straight across the board as follows:

Operating Systems:

• Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
• Mac OS X 10.6 and later
• Linux
• FreeBSD

Minimal specs for Hardware:

• 32 bits, Dual Core CPU with at least 2 GHZ, and SSE2 support
• 2GB RAM
• 24 bits 1280x768 display
• Mouse or trackpad
• OpenGL Graphics Card with 512 MB RAM

Average specs for Hardware:

• 64 bits, Quad Core CPU
• 8 GB RAM
• Full HD Display with 24 bit color
• Mouse or trackpad
• OpenGL Graphics Card with 2 GB RAM

     There are specs for production level but as a beginner, there is no need to look at those specs for right now until there is an exceptional level of modeling achieved first. There is no reason to be committed to using these two programs at all. What might work for one person may not work for another. Luckily a person can try out other programs before buying them in order to get a feel for the program. So try them all out and pick what best suits the needs of completing projects.
      I happen to have a laptop that can run both programs just fine. But if I did not, I would write this information down and go to a store that sells computers, whether it was online like TigerDirect or locally such as Best Buy, and look for a computer system that can handle a bit more than the basic minimum requirements. On top of looking for a computer, don't forget to get a mouse and keyboard that will feel comfortable and will last for hours upon hours of working with them. Do some research for these products as well and read reviews from other consumers before buying anything. Some people find using tablets to be more easy for them to create models, so by all means invest in one if that style fits. Above all else, do not forget to invest in a chair that is and will be very comfortable after sitting in it for more than several hours each day. Believe it or not, sometimes during odd hours of the day, modeling can be very time consuming and it requires a lot of sitting in front of a computer.
     I did my research in my programs and I have my equipment and peripherals to keep me comfortable and happy.  Now I can move on to learning the basic keywords that are essential to know in all 3-D programs and the interface of the two programs I have decided to use.
     Are there any suggestions for any other 3-D program that you find to be useful and fun in your opinion? Leave a comment below and I will be glad to try the program out.

References


Autodesk maya. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-maya/overview

Blender. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/requirements/

Chopine, A. (2011). 3D art essentials: The fundamentals of 3D modeling, texturing, and animation. Oxford: Focal Press.

You Can Learn 3-D Modeling on Your Own

This blog is going to document my experiences from learning to do 3-D modeling on my own; and what I learn through the next several years and beyond (possibly), may help others out there as well.
     The 3-D modeling world has been an interest of mine for years and I want to learn and share that information with other people for free. Taking that information to help others understand how to model an object or use a modeling interface, will not only benefit myself, but it will also help them to grasp the subject that they may not fully understand. In order to aid with the modeling subject, I will create a blog in which I will gather information and apply it to the projects that I will complete, as well as explain what I learn through the process. The projects and information will include detailed material for keywords, visual aids, and links to outside sources I find that are extremely helpful and thorough; and I will also explain what certain words or tools are, what they do, and any extra information that can help people to keep that information in their minds easily. Not only will I have access to a lot of visual aids, but I will gather sources created by professionals who already are in the industry. By getting more involved in the industry with professionals, I can offer that inside link and process of getting involved and creating that future dream goal of working in that industry. The only way to reach that future goal in the modeling industry is through learning and applying that information, being open-minded and grasping the different techniques and ways of creating models, to give a deeper understanding of what can work for certain projects and what can't, and become versed in using the proper terms when explaining projects or issues that happen while modeling to fellow colleagues.

     I find a lot of people posting questions on where to start for 3-D modeling and I found similar questions with lots of different responses. In fact, the responses point to a lot of tutorials and how-to's on the web, but not one website goes through the tutorials and explains if it was a good learning experience or not. Or many websites claim they learn and teach, but don't explain how they got to the finished product. One example of a website that teaches is of a blogger that posts pictures of projects they have done and gives value numbers but provides no real understanding on what the values do or what the keywords are. The blogger also has set up their page to include tutorials in another area, but does not link or mention to the reader in the posts to where they could find the exact tutorial or where to look (Malk 2012). There is several websites that are out of date. One website does not explain the terms properly and has information to a lot of outside sources (McSproger 2007). While a few websites don't provide outside sources and discuss how the author has learned to do something in a 3-D modeling program. However, the website lack tutorials or real how-to links for their readers to follow or practice with(Gilbert 2013). A lot of websites do not even relate to the subject, as search engines will take keywords and match them to tags found on the website or blog. For instance, by using the '3-D modeling' keyword, it matched me to a blog written by a company called Shapeways, that does 3-D printing of plastic sculptures (Shapeways 2013). Even though the website discusses a type of 3D object, it does not pertain to the computer graphics side. These types of blogs make up most of what is on the web. There is a need for a type of blog to give proper explanations of what certain words mean and do, how they finish projects, and whether someone can learn from it.

I will learn to do 3-D Modeling on my own and share my experiences as well. Feel free to provide any criticism or suggestions. And don't hesitate to leave a comment as well.