Author: John M Blain

2.54+
Blender 3D
Computer Modeling and Animation
Blender 3D is a an open source freeware program maintained by the Blender
Foundation. The program can be downloaded, free of charge, from www.blender.org
Learning Blender is not easy but it has limitless possibilities and will give you an
understanding of the complexities of computer animation. Due to the complexity it
is not possible to cover everything. This manual is designed for beginners to help
with the very basics of computer animation using Blender 3D. The subect matter in
this publication is aimed at removing some of the frustration from the learning
process. Blender 3D is a wonderful application, especially at the price, but one maor
drawbac! is the lac! of basic instruction. Documentation has always lagged behind
development. There is a multitude of free information available on the "#T$%#$T
from various sites in the form of tutorials. &uch of the information is relevant to
earlier versions of the program and since there has been a dramatic change to the
interface with the introduction of version '.()* " believes that a new student would
find learning Blender challenging. This manual is an attempt to remove some of the
pain and relieve frustration by setting out the basics.
The manual has been written by trial and error in finding the way between Blender
'.+, and Blender '.()*. " trust you will find the information informative and useful.
This &anual "s -ritten .sing Blender '.(+*
Blender Versions
Blender 3D has been around for a considerable time. /n starting the program the
0raphical .ser "nterface show a panel with the version number in the center of the
screen. /n each release this panel has been changed to identify the version. The cover
of this manual shows the historical array of version number panels . Blender has
developed over time and as that development has evolved new releases 1versions2 of
the program have been made available. The program reached the stage where the
developers considered that a complete overhaul of the 0raphical .ser "nterface 10."2
was called for. 3ersion '.+, was the last of the old and at the time of writing version
2.54 beta is the current version. The 0." of 2.5* is completely different to '.+, and
the frustration of learning the new interface without documentation has prompted the
writing of this manual.
Graphical User nter!ace
The 0raphical .ser "nterface 10."2 is the arrangement of -indows, 4anels and
Buttons which allow you, the user, to interact with the program. The interaction ta!es
place through inputs via the computer !eyboard and mouse.
"n giving instructions in the use of the program with reference to !eyboard and mouse
actions a series of commands has evolved. The list of commands is extensive and it is
not recommended that a new user attempts to memorise the list without
understanding of the meaning. 5s you progress through this manual many of the
commands are repeated over and over and you soon find that it becomes second
nature. /f course you will forget the obscure commands therefore a is listing is
provided in the 5ppendix to this manual.
0ood Luc!
and
$noy the $xperience.
6ohn & Blain
Contents
How to Get Blender
Blender can be downloaded from www.blender .org
CH01- The Blender Interface
01-Blender Screen
02-User Preference Window
03-Preset Interface Arrangeent
0!-3" Window
0#-Window $odes
0%-&a'ers
0(-$o)ing in 3" S*ace
0+- Blender ,iew $en-
0!-Pro*erties Window
0#-Blender Windows
0%-Console Windows
0(-.-tliner Window
0+-Te/t 0ditor Window
The Blender Screen
When Blender first opens the screen displays as shown below. The screen shows the
Graphical User Interface (GUI) fore Blender.
On some operating
systems the screen may
not display full sie on
start up. !lic" on the
e#pansion button

in the upper $% corner
of the screen.
The Blender screen
opens with the &ersion
'anel slap bang in the
middle .
!lic" anywhere in the screen to remo(e this 'anel.
The )efault Blender *creen displays with fi(e windows opened.
Info Window
Besides the windows displayed there are ele(en other window types a(ailable for
selection. +oo" at the lower +% corner of the ,) Window and note the Icon .
This is the Icon representing the ,) Window. -ach window has an Icon
displayed in the upper or lower +% corner of the window representing the window
type.
!lic"ing on any of the window Icons displays a drop down
selection menu for selecting a different type of window.
*electing a different window from the menu changes the
current window into the type selected.
-#ample. In the lower +% corner of the ,) Window clic" on
the icon with the mouse cursor . *elect (clic") /Graph -ditor/.
The window changes to the Graph -ditor window. !lic" on the
Graph -ditor icon 0 select /,) &iew/. The window re(erts to
the ,) Window.
1ny window may be changed to a different window type in this
way.
-(ery window and panel within a window may be resied. 'lace the mouse cursor on
a window or panel border and it changes to a double headed arrow.
!lic" and hold with the +% mouse button ( !l" +2B for future ) and drag the arrow
to resie the panel or window. This wor"s on both horiontal and (ertical borders.
-(ery window is able to be di(ided to form a new window. In apposing corners of
each window there is a small cross hatched triangle.
When the mouse cursor is placed on the cross hatching it changes to a white cross.
!lic"3 hold and drag the cross into the window and it di(ides into two identical
copies of the original window. One copy may then be changed to another window
type as pre(iously described.
2ouse cursor on
cross hatching
!lic" %old and )rag to ma"e new window
4ew Window
Window Type *election 2enu
To cancel a window place the mouse cursor on the
cross hatching ( changes to cross ) and drag it out
of the window into the window to be canceled. 1
large arrow appears pointing into the window to
be canceled. !l" +2B and the window is
cancelled.
The indi(idual windows will be e#plained as we progress through the document but
first we need to understand the components of a window in general terms.
Window Type Icon Window %eader
Window Type Icon %eader
)rop )own *election 2enu
Buttons
'anel ( Tool shelf panel)
Window
One of the great features of Blender is that the GUI ( Graphical User Interface) is
able to be modified to suit the preference of indi(idual users. We ha(e mentioned
how to resie windows and panels and how to split and cancel windows. There are
many other features which can be changed. 1t this stage we will demonstrate an
e#ample 5ust to show how this is done. The possibilities are endless so li"e many
things in blender you will ha(e to learn to e#periment and wor" out things for
yourself. That may sound li"e a cop6out but as with life you can/t be lead by the hand
and spoon fed all the time. The e#ample will introduce you to the User Preference
Window.
User Preference Windows
If you are li"e me and sometimes find it difficult to see things on the screen
especially against Blender/s se#y sultry dar" ,) Window bac"ground then you can
fi# it.
)i(ide the ,) Window in two (*ee the section on that) and ma"e one part the User
'reference Window.
Go to the top of the window and clic" on /Themes/. 1t the $%* of the window you
see a list of the different windows. !lic" on /,) &iew/. 7ou will see a whole bunch of
colored panels with headings ne#t to them. 1t the bottom of the first column you will
see /Window Bac"ground/. This is the grey colored panel which is the color of the ,)
Window bac"ground. !lic" on the panel and a color pic"er will display.
1t the $%* of the pic"er is a (ertical bar showing a color gradient from white at the
top to blac" at the bottom with a white dot in the middle. !lic" on the dot and drag it
upwards. *ee the bac"ground color of the ,) Window lighten up. The color pic"er
also lightens up. 7ou can clic" anywhere in the colored circle to change the ,)
Window to any color you li"e. 1t the bottom of the User 'reference Window clic" on
/*a(e 1s )efault/ and this sets the bac"ground color for the remainder of the session.
If you clic" around the User 'reference Window you will see that there are many
many options. 8eel free to e#periment. If you goof up 5ust press /$eset to )efault
Theme/ also at the bottom of the window.
,) Window with !olor *elected
)rag
Up
Preset Interface Arrangements
While still on the sub5ect of Graphical User Interfaces we will point out that Blender
as some preset arrangements for wor"ing on different aspects in the program.
In the /Info Window/ header at the top of the default screen arrangement to the $% of
the /%elp/ button there is a little window button with a panel with /)efault/ in it.
)efault is referring to the default Blender screen arrangement or GUI. 'lacing the
mouse cursor o(er the window button displays /Browse I) data/ which isn/t (ery
helpful when you are trying to figure out what the button is for. !lic"ing on the
button howe(er displays a drop down selection menu with a choice of screen
arrangement options. 7ou will see that /)efault/ is highlighted in blue. !lic"ing on
any of the options changes the screen arrangement with window types appropriate for
the named aspect of the program.
Window Button
*earch Bar 0 Type in a Word to *earch
The 3D Window
Before we can actually create anything in Blender we need to understand the 3D
Window. This is where we create a scene. No! we are not going to loose our blocks
and cause a disturbance. Its a scene like in a movie.
To begin we should understand the basic concet of creating something with
comuter grahics. To start with the scene is created. The scene may be static or
animated. In either case the scene is rendered to make a comuter image in the case
of a static scene or to create a comuter animation in the case of an animated scene.
Images are rendered to a number of file formats such as !"#$ or "N$ while
animations are rendered into video files. The scene is set u in the 3D Window.
The default 3D Window in Blender is shown below.
The window comrises a %ain Window anel and a side Tool &helf anel. The 3D
Window header is the stri across the bottom of the window with all the buttons.
The default 3D Window contains a 'ube ob(ect) a *am and a 'amera. Without the
lam or camera nothing will render which makes sense since if there is no light and
nothing to see anything with it make life retty difficult.
Tool &helf "anel
%ain Window
+eader
'amera
*am
'ube ,b(ect
The Tool &helf anel can be hidden from view by ressing the T -ey on the
keyboard. "ress T -ey again to reveal it again. This rocess is referred to as Toggle.
Besides the Tool &helf there is another anel) the ,b(ect "roerties anel) which by
default is hidden. "ress the N -ey to show the anel. +ere you see values ertaining
to the ,b(ect that is selected in the 3D Window.
By default the 'ube is selected as shown by the orange outline around the cube. .n
,b(ect is deselected by ressing the . -ey and selected by clicking on it with the
right mouse button /'lk 0%B1.
Try it out2 . -ey/deselect1 3 'amera 'lk 0%B /select 'amera1 4. -ey /deselect1 3
'ube 'lk 0%B / select the 'ube again1. I5m trying you out with my abbreviation for
later.
Note that if you . -ey /deselect1 then . -ey a second time you will select everything
in the 3D Window.
Note also that with the ,b(ect "roerties anel dislayed the values change according
to which ob(ect you have selected. .t this stage do not be concerned with the values
we are (ust getting the broad outline of things.
0emember that in the 3D Window we are seeing a three dimensional reresentation
of a world inside the comuter. The s6uared grid in the scene reresents the
hori7ontal mid lane of the world on the 8 and 9 a:is. The green line on the grid is
;alues ertaining to 'ube ,b(ect
the 9 a:is and the red line is the 8 a:is. The vertical a:is is the < a:is. If you look at
the lower *+ corner of the window you see these a:is dislayed. 9ou also see in
white the name of the ,b(ect selected.
The red green and blue arrows on the 'ube ob(ect are a 3D maniulator which is a
device for moving the ob(ect about in the scene. This will be discuses in detail later
but for now we will use it to move the cube. 'lick on the red arrow and holding the
mouse button down drag the mouse to the right. The 'ube outline turns white in the
rocess indicating that it is in grab mode. 0elease *%B /left mouse button1 and the
'ube stays where it is.
We moved the 'ube so that you can see the small
circle with the cross hairs at the center of the world.
This is the 3D 'ursor / Not the %ouse 'ursor1. If
you click anywhere in the scene with the mouse the
3D 'ursor relocates to wherever you clicked. Now if
you were to introduce another ,b(ect into the scene
that ob(ect would be located at the location of the 3D 'ursor.
The 'ube ,b(ect is called a 5"rimitive5 which is one of ten basic shaes available in
Blender from which to commence modeling. 'lick on 5.dd5 in the Info Window
header then in the dro down lace the mouse cursor on 5%esh5 to see the list of
"rimitives. 9ou can click on one to add it to the scene. .nother way to do this is to
"ress &hift = . -ey on the keyboard to dislay the same list.
%aniulator shown on 'ircle
3D 'urser
Blender "rimitives
Window Modes
The 3D Widow by default is oened in ,b(ect %ode. 9ou
will see this in the window header. By clicking on the
dro down selection menu it is able to select one of the
other modes.
.t this stage we only need be concerned with the #dit
%ode otion. ,b(ect mode allows us to move) rotate and
scale an ob(ect in the scene while edit mode allows us to
change the shae of the ob(ect.
To change between the two modes you can select the
mode from the dro down in the header but since it is
common to be switching between ,b(ect and #dit mode
ressing the Tab -ey toggles between modes
With the 'ube selected in the 3D Window and the mouse
cursor ositioned in the window ress 5Tab5. 9ou will see
the ob(ect shown with its edges drawn in orange with dots
at each corner. The significance of this will be discussed
in detail later. >or now toggle back to ,b(ect %ode.
Layers
*ike many other grahics rograms Blender uses layers to aid in constructing
comle: scenes. Note the dislay in the 3D Window header. This reresents ?@
searate layers. Imagine sheets of transarent drawing sheets with different items on
each sheet then laced one on to the other. #ach s6uare reresents one sheet. The
orange dot in the first s6uare indicates that the selected ob(ect is on the first layer. The
fact that the first s6uare is shaded tells us that we are looking at the first layer.
To move to another layer click on one of the s6uares. It becomes shaded indicating
the layer is being seen in the window. If you click on s6uare ? the screen shows an
emty layer. The orange dot remains in s6uare A indicating that there is an ob(ect
selected in layer A. $o back to s6uare A.
To move the 'ube ob(ect to layer ? first select the 'ube in the 3D Window. "ress %
-ey and the 5%ove To *ayer5
window aears. 'lick on s6uare ?
and the 'ube is moved to layer ? as
indicated by the orange dot
dislayed in s6uare ? in the window
header.
Note there is still a dot in s6uare A.
This shows that there are ob(ects on
layer A) the 'amera and the *am.
To relace the 'ube in layer A click
on s6uare ? in the header) ress %
-ey with the cursor in the window
and click on s6uare A in the 5%ove
To *ayer Window5.
'lick to move 'ube to
layer ?
,range dot shows ,b(ect on layer A &haded s6uare
indicates *ayer A being viewed.
Moving in 3D Space
In a 3D program, not only do you have to worry about where you are in 2 dimensions
(height and width), but you also need to consider depth (how close or far away).
Before you can wor in 3D space, you should have some sills in 2D drawing and
layout. !oving around in the 3D window is controlled by the mouse and the
eyboard number pad.
"he Blender default scene opens in what is termed #ser $erspective view which
allows you to move ob%ects about in a 3D window. &ometimes it is more convenient
and easier to see how far ob%ects are separated by using separate orthographic views.
"hin of a standard 3'view orthographic drawing ' top, front and right side views.
"hese views match up with the Number Pad (, ) and 3 eys (loo at their
arrangement on the eyboard' %ust lie the views). $ut your cursor in the 3D window
and try pressing those numbers.
*ote however that when moving from the #ser $erspective view to either of the
orthographic views, at first you get a "op, +ront or ,nd perspective view. -oo at the
-amp and you see a line pointing towards the .ube. $ress *um $ad / to get the true
orthographic view. $ressing *um $ad / again toggles bac to the perspective view.
$ressing *um $ad 0 will put you into camera view (what the camera sees). "o get
bac to the #ser $erspective view press *um $ad / twice. 1ne press gets a #ser
1rthographic view the second press gets the #ser $erspective view. But hey2 Its not
3uiet the same as we had in the default scene. 4e need to rotate the view a bit. .lic
*um $ad ( 5 "op 6iew #ser $erspective
*um $ad ) 5 +ront 6iew
*um $ad 3 5 ,nd 6iew
and hold the middle mouse button and wiggle it around a bit. NOT TOO MUCH!
7ou will see the scene rotating in the window. 4iggle and practice is the best way to
learn. "his all sounds a bit complicated but you will soon get used to it.
4hen you go to .amera view most of the window gets shaded in leaving a small
window in the middle with a dotted line around it.
"he window in the middle is the part that will actually render to an image. "he other
solid line rectangle is the camera itself. 8ight clic on the outer solid line and it turns
orange. 7ou have the camera selected. 7ou can now move and rotate the camera lie
any ob%ect in any view. 4e haven9t actually covered that yet so hold fire for while.
"he shading in the camera view is called 9$assepartout9 and can be removed to let you
have a clear view of everything in the scene. 4e will show you how later.
"he number pad arrow eys (2,:,;,<) will rotate you around in 3D space (Not in
Camera View). "he =>? and ='? eys on the number pad will @oom in and out. "he
number pad =.? (period or decimal) ey will center your view on the selected ob%ect
on yourwindow.
"he mouse serves a number of functions. "he -eft !ouse Button (-!B) will move
the 3D cursor around on the screen and is used for dragging windows and selecting
ob%ects. 4herever the 3D cursor is located is where the neAt ob%ect you add will be
placed. "he 3D cursor serves other purposes that we will discuss later. "he 8ight
!ouse Button (8!B) is used to select ob%ects or verticies in ,dit mode. "he mouse
wheel serves two purposes. &crolling the wheel @ooms in and out (lie the > and 5
*um $ad eys). Bolding down &hift and the !ouse 4heel will let you pan around
on the screen.
.l 8!B to select .amera
Blender View Menu
"he 6iew !enu showing the full range of options to manipulate viewports.
The Properties Window
The 3D Window is the place where you set up your scene and see what you are
creating and where you are going. The Properties Window on the other hand is the
engine room with all the controls that drive everything.
The Properties Window is the main part of the vertical panel at the RH of the screen.
The Properties Window controls what you see in the 3D Window, how obects move
and behave and finally how the scene renders. !t controls how your artificial world is
configured, how everything in the scene appears, moves and interacts with everything
else.
To get an insight into what the Properties Window does in practical terms we can
loo" at the row of buttons displayed in the window header. These buttons are the
starting point for everything that happens.
#y default #lender opens the Properties Window in the default screen arrangement
with the Render button active and with the window containing all the render buttons
and values. The render button is seen highlighted in blue.
Render$ How the screen renders.
%cene$ #asic scene functions.
World$ &ontrols for scene bac"ground.
'bect$ &ontrols for the selected obect.
'bect &onstraint$ !nteraction with other obects.
(odifiers$ )ffect the selected obect.
'bect data$ Data effecting the selected obect.
(aterials$ How the obect appears * color +.
Te,tures$ How the obects surface loo"s.
Particles$ 'bect can emit particle effects.
Physics$ How the obect behaves.
Properties Window Header
-ote$ !n the 3D Window the default &ube obect is selected as seen by the orange
outline. #uttons that display in the Properties window header vary depending on what
is selected in the 3D Window. Try clic"ing R(# on the &amera then the .amp and
bac" on the &ube. /ou will see the buttons in the header change.
0bove is a diagram showing the default array of header buttons.
!t is not the intention to describe the function of every button and value in the
Properties window. The specific operation of buttons and controls will be
demonstrated as you progress through this document and even then it will be up to
you to e,periment and record as you go.
&lic"ing on each of the buttons in the header changes the display of buttons and
controls in the main window. The buttons and controls are separated into panels
called Tabs. %ome tabs are open and some are closed. &lic"ing on the little triangle in
front of the tab name toggles the tab open or closed. With some buttons selected there
are too many tabs to fit in the window. When this happens a scroll bar appears at the
RH% of the window.
The Properties window may be resi1ed by dragging the border and may be changed
to another window type if re2uired.
The Blender Windows
The application of the Blender Windows will be explained as you
progress through the different sections of the manual. There are
some windows however that require special mention since they
have a more general application rather than applying to a specific
topic. For that reason, when sticking to the basics, they can be
overlooked.
They are worth a mention here to make you aware.
Console Windows
The console window is where you wold
go if you get into the writing of the
program using ython !cript. ython is
the programing language of Blender.
Outliner Window
The "utliner Window gives you a
visual display of everything in your
scene and shows how the different
items are connected. For example if you
click on the little cross next to #$ube#
you get #$ube# and if you click again
you see that it has a material.
Text Editor Windows
The Text %ditor is &ust that, a text editor.
When you create something in Blender
and save the .blend file to use again
later you can write yourself notes in the
Text %ditor and what you write will be
saved in the .blend file. This is very
handy for a bad memory.
CH02- Navigation
01-Navigate & Save
02-Windows Explorer
03-AppPac!p
0"-Pac#ing $ata
0%-!porting &'(ects
Navigate and Save
This section has been titled 'Navigate and Save' since it is most important to
understand where you are saving your work. As with all computer work being
organised will save you a lot of frustration down the track when you have created
many files and want to find something. Blender is all about building up your own
library of things that you have created or things that you have downloaded and want
to use in future Blender masterpieces.
It is impossible to teach everything so we will assume that you know how to navigate
around your computer system and create places where you store your stuff. In a
indows system 'indows !"plorer' is an invaluable tool for doing #ust that. It is
recommended that you become familiar with your computers file system. At some
stage you will want to save files$ images$ web pages$ audio files and obviously your
Blender files and movie files.
e will discuss how you navigate in the Blender %ile Browser and save your work to
a location of your choice. The assumption is that you have created a file to save and a
folder in which to save it. The creation of the folder is where indows !"plorer
comes in. Sorry but I'm a idows guy. &See the page on making a new folder in
indows !"plorer'
As a demonstration we will use the default Blender scene with the (ube ob#ect$ the
)amp and the (amera. I know thats not very e"citing but we haven't learned to do
anything at this stage.
*pen Blender with the default scene. In the Info indow header click on '%ile'.
In the drop down that is displayed you will see 'Save' and 'Save As'+

,se 'Save' to save a new file or to save work you have
added to a file.
,se 'Save As' to save a copy of a file. -ou will have to
give this a new name.
ith our new default scene click on 'Save'. The Blender %ile browser window opens
with the option 'Save Blender %ile' in the top ./ corner of the window.
here you see 'untitled.blend' is wher yo enter &Type' the name of your file. Blender
automatically names the file 'untitled.blend'. (lick on the name to highlight it$ press
delete on the keyboard then type in a new name and hit '!nter'. I have named my file
'0emo.blend'. 0on't forget to add the '.blend' suffi". Blender will not automatically
add this.
1ust above where you have typed the name you will see the file path to where your
file will be saved. *n my computer this is 'c+2temp2'. Blender has automatically
decided that if I do not say otherwise my file will be saved in the 'temp' folder on the
'c+' drive. -ou can see there is previous '.blend' file already saved to this folder.
%ile3ath %ile Name
0rives on my 3(
The 'temp' folder is not where I want my file to go.
I have made a new folder named 'ABlender0emo' on my (+ drive for this new file. To
navigate to this folder I go into the System panel at the top )/ side of the screen. In
the panel you see all the drives on my computer listed$ the top one being 'c+'$ the (+
drive.
hen I click on the 'c+' in the panel all the folders on my (+ drive display in the main
browser window. 'Ablender0emo' is third from the top of the list. Note that #ust
above where I typed in my file name '0emo.blend' 'c+2' is displayed. This tells me that
I am looking at the '(+' drive. To put my new file into 'Ablender0emo' I click on it in
the window. The main window is now empty as it should be since I haven't put
anything into it. Now I click on 'Save Blender %ile' at the top ./ side of the screen.
Blender displays the default blender scene again.
If you have followed these directions on your computer and want to prove that you
have saved your file change the window type to the %ile Browser window. (lick on
the 40 indow header Icon and chose '%ile Browser'. /ey there we are '0emo.blend'
in the c+2ABlender0emo2 folder.
That should keep us out of trouble for the time being as far as saving our work but it
is a good idea to play around and find out what all the buttons in the %ile Browser
window do. I know you will hit on one that says create a new directory and it does
but you would have to go out of Blender into indows !"plorer to name it. Blender
#ust names it 'New %older' which isn't all that helpful. Tell me if you find a way to
rename a new folder in Blender.
This has given a brief insight into navigating in the %ile Browser window as well as
showing how to save your work. *f course you can use the %ile Browser to find other
stuff as well. 1ust click on a folder in the window and it opens showing what's inside.
There are some buttons at the top of the window which let you choose how the
content's of folders are displayed.
*ne nice one lets you see files as thumbnails & pictures ' so if you have photo images
you can see them from within Blender.
(hoose how files are displayed
Thumbnails
Windows Explorer
Lets make a folder where we can save our stuff.
Open Windows Explorer. There are several ways of opening Explorer depending on
what version of Windows you are using. You can usually find the application by
clicking the !tart button" clicking open #ll $rograms and going to #ccessories.
Windows Explorer is usually in #ccessories. You could have a %uick start icon
somewhere else.
&f your computer is like mine it persists in opening Widows Explorer showing my
'ocuments folder. You can save your stuff there but it will soon accumulate and get
all mixed in with your letters to (randma and the Tax )an. This is not a good thing.
We will make a new folder in the *+, drive. *lose the folder list and get back to the
basic directory.
'ocuments -older
way down the list
*lick to close or
expand the 'irectory
'esktop.*omputer.#cer /*+0
'irectory opened.
1ight click on your *+, drive and in the drop down that displays click on 2ew and
then click on -older.

Windows enters a new folder and names it 'New Folder'. #t this stage you can edit
the name. $ress 'elete to delete 32ew -older and type in your new name. & have
named my folder #4lender'emo. & have put the # at the beginning of the name so
that Windows will put it at the top of the directory list. &f & named it 5anado it will
go way down the bottom /#lphabetical Order0. When you have typed in your name
press Enter and way you go you have a new folder.
IMPORTANT: 1emember your name and where it is. This makes life easier later on.
1ight *lick
5anado way down
the bottom
Append Pack and Import
The Append or Link Command
When you need to insert elements from one Blender (.blend) file
into another one, you need to use the Append or Link command
from the file pull-down menu.
While in Append, you need to naviate to the Blender file you
wish to insert from, then select what you want to append into the
open file. !ou can append anythin from cameras, lihts meshes,
materials, te"tures, scenes and ob#ects. $or most purposes, use
the %b#ect option. By appendin ob#ects, any materials, te"tures
and animations that are linked to that ob#ect will automatically
come in with it. &iht 'ouse Button (&'B) clickin on ob#ects
will select(deselect them. )ypin *A+ will select them all. After
you select all ob#ects to append, click the *Load Library+ button
in the upper riht corner of the screen.
)he Link option allows you to link to another Blender file rather than insertin it into
the open file. )his option allows for chanes to the linked file that will be
automatically updated when the other file is opened.
Packing Data
,f you plan to open a Blender (.blend) file on
other computers, you will need to select the
-.ack into .blend file- option in the file menu
under */"ternal 0ata+. )e"tures and sounds
are not automatically included in your
Blender file in order to keep the file si1e
down. /very time your file opens, it looks for
the te"tures and sounds and places them
into your file. ,f it can2t find the files, you
won2t have any te"tures and sounds. ,f you
pack data, those files are included with the
.blend file so they can be opened anywhere,
however, your file si1e may e"plode. When
data is packed, a small packae shows up on
the top of your screen lettin you know
that the file is packed. !ou can also unpack
data to brin the file si1e back down.
Importing Objects
%ne of Blender2s stron points is the proram2s ability to accept several eneric types
of 30 files from other prorams. )he most popular used are4
5&'L (.wrl) files- 'any prorams are able to e"port their files as 5&'Ls.
6olidWorks is a ood e"ample that we use. )hese files
import into Blender without any problems in most cases.
.07$ files- A very popular file format for e"portin and sharin.
Auto8A0 and 6oft.lan architectural software
traditionally e"ports with .d"f formats. Aain, Blender
usually accepts these files flawlessly.
)o save a file as one of these types from another proram, you will need to find an
e"port command or a *save as+ option. )his will vary dependin on the proram you
are usin. &efer to that proram2s help files. )o import a 5&'L or 07$ file into a
Blender scene, open a new drawin or one you wish to insert the ob#ect(s) into. !ou
will simply need to use the %pen command in the $ile pull-down menu. )he proram
knows that you are tryin to open somethin other than a .blend file and will insert it
into your current scene. 9ow you need to find the ob#ect(s) you #ust inserted.
0ependin on how that ob#ect was drawn, it may need to be resi1ed or rotated.
With every new release of Blender, the
import: e"port format options list
chanes. )his makes Blender
compatible with a variety of other 30
modelin and animation software
prorams. !ou should be able to find a
format in the list that will work with
your other prorams.
When importin Blender files into other
Blender files, remember to use the
Append command instead of import. ,n
the Append command, select the file,
then select what you would like to brin
into the current file. !ou will usually
want the *%b#ects+ option.
CH03- Create Edit Object
01-Basic Mesh
02-Placing Objects
03-Edit/Object Mode
04-Mesh T!es
0"-C#rsor Place$ent
0%-Mo&ing Objects
0'-(caling Objects
0)-*otating Objects
0+-Precision Mani!#lation
10-Trans,or$ation -idget
11-Mesh .erte/ Editing
12-(electing .erticies
13-Edit Mode (election
14-Creating .erticies
1"-Center Points
1%-Object 0is!la
1'-(hading ($ooth/1lat
1)-E/tr#ding (ha!es
1+-Pro!ortional .erte/ Editing
20-2ni,e Tool
21-Creating 3ro#nd
22-Edge 4oo! (election
23-Tool (hel,
24-5oining/(e!arating Meshes
2"-Modi,iers
Working with Basic Meshes
Now that we know how to move around in Blender, lets start doing some basic
building and shaping. In this section we will talk about creating basic shapes and
using modifiers to form them. There are a lot of different types of things to draw in
Blender. Right now we will only discuss eshes.
!tart a new drawing in Blender and save it in your "#ocuments" folder. Name it
!culpture. $ou can save your work wherever you like as long as you remember where
you put it. In %indows the "#ocuments" folder is usually accessible from the #esktop
so its easy to find. Its best to be familiar with saving and creating files and folders so
go back and read the section on that sub&ect.
Note: Blender will not prompt you to save you file when exiting the program.
Remember to always save your work often
!lacing "b#ects "n $he %creen
The '# (ursor location is used to place new ob&ects. (lick with the )eft ouse
Button where you want your *b&ect located and the '# (ursor locates to that
position. %hen you have it in a good location, press !hift + , -ey to bring up the
insert menu. !elect ,dd, then esh and select ./ !phere.
Note 0 %e previously stated that we were discussing eshes. ,n *b&ect in Blender is
a esh *b&ect. Think of a sphere made out of chicken wire or fishing net and you get
the idea. , sphere in Blender has a mesh with vertical and hori1ontal divisions called
segments and rings. /ertical segments like the inside of an orange and hori1ontal
rings. The default ./ !phere has '2 segments and 34 rings. $ou can change these by
altering the values in the panel at the bottom of the Tool !helf which displays when
you add the !phere to the scene. $ou can keep it at '2 and 34 for now.
&dit Mode and "b#ect Mode
%hen you place an ob&ect in Blender, it comes into the scene in *b&ect ode and is
selected as shown by its orange outline. There are basically two states in Blender5
6dit ode and *b&ect ode. 6dit mode is intended for modifying the shape of the
ob&ect by selecting verticies on the ob&ect. /erticies are the &oining points of the
mesh. *b&ect mode affects the ob&ect as a whole. The Tab button toggles you between
the two states.
Before entering a new ob&ect into your scene make sure any other ob&ects are not in
edit mode otherwise the ob&ects will be &oined.
,nother way to switch between modes is to use the ode selection drop down in the
window header. $ou will see that besides *b&ect and 6dit there are other modes
available. These will be discussed later.
In our diagram showing the !phere with segments and rings the
!phere was drawn in %ireframe mode.
The default draw mode is !olid. *ther modes are accessed from the dropdown in the
window header.
6dit ode
*b&ect ode
/ertices
#raw odes
#isplay odes
Mesh $ypes
7ress !hift + , -ey to reveal esh types selection menu. esh types 8 7rimitives 9
available are shown below.
7rimitives are basic shapes from which you can start modeling.
!recise '( )ursor !lacement
To precisely place the '# cursor, use the %hift * % +eys for options to move the
cursor to ob&ects, grid etc.
'# anipulator shown on (ircle *b&ect
esh Types /enue
Moving a Mesh Object
The main modifiers are: G Key (Grab), S Key (Scale), R Key (Rotate)
To move an object freely in the plane of the view press the G Key with the object
selected and drag the mouse
To loc! the movement to a particular a"is press G + X , Y or Z
Scaling an Object
To scale an object freely press the S Key and drag the mouse
To loc! the scale to a particular a"is press S + X, Y or Z
Rotating an Object
To rotate an object press the R Key and move the mouse about the objects center
To loc! the rotation to an a"is press R + X, Y or Z
To rotate a set number of degrees eg R + 30 rotates the object #$ degrees
R + X + 30 rotates the object #$ degrees about the % a"is
&ovement loc!ed to
the % a"is
Scale loc!ed to the % a"is
Precision Mani!lation o" Objects
To manipulate an object in the scene to a precise location, scale or angle of rotation
alter the values in the object data numeric panel 'y default the panel is hidden in the
#( )indow The # Key toggles hide and display The panel displays at the R* side
of the #( )indow and the values therein are pertaining to the object selected in the
window
To change a value in the numeric panel:
+lic! on the value ,&' - .ress (elete - Retype /alue - .ress 0nter
or
Repeatedly clic! on one of the little arrows either side of the value
or
+lic! and hold ,&' in the value bo" and drag the mouse right 1 ,eft 2
Tool Shelf 2T 3ey toggles hide display
4umeric .anel - 4 3ey toggles hide display
4umeric values for the +ube object
$he $rans"or%ation &i'get
The transformation widget is a handy way of performing the manipulation operations
of the G, S and R 3eys described above 'y default the widget is displayed in the #(
)indow in Grab mode
+lic!ing on the red, green or blue handles (5rrows, Ring, 'o") with the ,&' and
holding while dragging the mouse moves the object in the window The widget
sometimes obstructs the view but it can be turned off in the window header 5s well
as turning off the widget rotate and scale modes are accessed in the window header
G Grab &ode R Rotate &ode
S Scale &ode
Toggle )idget 6n2 6ff
Mesh Vertex Editing
After you have added a mesh to your scene in object mode, you can go into Edit
mode (Tab key) and change its shape. In Edit mode, you can work with the
individua verticies (mesh intersections) to create the shape you want. !ou know
you"re in edit mode when you have orange ines and dots on the seected object.
#hen you tab into Edit mode the whoe of your seected object is in Edit mode.
$range dots are seected verticies whie back dots are unseected verticies.
Selecting Verticies:
#hie in Edit mode, to seect a singe verttice, first press A %ey to deseect a the
verticies. In Edit mode this does not deseect the object, ony the verticies. &'( cick
on a verte) to seect it. To seect mutipe verticies, hod down the *hift key whie
&'( cicking on them. !ou can aso drag a window around verticies, type +(,
key((o) *eect) and drag a window to seect a group of verticies. Typing the +-, key
wi bring up a circuar seection too. .oding the /'( and dragging the circe
seects verticies on the move. The circe can be si0ed by pressing the +1 or 2, keys on
the number pad or scroing the center mouse whee . 3ressing +Esc, wi get you out
of the circuar seection too. In order to seect a verticies or deseect currenty
seected ones, hit the +A, key (for a) once or twice.
Edit Mode Selection Options
(y defaut in Edit mode, (ender seects verticies. !ou can aso seect Edges or
4aces. These options are avaiabe in the window header.
$bject 'ode Edit 'ode
5ertices
*eected
Edge
*eected
4ace
*eected
5ertices
Edge
4ace
(y defaut an object in Edit mode has a its verticies and faces avaiabe for
seection. This means that you can see and seect verticies on an object on a sides.
A 67 ring and 89 segment sphere has a ot of verticies very cose together in the view.
This makes it difficut not to seect unwanted verticies. (ender has an Limit
Selection to Visible function which means that with this activated you can ony see
the front surface and ony seect verticies on the front. This function is togged on off
in the window header.
Basic Modifiers:
After seecting the verticies, you can use the same basic modifiers we taked about
previousy (+:,2grab or move, +*,2scae, +&,2rotate).
Creating More Verticies:
*ometimes you need to add more verticies to some or a of the
mesh in order create detai. To do this, you must first seect a
the verticies in an area that you wish to add verticies to, then go
to the Too *hef at the /. side of the screen (T %ey togges
hide2dispay) and find the *ubdivide button. -ick it as many
times as you need to divide the area seected.
Specials Menu:
In edit mode, pressing the +#, key wi bring up a shortcut menu
that wi give you a variety of editing options. 'ost of these
options can aso be seected in the Too *hef.
Togge /imit *eection to 5isibe $n;$ff
#ith </imit *eection
to 5isibe< $n ony
vertices or faces that
you can see are abe
to be seected.
Center Points:
Every object you create in (ender has a sma dot somewhere in
the center (by defaut, at the center of geometry).This is the
object"s center, or pivot point.
(eginners in (ender often get these center points moved around to points other than
where they want them. This happens because they move a the verticies of the object
in Edit mode, but the center point fais to move. If you want to
move an entire object, hit tab to get out of Edit mode and into
$bject seect mode. =sing the +:, key to move the object in this
mode wi move the center point aong with the object. If you
need to reocate an object"s center
point go to the Too *hef. -ick
on the <$rigin< button. A drop
down wi dispay giving you
options for centering the $bject.
Object ispla! " Shading:
=suay by defaut, the seected object in the window is set to *oid shading. 'any
times, you wi need to work with your objects in #ireframe
mode. A shading does is change the way you see your object.
*hading aso affects the way you can seect verticies in edit mode.
In soid shading, ony visibe verticies can be seected. In
#ireframe, a verticies can be seected. To change between *oid
and #ire modes, press the +>, key or seect the shading mode
from the header toobar. !ou wi notice severa other shading
options in the menu. E)periment with the other options.
#sing the Shading Smooth and $lat Options
As you add objects and view them in *oid
shading, you wi notice that circuar
objects are not being dispayed smooth. In
the Too *hef you wi see two buttons
under the heading <*hading<. -icking these
smooths or reverts to fat shading.
These buttons not ony effect the way
things ook on the screen, but how they
wi be rendered in a fina image. (e aware
that the appearance of objects on the screen are not dispayed at the same ?uaity as a
5iewport *hading *eection
*mooth 4at
-ube shown with its center point
moved from the center of
geometry
fina rendered image. The computer needs to conserve memory because 6@
appications can be very memory intensive on your computer.

Extruding Shapes:
*hapes can be atered by seecting verticies (&'( -k, ( %ey or - %ey), either
singe vertice or group, then : %ey to move the verticies, * %ey to scae or & %ey
rotate. -k /'( to eave them in position. *caing and rotating are reative to the
objects center.
A more refined method of atering a shape is by e)trusion. *eect the vertices as
above. 3ress the E %ey. The seected verticies are dupicated and by defaut paced
into grab mode ready to be moved. Aso by defaut the movement is confined to a ine
norma to a pane defined by the seected verticies. This ine dispays on the screen.
'oving the mouse moves the verticies aong the ine. If you want to freey move the
verticies -k ''( ('idde 'ouse (utton) and then move the mouse. The verticies
wi foow wherever you go. !ou can constrain the e)trusion to the A,! or > a)is of
the scene by pressing E %ey 1 A, ! or >. by -icking /'( when you have finished
moving reeases the verticies from grab mode but they remain seected. !ou can now
rotate them and scae them but in this case the rotation and scaing takes pace about
the mid point of the seected verte) group.
Above is an e)ampe of a cube, e)truded from the right side severa times using scae
and rotate.
(asic -ube E)trude is a great command for making ong tubes and tunnes. It is aso
good when you don"t want to subdivide an object too much in order to add detai.
$rigina -ube
E)trusion &otated
Proportional Vertex Editing:
3roportiona 5erte) Editing is used to create a fow in the shape when editing
verticies. To turn proportiona verte) editing on, press the +$, key whie in edit mode
or by seecting the sma circe button on the toobar.
BoteC you wi ony be abe to seect this option whie in edit mode.
!ou have severa options for effecting verticies in proportiona editing. E)periment
with the options to determine how they effect the editing.
%nife &ool:
The %nife Too aows you to spit edges differenty than the subdivide command.
To use the knife too, go into Edit 'ode with the object seected then to the Too
*hef. -ick <Add Too< and type <%nife< in the search bo) of the drop down. The
<%nife -ut< too wi be added at the top of the pane. -ick on <%nife -ut< and drag
your mouse through the object to be divided on the screen. -ick /'(.
'ouse @rag /ine
Turn 3roportiona Editing $n ; $ff
*eect type of 4a $ff
%nife -ut
Type <%nife<
Creating 'round
!ou can use proportiona verte) editing to create andscape easiy. The first thing you
need to do is create a pane in the top view (Bum 3ad D ). #hie in edit mode, make
sure a verticies are seected (verticies are orange). !ou can use the +A, key to seect
them a. 3ress <#< key for specias menu, then seect <*ubdivide< or cick subdivide in
the Too *hef. @o this a few times. *eect a singe verte) somewhere near center.
Be)t, switch to a front view (Bum 3ad 8) and press the <$< key to enter proportiona
verte) editing mode. *eect sharp or smooth faoff depending on what effect you
want. 3ress : %ey to grab (move) the verte) or drag the arrows on the manipuation
widget. =se the scro mouse whee to change the si0e of the proportiona seection if
you have used the : %ey. E)periment with different si0e seections and different fa
offs. To see your fina work in a smooth dispay, e)it edit mode (Tab key) and ,with
the object seected, go to the Too *hef and find the <*et *mooth< button. This wi
smooth the mesh in dispay and fina output.
:round terrain created by subdividing a pane. Then seecting
a singe verticie and moving it up the > a)is with the
3roportiona Editing too on with &andom 4a $ff
*inge verticies seected
3ane subdivided
*croe mouse whee
to vary si0e of
infuence circe
Edge Loop Selection
#hen working with vertices it is sometimes usefu to be abe to seect edge oops.
3erform the foowing in Edit 'ode.

&ool Shelf "&ool Search
(ender has a Too search pane which you can use to find a too not shown in the
Too *hef. 3ress the *pace (ar.


-ick on outer ring At 1 &'( to
seect the outer ring.
*hift 1 At 1 &'( on inner ring to
add to the seection.
-ick on the edge with At 1 &'(
to seect the oop shown here
A verticies in the oop are seected
Type in a word to search
*earch options dispay here
Joining and Separating Meshes
Now that you have some experience with basic editing, heres a few more options:
Joining Meshes:
To join 2 or more meshes together, Hold down the
!hift" #ey to select them, then press $%trl&' (ey$ to
join them) They will retain any materials you have
placed on them, but will be one object)
Separating Meshes:
*n order to brea# up a mesh, you need to be in +dit mode ,Tab (ey- and select the
verticies you wish to separate from the rest of the mesh) .ith verticies selected, type
the $/ #ey$ , /artition- and select your option) 0ou also have an option to separate all
loose parts)
Note: Pressing P Key in object mode deletes the scene background.
Deleting Vertices!dges"aces:
*f you want to ma#e a hole in a mesh, select the verticies, edges, or faces you wish to
remove, then hit the 1elete" #ey)
#dding "aces:
!ometimes, you need to fill in holes in a mesh by creating
your own faces) To do this, go into +dit mode and select
the verticies you wish to face together) 0ou are limited to
2 verticies in a group) .ith verticies selected, press the $3
(ey$ ) 4 face will be formed) Here is an example) 4
simple /lane object has been added to the scene) *n +dit
mode a single vertices is added ,%trl & %l# 567-) !hift
select or box select two vertices on the /lane and the new
vertice) /ress the 3 (ey ,3ace-)
8ertices selected !eparated: / (ey 7y !election
New 8ertice 4dded
!elect 9 8ertices
/ress 3 (ey
/lane
Modifiers
Mesh objects can have their shape modified by using Blenders Modifiers.
Modifiers are accessed from the Properties Window on the LH side of the screen.
With the object selected in the 3 Window go to the Properties Window ! Modifier
button and clic" on #$dd Modifier# to display the modifier %election menu.
$ modifier may be selected from the menu to change the shape of an object. $s you
can see there are a number of modifiers to choose from. $t this stage we will only
demonstrate a few.
Properties Window
Modifier button &lic" #$dd Modifier#
Modifier %election Menu
Bevel Modifier
Subdivision Surface Modifier
&ube with Bevel Modifier $dded
&hange Width value to 'ncrease(ecrease Bevel
Modifier button
Properties Window
&ube with %ubserf Modifier $dded
&hange )iew value to *umber of %ubdivisions
)iew+ , - . divisions
With )iew - 3 the &ube becomes a %phere
Mirror Modifier
Sometimes when creating a complex shape you want it to be symmetrical either side
of a centerline. The Mirror Modifier is a very useful tool for achieving this.
To demonstrate this start a new scene and place the default
cube in front view (Num Pad 1. Tab into !dit mode and in
the Tool Shelf clic" on Subdivide once. The surfaces of the
#ube has been subdivided into four s$uares.
%t is important to note that only the surfaces of the #ube are
subdivided not the #ube itself. The cube is not divided into
four cubes only the surfaces of the original cube are divided.
%n edit mode deselect all verticies (& 'ey. (ox select (( 'ey ) *rag a rectangle one
side of the cube and delete the selected verticies ( + 'ey so
that you are left with half the cube.
Tab to ,b-ect mode.
%f you rotate the scene (#l" .old #enter Mouse /heel and
*rag you will see that you have half an empty box with one
side missing. .it Num Pad 1 to get bac" to 0ront 1iew.
2emain in ,b-ect mode and go to the Properties /indow ) Modifiers buttons. #lic"
on 3&dd Modifier3 and select 3Mirror3 in the drop down menu.
.ey presto you have the solid cube bac" again. &ny
modifications you ma"e to the one side of the #ube in !dit
mode will be duplicated on the other side.
*eselect 34imit Selection to 1isible3
(efore selecting
5* /indow .eader
Solid #ube after applying
Mirror Modifier
1ertice selected and
moved mirrored on
other half of ,b-ect
Boolean Modifier
Boolean Operations
Boolean Operations allow you to cut and join meshes by using other meshes. The
operations are implemented by employing Boolean modifiers.
An Object selected in the 3D Window has a Modifier applied to it and the Modifier is
gien the instruction to use another Mesh to perform an operation. The operations
performed are described as Intersection, Union and Difference. The following
e!ample demonstrates the "ntersection Boolean Operation.
#. Default $ube
selected in 3D
Window
3. With the $ube selected a Boolean Modifier
is added and Type "ntersect selected
%. Apply button
clic&ed
'. (esult after applying
the modifier and
separating the meshes.
The original $ube has been modified to the shape of
intersection )oerlap*
+. The default $ube
in the 3D Window
with a Tube object
added and
positioned as
shown.
Top ,iew
Tube
Example of the Union Boolean is shown commencing with the same setup with the
Default $ube and tube object.
Example of the Difference Boolean .
Boolean -nion Type selected
(esult after
applying
modifier
(esult after
separating meshes
(esult after
applying
modifier
(esult after separating
meshes
Two meshes joined together
Oerlap of meshes subtracted
Original Tube remains
CH04- Materials
01-Blender Material Slot
02-Materials
03-Material Settings
04-Preview Tab
05-Materials Buttons
06-Material Colors
0-!dding a "ew Material
0#-$i%%use Tab
0&-S'e(ular Tab
10-Hardness
11-)a*' S+aders
12-Trans'aren(,
13-Halos
The Application of Materials and Material Slots
To simplify the understanding of the application of materials in Blender it may be
easier to think of materials as colors. The color of an object in a Blender scene is set
by values entered using a color picker, typing RGB values or moving sliders.
A Blender scene may have multiple materials and these materials are stored in a
cache for use by any of the objects which are introduced to the scene or any object
in any scene in the Blender file. A Blender file may contain multiple scenes.
To demenstrate the application of materials in Blender set the screne to include the
! "iew and the #roperties $indow with the %aterials Buttons active .
$hen a new Blender scene is opened the ! "iew displays a &ube mesh object
which has a dull grey color. The #roperties $indow opens with Render Buttons
active. &hange the #roperties $indow to set the %aterials Buttons active.
$ith the %aterials Buttons active it is seen that'
(. A preview pane shows a dull grey color on a sphere.
). There is a material named *%aterial+ in the ,ni-ue !atablock .! name.
. There is one %aterial /lot active showing the material named *%aterial+.
! "iew #roperties $indow
%aterial Button
,ni-ue !atablock .! name
#review
%aterial /lot
Browse .! data
Beginners 0/kip this
section until later
By clicking the Browse .! data button a drop down displays, showing the %aterials
&ache containing the single material named *%aterial+.
The relationship between the %aterial, the %aterial /lot and the 1bject in the !
"iew may be considered as shown below.
%aterial data stored in the &ache is entered in the %aterial .! which is linked to the
%aterial /lot. The /lot is assigned to the object selected in the ! "iew.
To further e2plain the relationship continue with the following procedure.
!elete the &ube in the ! $indow then add a new &ube 1bject.
%aterial &ache
&ache
1bserve that the #roperties $indow %aterial buttons now show no reference to any
material data. The cube in the ! $indow still displays as a dull gey color. By
clicking the Browse .! data buttion it will be seen that *%aterial+ is still in the cache.
.t follows that that there must be a hidden material slot with *%aterial+ linked to it
and the slot is assigned to the cube in the ! $indow. &lick on *%aterial+ in the
cache to display the material properties with the slot.
The relationship between the material and the object is applied wheather the object is
selected in the ! $indow or not. .f there is more than one object in the window the
relationship will be applied to the last object that was selected.
To demonstrate this deselect the cube in the ! $indow. &lick in the !iffuse color
bar to display the color picker and then click in the multi colored circle to select a
new color. The color of the cube changes despite the fact that is is not selected. The
material is still named *%aterial+ but it has been given new data. The material is still
linked to the slot and the slot is still assigned to the cube object.
3o reference to material
&lick Browse .! data
%aterial in
&ache
%aterial #roperties no material data reference
%aterial #roperties with material data reference
3o %aterial
data
%aterial data
&lick on
%aterial
&lick on !iffuse color bar
to display color picker
.t is important to understand that with an object selected in the ! $indow the
#roperties $indow shows the materials buttons and data that is relevant to the
selected object only. 4or e2ample the %aterial /lot is relevant only to the selected
object. /electing a different object in the ! $indow changes the #roperties $indow
and the data from that of the previous object to the new object selected. This may
seem to be e2pressing the obvious but the concept must be understood.
The e2ception to the foregoing is that the materials cache and the materials contained
therein are relevant to any object in any scene in the Blender file.
%ultiple %aterails may be added to the &ache.
&lick on the 5 6Add 3ew %aterial6 button and a new material named *%aterial.77(+
will show in the !atablock .! which is linked to the slot and therefore assigned to the
cube. Blender creates a duplicate of the previous linked %aterial. *%aterial.77(+ is
identical to *%aterial+ i.e. it is the same color.
&olor #icker
Brightness /lider
&lick in &ircle
Type RGB values
!rag /liders
&olor /elected
RGB values
&lick on the Browse .! data button to reveal the cache. *%aterial.77(+ is now stored
in the cache. $ith the color picker, click and change the color. The color of the cube
will change in the ! $indow since *%aterial.77(+ is linked to the slot and assigned
to the cube.
Go to the cache again and click on 6%aterial6
By using the color picker and changing the color the material data is changed and
therefore the color of the cube is changed. &licking on *%aterial+ has linked it to the
slot and with the slot assigned to the cube the color of the cube changes.
Therefore by selecting *%aterial+ or *%aterial.77(+ from the cache linking the
material to te slot the color of the object cube can be changed at will.
Adding a new object to the scene creates a new material slot and by default the
origional material with its dull grey color is linked. As previously stated when a new
object is introduced into a scene a new set of material data comes with it.
The cache retains the material colors previously used and they may be selected and
linked to the new slot changing the color of the new object.
%aterial.77( in slot
%aterial.77( after
adding new material
Add 3ew %aterial Button
%aterial.77( data
linked
,p to this point only one material slot has been employed linked to an object.
%ultiple material slots may be introduced for each indavidual object in the scene.
The application of multiple material slots can be demonstrated by showing how a
single mesh object can have multiple colors.
4ollow this procedure.
Add a ," /phere %esh 1bject to the scene. The sphere will be in 1bject %ode and
selected in the ! "iew. 8ave the #roperties $indow with the %aterial buttons
active. The sphere will be the default dull grey color and the materials properties
window will be blank.
Remember the cache is still available for selecting materials if you wish.
&lick on the 63ew6 button to create a new material. By default it is the dull grey color
but note its !atablock .! name in the window 6%aterial.77)6. &lick on the Browse .!
button and it will be seen added to the cache. The name is 6%aterial.77)6 since
6%aterial6 and 6%aterial.77( already e2ist.
3ow click on the Add %aterials /lot button.
A new slot is created but note it contains the same material .! name as the first slot.
Blender has created a duplicate of the first slot . The new slot is not linked to an
object in the ! "iew.
3ote the number ) which has appeared ne2t to the material .! datablock name. The )
is stating that the material has two users, that is, it is being used by the two slots. By
clicking on the ) it is made single user which means it is only linked to the selected
slot.
Blender achieves this by automaticly creating a new material as seen in the material
datablock 9 %aterial.77:. Again a duplicate of the previous material is created so at
this point the new material is identical to the previous.
There are now two color slots, one is linked to the sphere, the other is not linked.
Remember, the information in the #roperties %aterial $indow is only relevant to the
sphere selected in the ! "iew. .f the sphere were deselected the the first slot remains
assigned to the sphere since it was the last object selected.
%ore slots may be added and single user materials linked. There is no indication
showing which slot is linked other than it is the uppermost slot in the stack.
3ow, the reason for the second slot.
&hange the ! "iew to a side view 9( key or key on the num pad: so the sphere is
visible. ;nlarge the view by 5 key on the num pad. Tab to ;dit %ode 9This is with the
sphere selected:. .n ;dit %ode the sphere will have all its vertices selected.
#ress the A key to deselect the vertices. B key and drag a rectangle around part of the
sphere selecting some of the vertices 9 A verte2 Group:.
,pper slot
linked to sphere
3ew
%aterial.77
B key !rag
Rectangle
3ote that on entering ;dit %ode with the sphere selected *Assign < /elect 0!eselect+
buttons have displayed below the slot window in the #roperties %aterial $indow.
3ow with your new slot selected click on the Assign button. Blender assigns the slot
and thus links the material to the selected group of vertices. %ake sure that the color
for the material linked to the slot is something different to the material linked to the
first slot or this will not be evident.
Assign
Button
%aterial.77 green 0 %aterial.77) grey
Tab to 1bject %ode in the ! "iew to see the sphere with two colors 9 %ultiple
colors :.
3othing is difficult when it is e2plained.
/ome things are very simple.
$hy is it so difficult to e2plain something so simple=
3ew %aterial.77
assigned to verte2 group
/phere in 1bject %ode
Materials
What is a Material? A material is a color but it is much more than just a color. Think
of the color red. It could be dark red or light red or any shade of red you could image.
The color can be shiny or dull or it could be transparent or it could gradually fade
from one shade to another. The possibilities are endless. That is a material.
Basic Material Settings
The default Blender scene has a Cube object hich displays as a dull grey color.
Color is the ay your eyes interpret the reflected light from an objects surface. If
there is no light you see nothing so Blender has placed a !amp in the default scene
and assigned data to the Cube hich says sho the Cube as being grey ith this light.
"#ery object added to the scene ill also be gi#en the same data as the Cube so you
ill see it as grey. When you add a material to an object you are modifying the
default data.
Adding a material is done in the $roperties Windo ith the Material button
acti#ated.
To add a material to an object %Modify the data&' first select the object you ant to
ork ith. Then click in the $roperties Windo click the Material button. Then click
the ()e( button. *ou ill see the Material $roperties buttons open up.
)ote+ In the default Blender scene the default Cube object has been gi#en a default
Material as seen by the grey color displayed. ,ubse-uent objects added to the scene
also ha#e this same Material although the Material buttons do not display. Click on
(Add( to display the buttons.
$roperties Windo Material button
When a ne object is added to the scene click on
()e( to display the Materials buttons
Materials Buttons
The material panel is used to change some
of the physical properties of the object in
the ay it looks. If you plan on using just
straight color and no te.ture' this is here
you set the object/s color. 0ere is here
you set other properties such as+,hading
'Transparency' 1lossy or 2lat' 3eflecti#e'
0alo "ffect "tc.
A brief e.ample of setting a Material ill
follo.
Material Slot: ,ee separate section
Material Name: Click here to
delete the name (Material.445( and
type a ne name for your Material
Preview Panel: ,hos a pre#ie of
your Material hen rendered. Click
the buttons to the right for different
pre#ie options.
Material Stack: Click here to see
all your materials
Color Picker: Click in the color bar
to display the color picker.
Click to
select color
Tabs: Click to open the tab and
display buttons.
Material Colors
"ach material can e.hibit three colors6
The basic 7iffuse o#erall color hich is seen hen a surface reflects light..
The ,pecular color hich gi#es a surface highlights or a shiny appearance.
The Mirror color hich is color used to fake mirror reflections.
It is important to remember that the material color is only one element in the
rendering process. The rendered color of an object is a product of the material color
and the emitting light color. An object may ha#e a yello material color but put it
under a blue light or a red light and you get something else altogether.
Adding a New Material
We ill demonstrate the basics of adding a material by an e.ample.
,tart a ne Blender scene and add a Monkey object. Monkey allays comes laying
on his back so ith him selected press 3 8 9 8:4 % 3otate about 9 a.is :4 degrees&.
0it the )um $ad + and ;oom in a bit. 1o to the Tool ,helf and under (,hading( click
on (,mooth( %its nice to color on a smooth surface&.
Make sure the Monkey is selected then go to the $roperties
Windo < Material button.
Click on the ()e( button to display the Material $roperties buttons.
When the monkey is added to the scene Blender assigns it the properties for the grey
color e#en though the Material $roperties are not displayed. After clicking ()e( you
can modify the properties to achie#e the look you ant.
)ote+ We selected the smooth option from the Tool ,helf to better display the
modifications to the Material. ,ome of the effects are #ery subtle so a nice smooth
surface is best for the demonstration.
Remember that color is the light we see relected rom a surace! "ierent
suraces relect dierent colors!
The Preview Tab
0a#e a look at the $re#ie tab in the Material $roperties Windo. This pre#ie gi#es
an indication of hat you ill see in a
3ender of the =7 Windo. To sa#e computer
memory Blender does not display e#erything
in the =7 Windo. >n the !0 side of the
$re#ie tab there are options for #ieing the
pre#ie in different formats. >ne of the
options is Monkey but for simplicity I ha#e
left my pre#ie as the default ,phere.
The "iuse Tab
We pre#iously stated that the Monkey object had been assigned a grey color. This is
the 7iffuse o#erall color of the Material.
)ote the 3+ 4.?44' 1+ 4.?44' B+ 4.?44 #alues. These are the numeric #alues hich
denote the 1rey color in the 31B color system. 31B stands for red'green and blue
primary colors. Mi.ing the three 4.?44 #alues produces the grey color. There are
three color system options a#ailable. 31B' 0,@ and 0e..
What is Intensity? Intensity of a color is the shade of the color going through a range
from absolute no light to ma.imum light.

Color Bar shoing the 7iffuse color. Click to
display the Color $icker.
7efault color
Color ,ystem >ptions
Intensity ,lider
Intensity 4.444 )o light
Intensity 4.?44
3endered Images
Monkey 7isplay
>ption
The to images demonstrating Intensity also ser#e to sho that light has a major
effect in a rendered image. When Monkey as added to the scene it as added at the
center of the World and then rotated on the 9 a.is through :4 degrees. This has meant
that the position of the default lamp is abo#e and behind Monkeys head. This
e.plains hy Monkeys face is in shado.
>AB 0o come e see the Monkey hen the Intensity is 4.444 no light? We ill
come back to that a bit later. 2or no let(s make Monkey a bit more colorful.
1et the color picker again and select something pretty. If you ant to get e.actly
hat I ill sho you enter the 31B #alues+ 3+4.?44' 1+4.C=4' B+4.444
We no ha#e a pretty golden Monkey. *ou can see the difference beteen hat you
see in the =7 Windo and the rendered image. The =7 Windo has some shadoing
effect so that you can see a three dimensional image. This is also e#ident in the render
but you can also see some shiny highlights.
The shiny highlights are there since by default Blender has added ,pecular color to
the Monkey. Thats hy e could see the Monkey hen e turned the 7iffuse color
intensity don to ;ero. We in effect canceled the 7iffuse light reflection but there
as still ,pecular light reflection.
Intensity 4.?44
Color selected
=7 Windo 3endered Image
)ote+ ,hiny 0ighlights
#ntensit$ %ect or "iuse Color
&" 'indow (iews
Rendered #mages
The S)ecular Tab
We ill demonstrate the effect of ,pecular color hich adds a highlights to a
material. The ,pecular tab is similar to the 7iffuse tab ith a color bar hich hen
clicked displays a color picker. The
difference beteen the to tabs is that the
,pecular tab has a hardness #alue.
,elect the green color ith 3+4.444' 1+5.444' B+4.CD4
Intensity 4.444 Intensity 4.D44 Intensity 5.444
,elected ,pecular Color
When you add a ,pecular color to an objects material there is no dramatic effect in
the =7 Windo. The difference ill be the ,pecular 0ighlights. The folloing
comparisons demonstrate the differences ith #arying Intensity #alues.
&" 'indow (iew
Rendered #mage (iew
The *ardness (alue
The best ay I can describe the effect of the 0ardness #alue is to say that the effect
spreads the specular color across the surface of the object. The default 0ardness #alue
is D4. The #alue range is 5 to 55D. The most #isible effect hen altering the #alue
occurs in the loer region of the range. The folloing e.amples demonstrate this
effect.
Intensity 4.444 Intensity 4.D44 Intensity 5.444
,pecular 0ighlights
*ardness (alue (ariation
&" 'indow (iew
Rendered #mage (iew
As you see in the rendered images there is a relati#ely small change beteen
0ardness #alue 55D and D4 but a huge difference beteen D4 and 5. It is hard to see
any difference in the =7 Windo.
Ram) Shaders
Besides ha#ing control o#er 7iffuse and ,pecular
Intensity and ,pecular 0ardness there is 3amp
,hader system to integrate color shading o#er a
surface. We ill not attempt to gi#e instruction in its
use here only to point out its e.istence.
The ramp shader produce #ery subtle effects of color
mi.ing but it must be used in conjunction ith
lighting and lamp positioning.
0ardness+ 5 0ardness+ D4 0ardness+ 55D
Tick to turn 3amp ,hader on
Trans)arenc$
To make an object transparent go to the $roperties Windo < Material button <
transparency tab. Tick transparency to display the controls.
*alo Settings
By using 0alo settings only the @erticies of a mesh object ill be #isible hen
rendered. The #erticies ill display as points of light
hich look like rings' lines or stars or a combination.
With the ,phere selected in the =7 Windo
tick Transparency and reduce the Alpha
#alue
=7 Windo @ie
3endered Image
With the Cube selected' in the
,hado tab untick (3ecei#e(.
3ings
!ines
,tars
Combined
0alo ,elected
Mirror Color
,pecular Color
Change #alues as re-uired
All ticked
CH05- Textures
01-Textures
02-Texture Mapping
03-Displacement Mapping
04-UV Texture Mapping
05-Selective UV Mapping
0-Un!rapping !it" Seams

Textures
In the Materials section we considered the effect of light reflecting off a smooth
surface. Textures are the physical characteristics of a surface like bricks, carpet,
woodgrain etc.
Before you can add a Texture to a surface you must first add a material since by
default, Blender textures are set to influence the material. See Influence tab.
Textures are applied to an objects surface using the buttons on the Properties Window
Texture button. !licking the Texture button displays a panel where you can add a
new texture .
"lender comes with a series of built in Textures from which to chose or you can use
any photo image stored on your computer. "lender can also place mo#ies on a surface
and you can animate the textures.
To demonstrate the placing of a Texture follow this example$
%pen a new "lender scene and replace the default !ube with a Plane. &cale the Plane
up by fi#e. 'dd a Material ($ ).*)), +$ ).,-,, "$ )../0.
+o to the Properties Window Texture button and
click 12ew1.
The texture buttons display with a default texture type 1!louds1 shown in the 1Pre#iew
tab1 panel. With a 1!louds1 type texture a 1!loud1 tab has displayed. This tab contains
settings for altering the characteristics of the texture. The tab will change depending
on what texture type is selected.
Properties Window Texture button
!lick on the texture
type drop down and
select type 1Magic1.
Tab.
1
The !loud texture is replaced by the Magic texture and the !loud tab is replaced by
the Magic tab. This tab contains only two #alues for altering the characteristics of the
texture, 3epth and Turbulence.
2ote the 43 Window does not show the
texture on the object. This is where
"lender conser#es memory. (ender,
press 567, to see the texture.
Texture type drop
3own
!louds
Magic
Magic tab
!hange the 3epth #alue to . and render again to see the alteration.
+o back to the texture type drop
down selection and select 1Image
or Mo#ie1.
'n 1Image1 tab displays instead if
1Magic1 and the pre#iew shows a
black window. We ha#en1t told
"lender what image to use.
In the Image tab click open. The 5ile "rowser window displays. 2a#igate to a file
containing a picture. I ha#e a picture named 1&treet.jpg1 in my 3ocuments folder.
!lick on the picture file then click 1%pen1 8Top (9& of screen:.
;ou will see your picture in the pre#iew
panel 8 probably multiple images:. (ender to
see your picture displayed on the surface of
the plane.
(ender with 3epth$ .
Mapping the Texture
Weather you use one of "lenders built in textures or an image you may want to adjust
how the texture is positioned on the object. The 1Mapping1 tab is the place to do this.
%ffset and &i<e are self explanatory. =ither can be controlled on the >, ; and ? axis.
The !oordinates drop down gi#es you a selection of coordinate systems and the
Projection drop down has a choice of mapping options to suit the shape of your
object.
There are a lot of buttons and settings to experiment with in the Texture buttons and
the best way to find out what they do is play around and record results for future
reference.
5lat
!ube
Tube &phere
Displacement Mapping
3isplacement Mapping is using a Texture to deform a mesh. ;ou can make a !ube or
a &phere et. @ook wrinkled without ha#ing to mo#e #erticies around.
&tart a new "lender scene with the default cube. Make sure the !ube has a material
then in =dit mode subdi#ide the !ube a number of times. The texture is going to
displace #erticies so you need a whole bunch of #erticies to work with.
Put a !loud Texture on the !ube then go to the Influence tab. @ea#e the 3iffuse
!olor ticked and under the +eometry heading tick 13isplace1. (ender to see the effect.
Mo#ing the slider next to the 3isplacement tick #aries the amount of displacement.
The 1"lend1 drop down displays options which influence the Material. Try 1'dd1 and
1&ubtract1 and render to see the difference. 'nother example is shown below. This
time a black and white image texture has been used on a plane. 3on1t forget to
subdi#ide the plane. 2egati#e 3isplacement #alues raise the surface up positi#e
#alues depress the surface.
=xperiment with other features and record the outcome for future reference.
"lack and White Image
(endered Image with 2egati#e 3isplacement Aalue
UV Texture Mapping
For complex models regular Cubic, Cylindrical or Spherical texture mapping is not
sufficient to accuratly place the texture on the surface or part of the surface. This is
where UV Mapping can help.
The coordinates U and V are used simply to destinguish from the !" coordinates
used in the #$ %indow.
UV Mapping is accomplished by ta&ing the surface of an ob'ect ( Model ) , peeling it
off as you would a s&in from an orange and laying it out flat on a *$ surface then
superimposing an image as a texture o+er the flattened surface (Mapping). The suface
for laying out the flattened ob'ect is the UV,-mage .ditor %indow.
/s with e+ery basic instruction in 0lender it is best to begin with something simple.
/lthough the process we are describing is for complex surfaces anything other than
simple is going to be confusing at first.
Start with a Cube ob'ect in 0lenders default #$ Scene but first delete the cube that is
loaded automatically and add a new cube.
The default cube comes pre loaded with a material and a texture channel. -n our
pre+ious discussion on material and textures it was stated that before a texture could
be applied an ob'ect had to ha+e a material. /dding a new cube to the scene which
does not ha+e a material or a texture will demonstrate that neither are necessary when
applying UV Texture Mapping.
%ith the new cube added di+ide the #$ %indow in two and change one half to the
UV,-mage .ditor. -n the #$ %indow 1oom in on the cube. %hen you di+ide the
window the cubeis a bit small.
2ew Cube added 3 no material applied
4roperties %indow 3 Material 0utton
Change the #$ %indow to .dit
mode and select 5Textured5 as the
Viewport Shading Type.
Selecting 5Textured5 will allow
you to see the superimposed
texture in the #$ %indow while
in .dit mode.
-n the #$ %indow Tools 4anel under 5UV Mapping5 clic& on
5Unwrap5 to display a 5UV Mapping5 unwraping type selection
menue. These options allow you to unwrap the surface of the
selected ob'ect in a +ariety of ways. Some of the unwrapping
methods aredifficult to +isualise so - will let you play with them
and figure out the results for yourself. -5m still scratching my
head.
To &eep things simple select the 5Follow /cti+e 6uads5 method for unwrapping the
cube. This method should lay out the surface of the cube as if you had unfolded one
of those post office mailing boxes. The
surface should consist of six s7uares.
The UV,-mage .ditor window will
probably re7uire you to 1oom out to see
the whole arrangement ( 2um 4ad 3
8ey, the same as the #$ %indow).
2ow the flattened surface is displayed
it5s time to load a texture image.
-n the UV,-mage editor %indow header clic& on 5-mage5 and select 59pen5. This will
display the File 0rowser %indow where you can na+igate and find an image to use as
a texture. 9nce you ha+e located your image file clic& on it to select and then clic& on
59pen5.
-n my case - ha+e selected a picture file named 5%inter:ea+es.'pg5 in my
C;<Users<4ublic<4ictures<Sample4ictures< directory.
The image displays in the UV,-mage editor window.
"oom out again if the image is too large.
The image shows in the center face but you
will see that it is mapped to each surface of
the cube in the #$ %indow. =o ahead and
rotate the cube to
see if -5m right.
%ith the curser in the UV,-mage editor press the / 8ey to
select all the surfaces then = 8ey (=rab) and mo+e the
selected surfaces around. /s you mo+e the surfaces you will
see that the image is repositioned on the surfaces of the cube in the #d %indow.
Clic& to display files as thumbnail images.
File 0rowser %indow
The outline of the surfaces in the UV,-mage .ditor can be scaled and rotated the
same as you would edit a mesh in the #d %indow. -nda+idual +ertices on the mesh
may be selected then grabbed and mo+ed also. /s you see by manipulating the
surface outline in the UV,-mage editor you can accuratly position the texture image
on the surfaces of your ob'ect.
-f you were to render an image of the ob'ect (F>*) at this
stage you would be dissapointed to see that the image
texture does not render.

To render the image texture you ha+e to acti+ate 5Face
Texture5 ( Tic& ) in the 59ptions tab of the Materials
buttons in the 4roperties %indow. 98, now you ha+e
to apply a material. The default dull grey color will
do.
2ow press F>* to see the rendered image.
Selective UV Texture Mapping
So far the image texture has been mapped to all the surfaces of the ob'ect but
Suppose you wish to place the texture only on one face of the ob'ect.
Create a new scene and leave the default cube selected. $i+ide the #$ %indow as
before and set up the UV,-mage editor. -n the #$ %indow tab to .dit mode and select
5Textured5 Viewport Shading.
-n the #$ %indow change from Vertex
Select mode to Face Select mode.
$eselect all faces then select only one
face ( ?ight clic& on the face ).
$efault =rey
9ne face selected
Face Select
Mode
-n the UV,-mage .ditor select and enter an image for your texture as before.
!ou will see the image mapped to the face you selected in the #$ %indow. The other
faces display a white.
-n this case we didn5t do any unwrapping but as soon as the image was entered in the
UV,-mage .ditor 0lender automatically mapped the single face.
%ith the cursor in the UV,-mage .ditor
pressing the / 8ey will select the face. The
white outline turns red.
!ou can then manipulate the face map to
position your image the way you want.
= 8ey @ grab, ? 8ey 3 rotate, S 8ey 3
scale.
=rab 3 Mo+e
?otate
Scale
2ote the face map in the UV,-mage .ditor is in Vertex Select mode. There are also
the options to select .dge and Face modes similar to the selections in .dit mode in
the #$ %indow. There is also a fourth option which is 5-sland Select5 mode. Some
unwrapping operations seperate the face mesh into seperate parts and -sland Select
allows selection of these parts.
0y selecting different faces on the cube and adding different images to the UV,-mage
.ditor you can place the different image textures on the inda+idual faces. !ou can
also shift select multiple faces or shift select edges or +ertices to tell 0lender which
part of an ob'ects surface you want the image texture placed.
:et5s go bac& and consider the mesh unwrapping. 4ressing the Unwrap button gi+es
you different options. /gain - will opt out of trying to explain what results these
unwrapping methods produce but a further method is a+ailable where you mar& a
seam on the surface of the ob'ect which tells 0lender how to unwrap that part of the
mesh on which you wish to place your texture.
Unwrapping Using Seams
-n a new 0lender Scene add an -sosphere. /n -sosphere is chosen since by default it
comes with 'ust enougth +ertices for us simpiltons to play around with.
Set up the UV,-mage .ditor %indow as we did pre+iously.
-n the #d %indow with the -sosphere selected
tab to edit mode then press / 8ey to deselect
all +ertices. Change to .dge select mode and
shift select edges di+iding the surface of the
sphere into three parts. -t5s best to 1oom in on
the sphere and rotate the +iew while selecting
the edges. %ith the edges selected press 5Mar&
Seam5 in the tools 4anel. The selected edges
will turn red showing that a seam has been
mar&ed.
-sland Select Mode
>
*
#
Seam
The next tric& is to select all the edges of the faces
of the sphere not 'ust the edges mar&ed as the seam.
/ 8ey to deselect the seam edges then / 8ey to
select all edges.
Aa+ing done, press 5Unwrwap5 in the Tools 4anel then in the drop down select
5Unwrap5.
The seperated parts of the spheres surface will be mapped in the UV,-mage .ditor.
/ll edges selected
!ou can now go ahead and open an -mage as a texture. -n the #$ %indow in .dit
mode with 5Textured5 +iwport shading you will see the image on the surface of the
sphere mapped to the three parts you set up with the seam.
-n the UV,-mage .ditor select 5-sland select5 mode in the header.
This will allow you to select seperatly each of the three surface parts. %ith a part
selected you can manipulate it to position the texture on that part.
-sland to be selected
Selected -sland scaled down and
positioned o+er grey blue part of the
image.
4art # of the Sphere
0lue grey part of the image applied
as texture to 4art # of the Sphere
This has been a +ery brief introduction to UV
Texture Mapping. The possibilities are endless
therefore it is o+er to you to experiment and
disco+er the capabilities of the procedure.
CH06- World Settings
01-World Settings
02-Mist
03-Stars
04-Texture as Background
05-!age as Background
06-!age as Te!"late
World Settings
The World Settings allow you to set background for
your scene. The default World setup is the dull grey
which displays when an image is rendered. The
background in the render is not the same as the
background in the 3D Window. The World button in
the Properties Window displays the settings tabs the
first one being a Preview panel.
You only see the gold background when you render an
image of your scene.
lick on the color bars in the World tab to display
color pickers for setting background color.
!ori"on olor# olor at the hori"on.
$enith olor# olor at the top of the scene.
%mbient olor# Provides an overall lighting effect. %n ob&ect in the scene will
reflect this color regardless of its own 'aterial olor.
Sky# Paper( )lend( *eal. These options provide combinations of
color gradient across the rendered image.
The e+amples of Sky background combinations shown have a 'ist effect added.
Preview Panel showing !ori"on olor
set to gold with a combination of
Paper Sky( )lend Sky and *eal Sky
Paper Sky , )lend Sky
Paper , )lend , *eal Sky
lick to display olor
Picker
Mist
'ist settings allow you to introduce a mist
or fog effect to your scene
Start# Distance from the amera where 'ist starts.
Depth# Distance over which 'ist increases from -. to /--.
!eight# height of the 'ist.
Stars
The Stars tab allows you to introduce stars
to your background.
*endered 0mage
'ist
3D Window amera 1iew
3D Window 1iew
amera set on 'id Pane
To see 'ist 2imits select the amera 3 go to properties Window 4 5b&ect Data button
0n the Display tab click the 'ist bo+.
Depth
Start
'ist !eight
Stars
Texture as a Background.
You can use )lenders inbuilt Te+tures to create a )ackground. The following settings
create a cloud background by using )lenders loud Te+ture. Delete or deselect
ob&ects in the 3D Window
Te+ture button
World button
'ake sure Paper Sky is ticked
!ori"on and $enith colors 6rey
olor bar set to )lue
!ori"on ticked
Image as a Background
You can use any image stored on your computer as a background.
Deselect ob&ects in the scene.
0n the Properties Window 4 World buttons 4 tick Paper Sky
0n the Properties Window 4 Te+ture buttons 4 click 78ew7 to add a Te+ture.
Select Te+ture type # 0mage or 'ovie in the 0mage tab click 5pen then navigate
and select your 0mage.
0n the Te+ture buttons 4 0nfluence tab click !ori"on.
The 0mage will display as the background to your scene when you render.
0mage renders as background to the scene.
Using an Image as a Template
%n image can be displayed in a scene as a template to aid in modeling
With the mouse cursor in the 3D Window press the 8 9ey on the keyboard.
Tick )ackground 0mage
lick %dd 0mage
lick 8ot Set
lick 5pen
Select 1iews for Displaying 0mage
ontrols for ad&usting Transparency Si"e
and 5ffset if 0mage in 3D 1iew
0mage in 3D 1iew
With a front view
and side view of the
sub&ect you can
place vertices over
the image to model
a figure.
CH07- Lighting
01-Lighting
Lighting and Cameras
Lighting Types and Settings
The default scene in Blender starts with a Cube object a Camera and a Lamp. What
the camera sees is what will render out as a picture or movie depending on what you
tell the program you want as a final output. To get a simple rendered view, press the
!"# $ %ey. This will open a window that will display the rendered output of what
the camera is focused on. &f the picture shows the Cube object as a blac% silhouette
you do not have a lamp or the lamp settings or placement is incorrect. To e'it the
render window, press the (sc $ %ey.
&n most cases, you will need more than one lamp in order to properly illuminate your
scene. Be careful not to use too many lamps) &nstead of adding too many lights,
e'periment with the *istance and (nergy settings)
+ost scenes usually re,uire -./ lamps.
Lamp Settings0
To create or add a lamp to the scene, position the
-* cursor in a desired location and press the 1lt
2 1$ and select 3Lamp3 from the drop down menu.
The lamp will be placed in the scene.

With the lamp selected go to the 4roperties
Window 5 Lamp button to display the settings
options. The options displayed vary depending on
what type of Lamp you select.
Lamp Type Selection
Light Color
Shadow Color
Brightness
6ow far the light shines
The diagrammatic representation of the Lamp in the -* Window also varies
depending on the type.
&f you decide that the Lamp you
have selected is not correct for
what you want to achieve you
can change the type in the
4roperties Window.
Spotlights are particularly useful in creating great
effects. 1s with all Lamps spotlights can be scaled,
rotated and positioned to cast shadows and they can also
be used with a halo effect giving a simulation of a light
shining through a fog.
With all lamps e'periment with settings and record
results
Spotlight with Show Cone turned on
Tic% for 6alo (ffect
With 6alo on adjust &ntensity for
smo%y effect
CH08- Camera
01-Cameras
02-Settings Options

Cameras:
By default, your scene already has one camera and that is usually all you need, but on
occasion you may wish to add more cameras. You add more cameras by pressing 'Alt
+ A' like creating all other objects discussed up until now. Too change which camera
is actie, you need to select that camera and press !"trl + #um $ad %&.
Settings options '
Perspective Orthographic (
)sed to set the camera from showing
a true(life perspectie iew to an
orthographic iew.
Lens Angle (
*et(up a lens length much like a real camera.
+,mm is a good, safe setting, but wide and
tight angle setting work for different needs.
Shift( $ushes the camera-s iew in a direction,
without changing perspectie.
Clipping Start (
.ow close an object can get to the camera
and still be seen.
Clipping End (
.ow far away objects can be seen by the
camera. /n ery large scenes, this needs to
be set higher or things !disappear& from
iew.
Depth-of-Field(
)sed with nodes to blur foreground and
background objects. 0orking with #odes
This will be discussed in a later chapter.
Limits( 1raws a line in the scene to help you
isuali2e the camera-s range
Mist ( *how 3ist
)sed to gie you a isual display of how far the camera sees if using 3ist.
Title Safe(
1isplays the inner dashed bo4 to help with placement
of objects and te4t.
ame- 0ith all objects, the name of the object or camera can
be displayed on the screen,
but this will display the name
in the camera iew.
Si!e ( .ow big to draw the
camera on the screen. You can
also control si2e with scale.
Passeparto"t( *hades the area on the screen outside of the
"ameras iew
.
Alpha 5 "ontrol the darkness of the shaded area with the slider
6imits
"lipping *tart
"lipping 7nd
CH09- Rendering
01-Render Settings
02-Rendering a JPEG Image
03-Creating a Video Clip
Render Settings
Basic setup Options:
The render window is where you tell Blender what you want as an output for your
scene. Do you want a JPEG picture image or a movie? What sie do you want the
output to !e? Do you want a high "uality output or a draft style format? Do you want
shadows or #aytracing effects? $ow a!out motion Blur? %f you&re doing a movie'
how many frames(per(second do you want the movie to run? )ast' !ut not least'
where do you want to save the file? *ll of these issues are addressed in the #ender
Buttons . +!viously' the higher the "uality of the output' the slower it will render and
the larger the file sie will !e when finished.
The Rendering Settings:
There are many options that need to !e addressed in order to save your wor, as an
image or movie. -or now' we are .ust interested in saving !asic images in JPEG /..pg0
format and movies in the Windows /.mpg0 movie format. Be aware that other options
e1ist and more are added every few releases.
The #ender settings are found in the Properties Window 2 #ender !utton.
Render:
Image( #enders an image the same as pressing -34.
Animation 2 #enders a movie or simple files of
your animation. This can ta,e considera!le
time depending on the animation sie.
Display: Dropdown menu for render display options.
Dimensions:
Dropdown( 5enue for Preset #endering 6ies for
different output formats.
Resolution- 7anual input of 8 and 9 values for
rendering sie instead of using presets.
Percentage( 6lider for setting sie of render display
in the :D Window.
Frame Range- 6et the start and end frame for render
Frame Rate- *nimation play!ac, rate.
4; -P6 for P*) output :< -P6 for =T6> output.
Anti-Aliasing? +utput "uality settings. =ormally set at @
to give a nice output without loss of render time.
Shading:6ettings that can !e turned off to e1clude
features from the render. The *lpha 6,y drop
down gives options for the render !ac,ground.
Output: The output !ar allows you to set where you wish
your render to !e saved. The default location is the
AtmpA folder. The file type dropdown menu
provides options for the type of file to !e rendered.
The default file type is AP=GA.
Rendering a P!" Image
To render a simple JPEG image set all the options previously discussed. %n fact the
default settings will do .ust fine e1cept for the output file type in the +utput ta! of the
Properties Window. >hange the default P=G to JPEG. With your scene created in the
:D Window press A-34A or the A#ender %mageA !utton. With the default settings the
#ender Window will display. Press A-:A to open the 6ave Window. %n the 6ave
Window type in a file name for image' press AEnterA then A6ave *sA
%n the 6ave Window you can navigate to a different folder for saving other than that
in the +utput ta! of the Properties Window. =ote? %f you forgot to change P=G to
JPEG it will not suffice to add a ..peg e1tension to the file name. %f you entered
A-ile=ame..pgA it will !e saved as A-ile=ame..pg.pngA and remain a P=G file type.
-ile Path for 6aving
Enter -ile =ame $ere
#reating a $ideo #lip
*fter you have created your scene with an animation se"uence you will !e ready to
ma,e a movie file. * movie' weather it is a full length three hour feature or a short
thirty second television add is made up of a se"uence of >lips /7ovie -iles0 spliced
together to tell a story. The following steps are the !asics for creating a file.
3. %n the +utput ta! select the file format from the format selection dropdown
menu. -ile formats for television are A=T6>A for the B6 or AP*)A for Europe
and *ustralia. 9ou can also select A*5%A for playing on your computer.
4. >hange the file type from the default AP=GA to A--7PEGA
:. *lso in the +utput ta! set the path name to the location for saving the file.
C. 7a,e sure A*nti(*liasingA is tic,ed and that @ is selected.
;. >hec, that the A6tartA and AEndA frames of the animation are selected.
D. >hec, the frame rate is correct. :< for =T6> or 4; for P*).
E. %n the 6hading ta! ma,e sure 6hadow and ray tracing are tic,ed.
@. -inally press the A*nimationA !utton in the render ta!.
The 5ideo clip /7ovie file0 will ta,e some time to compile depending on the length
of the animation. Each frame of the animation has to !e rendered and saved.
Depending on the comple1ity of the scene a frame can ta,e from a few seconds to
several minutes to render. To !egin it is !est to ,eep everything very !asic and
simple. %f you get to the stage where you have created a wonderful movie you can
send the animation files to a render farm on the %nternet to have them rendered. %t
saves you time !ut it costs you money.
CH10- Raytracing
01-Raytracing
Raytracing
Raytracing is used to produce mirrored and
reflective surfaces. It is also used to create
transparency and refraction (bending of images
through transparent surfaces like a magnifying glass
or lens). Raytracing can create stunning effects but
can incur a high cost in render time. Use it
sparingly. Don't attempt to Raytrace everything. You
can get some great shado and te!ture effects ith
spotlight and material settings.
"he image belo has been created using the settings
shon in the #phere's $roperties %indo & 'aterial
buttons on the R(#.
) #phere has been added to the scene positioned
above a $lane. "he $lane has a 'aterial and an
Image "e!ture added. "he #phere 'aterials button
settings are shon on the right.
%ith the settings as shon an image has been
rendered as shon belo
#phere Diffuse *olor
"ransparency ith
Raytracing selected
'irror +ffect ,n
Raytracing #elected
CH11- Animation Basics
01-Animation Basics
02-Moving,Rotating & Scaling
03-Viewing You Animation
0!-"a#$ %&ito 'in&ow
0(-%&iting )$e Cuve
0*-Cuve )+#es
0,-Constant %-ta#olation
0.-Cuve Mo&i/+ing
00-Automatic 1e+/aming
10-Animating 2t$e 3eatues
11-1e+ing Sets
12-'in& Stengt$ Animation
Animation Basic:
Animation in Blender is the process of creating the allusion of movement or change
of state. The movement or change of state may be that of a single object or the entire
scene. In its infancy animation was confined to very simple characters where multiple
images capturing changes in pose were displayed in quick succession creating the
allusion of movement. With the development of cinema and now the digital image of
the computer much more sophisticated animation is possible. With all of its
sophistication the basics of animation remains the same. ultiple images capturing
changes in pose and state are in essence the means of creating the allusion.
In Blender we are talking about a method of making something appear to move on a
computer screen which may later be transformed into a movie file. This is
accomplished by creating a series of still images each one slightly different to the
ne!t which when displayed one after the other in quick succession create the allusion
. "ach still image is a single frame of the animation. "ach frame #image$ is rendered
which means the data you enter in the Blender program is correlated and turned into
the digital image. This is usually in a %&"' format. (inally all the images are
compiled into one movie file.
After you set up your scene with the object that you wish to animate # The Actor $
consider what the actor is required to do and how long it should take to do it. Also
consider what format you will use in the final render. The render format determines
how many Frames Per Second the animation should run at # )T*+ , -* ./ fps0
&A12 Australia 34 fps $. 5ne of the problems that beginner animators e!perience is
making the motions occur in an appropriate time. 6emember to look at the frames per
second and relate it to time. (or e!ample if you want a movement to take . seconds
and you are running at 34 frames per second then the animation has to happen in 74
frames.
In Blender 3.4/8 the animation method could be considered as being in two stages.
The first stage is to set up what you want your actor to do in a given time such as
move0 change si9e or rotate. The second stage is to set up how your actor behaves
during the process of moving0 changing si9e or rotating. The first stage is
accomplished by inserting :eyframes in the animation. :eyframes are e!actly what
the name implies0 that is0 they are :ey (rames. Think of a ;/ second animation
which when running at 34 frames per second would consist of 34/ frames. If you
want your actor to go from point A to point B and then to point + within the 34/
frame animation you first insert a :eyframe at point A. This is giving Blender data
which says at the frame nominated locate the actor at position A. Then at the ne!t
frame nominated locate the actor at position B and so forth for position +. These are
the :eyframes for the animation.
The :eyframes will also include the data for scaling and rotating the actor as well as
other features. This may be stating the obvious but it is important to understand the
concept.
Moving, Rotating and Scaling:
oving0 6otating and *caling along with other features are accomplished by what is
termed applying modifiers to the actor. oving0 6otating and scaling are the three
basic modifiers to use in an object animation. When you create keyframes in Blender
with these modifiers0 that is tell Blender where and how to display the actor at
specific frames in the animation0 Blender will figure out all the data for the location0
scale and rotation at the in between frames.

(iguring the in between data is called Interpolation.
By default Blender uses what is called Be9ier type interpolation which gives a nice
acceleration and deceleration between keyframes but +onstant and 1inear type
interpolation may be selected if appropriate. *election of interpolation types will be
discussed later in this section.
-sing the term Be9ier to describe interpolation is an anomaly. Be9ier actually
describes a type of line. A Be9ier line or curve in Blender is a line which has control
points on it which allows the shape of the line to be altered or edited. In Blender the
control points are located at the position of the keyframes. Interpolation or the
figuring out of in between frames is done according to a mathematical formula which
determines the shape of the line. When the data for the frames in the animation is
drawn as a line on a graph the line conforms to that mathematical formula. The shape
of the line drawn is much like a sine curve therefore the Interpolation could be
considered as being type sine.

(or the moment we will accept the default be9ier type interpolation and demonstrate
the insertion of keyframes and the creation of a simple animation.
We will use the default Blender screen with the .< Window containing the default
+ube object as the actor. The default screen also displays the 5utliner Window and
&roperties Window at the right hand side of the screen and the Timeline Window
across the bottom.
To set up our animation first change the .< Window to top view with orthographic
projection # With the cursor in the .< Window , 7 )um &ad key , 4 )um &ad key $.
This just keeps the view simple so we can see where we are going.
The first step in an animation is to decide what you want your actor to do in a given
time. In this case the actor is the cube object.
.< WI)<5W
TI"1I)" WI)<5W
&65&"6TI"*
WI)<5W
5-T1I)"6
WI)<5W
=ow long it takes your actor to do something will depend on how many frames per
second your animation is run at and this is determined by what format your final
render will be in.
1et>s set our animation to run at 34 frames per second which would be good for &A1
format # 'o to? &roperties Window , 6ender button , <imensions tab , (rame rate $.
)ote the (rame 6ange settings? *tart?; 0 "nd? 34/. This says that our animation will
begin at frame ; and end at frame 34/. 6unning at the rate of 34 frames per second
will give an animation time of ;/ seconds. If you think about it0 ;/ seconds is quite a
long time for a single action to take place in a video clip.
To make things relatively simple we will only make our actor # The +ube $ move in a
straight line across the screen along the @ a!is and at the same time increase in si9e.
ake sure the cube is selected in the .< Window.
We will now insert keyframes0 only two to start with0 just to keep it simple.
The default scene is set at frame ;. In the lower left hand corner
of the window you will see (1)C!e in white lettering. This says
you have the +ube selected at frame ;. 5bviousAB If you had ten
objects in the scene all of which were actors with maybe some
hidden0 it would be nice to know what was selected .
&roperties Window
6ender Button
(rames &er *econd
Before we insert a keyframe change to frame 34. 'o to the Timeline Window at the
bottom of the screen. In the header you will see buttons with Start:10 "nd:#$% then
1. This shows the start frame and end frame that we previously set for the animation
and the current frame of the animation. Above the header with these buttons you will
see a scale going from / to 34/ # The length of the animation in frames $. At the /
point you will see a vertical green line showing that you are at frame ;. +lick on the
green line with 1B and drag the line across to frame 34. )ote the number change
ne!t to +ube at the lower 1= side of the window and in the header bar of the
Timeline Window. Another way to change the frame is to click on the little arrows
either side of the 1 in the timeline header or click on the button with the 1 and drag
the cursor to the right or click on the 10 hit delete and retype the required frame
number. There is always more ways than one to skin a cat.
)ow you are at frame 340 with the cursor in the .< Window press the >I> :ey. In the
selection list that displays select #click on$ >1oc6ot*cale> which covers us for
moving0 rotating and changing the si9e of the object.
Cou have just inserted a keyframe. At this stage the only way to see
this is to click on the green line in the timeline window and drag it
away from frame 34. By doing this you will see a vertical yellow line
at frame 34. This indicates a keyframe.
1ocated at frame 34
+lick to change frame
1oc6ot*cale
*election 1ist
*o far we have only inserted one keyframe0 our actor hasn>t done anything as yet.
This is like pulling the curtains on a stage play and the actor just stands there doing
and saying nothing for the first second #A pregnant pause $. 'oing from frame ; to
frame 34 at 34 frames per second equals ; second. +licking and dragging the green
line in the timeline is called scr!!ing t&e animation and is actually manually
playing the animation but since we haven>t told our actor to do anything nothing
happens.
+ontinue by changing to frame 74 #drag the green line $. In the .< Window grab and
move the cube 4 blender units to the right and scale it up to twice its original si9e.
With the cursor in the .< Window press the I key and select >1oc6ot*cale> again to
insert a second keyframe.
If you move the green line in the timeline window you will see another yellow
keyframe line.
If you continue moving the green line between frame 34 and 74 you will see the cube
move and change in si9e. Cou are scrubbing or manually playing the animation. )ote
the action only takes place between frames 34 and 740 the location of our keyframes.
"ither side of the keyframes no action takes place.
'ie(ing )or Animation:
To actually play a preview of the animation move the green line in the timeline to
frame ; then press >Alt8A> with the cursor in the .< Window. *ay Do n e t h o u s a n
dE to yourself slowly # counting one second0 while the green line in the timeline
moves across to frame 34 $ and you will see the cube move and increase in si9e. At
frame 74 it stops moving and changing si9e. The green line in the timeline continues
on to frame 34/ then jumps back to frame ; and the preview of the animation plays
again. &ress D"scE to stop playing.
Another way to skin this cat is to press the play buttons in the timeline window.
These buttons are much like the play buttons an any video or audio player.

Cou can add more keyframes to your animation to move scale and rotate your actor
around the screen. (or the most part0 location and si9e keys work flawlessly but care
needs to be taken with rotation keys. If you try to rotate an object too far in one set of
keys the object may not rotate in the direction you want it to and it may rotate oddly.
Try small angular movements between keys while rotating. There are ways to control
this better and tools to simplify the process which will be discussed later.
Besides rotation0 the movement of your actor may not be e!actly as planned. Blender
automatically defaults to trying to create a smooth flow through the keyframes
# Interpolates $.
*or+ing *it& ,&e -rap& "ditor *indo(:
The 'raph "ditor Window displays the actions of your actor and your keyframes on
the timeline in a graphical form and allows refinement and modification of the
animation.
*plit the .< Window vertically and change the lower section to the 'raph "ditor
Window. Cou will now see a window with two panels. The left hand panel is called
the .ope S&eet and the right hand panel is the -rap&ical .ispla/ of your animation.
"ven for our simple animation there is a whole bunch of graph lines shown.
&lay Buttons
<5&" *=""T
'6A&=I+A1 <I*&1AC
To make sense of this first consider the .ope S&eet. +lick on the little black tick
arrow in front of >C!e>. "ither of the ticks above and below the word >Action> will do
the same thing at this stage0 that is toggle the graphical display on and off. )ow click
on the little white arrow in the lower green +ube bar. +licking here opens up the
display and reveals a list of >Action C&annels> relating to the +ube actor. +licking the
tick in the colored bo!es in each channel toggles onFoff the display of that particular
channel in 'raphical <isplay.
1ets discover what we actually have in the 'raphical <isplay. +lick on the tick0
removing it0 in each colored bo! in the dope sheet channels e!cept for the first 0
1ocation(C!e) channel. )ow click on 0 1ocation (C!e) which selects that
channel # =ighlights the channel in white $. Cou now see only one graph in the
'raphical <isplay panel which shows as a red line. The green hori9ontal and vertical
lines are a 3< cursor. +lick somewhere in the graphical display panel and the green
lines will relocate. This is similar to clicking in the .< Window and positioning the
cursor in that window. With the green lines relocated you can better see the red line
representing the animation of the cube object # Actor $ along the @ A!is in the .<
Window.
+lick to Toggle onFoff
"!pandF+ollapse <isplay
+lick to 6emove or Add Tick
+lick to *elect +hannel G 'raph
<isplacement 4 -nits
The red line has two short yellow lines attached to it. "ach yellow line has a dot at the
center and a dot at each end. The yellow lines are called handles. What we are
looking at is what is termed a Be2ier Crve and the yellow lines are called control
handles. The control handles are used to change the shape of the curve. We
mentioned this type of curve before and will come back to this topic later.
The location of the vertical green line of the curser represents the frame number of
the animation. Cou will see it aligns with the frame numbers across the bottom of the
window and at the lower end of the line a green bo! holds the frame number. Cou can
click on this line and scrub through the animation the same way as you can in the
Timeline Window.
At the left hand side of the 'raphical <isplay is a vertical bar with positive and
negative numbers representing displacement from the mid point of the .< Window.
5n my screen these numbers appear to be a little out of alignment with the
background scale lines. This varies depending on how the 'raphical <isplay panel is
scaled. 1ike all windows in Blender0 with the curser located in that window pressing
the )um &ad 3 and , :eys will scale the panel up or down.
1ets get back to the red line. The red line shows that from frame ; to 34 there is no
displacement of the actor from the mid point. (rom frame 34 to frame 74 the actor
moves from the mid point of the .< window to 4 Blender units along the @ a!is.
(rom frame 74 to frame 34/ the actor remains displaced from the mid point by 4
Blender units. This is the movement observed when we play the animation.
If you now click on the tick in any one of the Scale (C!e) c&annels in the <ope
*heet you will see a yellow0 turquoise or purple lines representing the fact that the
actor change from si9e ; Blender unit to 3 blender units between frame 34 and frame
74. The three lines represent the @0C G H a!is.
"diting ,&e Crve:
*o far we have introduced :eyframes to set up how we want our actor to behave
during the animation and we have seen how that action is graphically represented. We
will now see how we can alter the behavior of our actor by altering the shape of the
curve representing that action. 6emember the type of curve being considered is a
Be9ier curve which is designed to be edited.
'o back to the red line. With the curser in the 'raphical <isplay panel press the A
:ey twice to make sure you have the line selected. If the line shows solid red with the
two yellow handles you are in "dit ode if not press the Tab key. If you are not in
"dit ode the line will be a broken red line without handles.
*elect #+lk 6B$ the red line in "dit ode # *olid red with handles $. )ow press A
:ey to deselect the line. Cou will have a faint red line with black handles. *elect the
handle at frame 74 #+lk , 6B0 +lick right mouse button on the center dot of the
handle$. The handle will be yellow and the line will be bright red.
5: 0 now click on the right hand dot on the end of the handle #6B$. The left hand
half of the handle fades. )ow 6B +lk on the 6ight hand dot on the end of the
handle and while holding the mouse button pressed drag the end of the handle down
and to the left. The shape of the curve arches up.
)ow0 if you scrub through your animation between frame 34 and 74 you will see the
actor move along the @ a!is from 9ero displacement at frame 34 to something more
than 4 Blender units then return to 4 Blender units at frame 74. The movement of the
actor is being dictated by the shape of the curve. The shape of the curve can thus be
altered by moving the ends of control handles. By selecting the center point of the
control handle then pressing the ' :ey and dragging the whole handle the shape of
the curve will also be altered thus changing the movement of the actor.
Another feature of the Be9ier curve is that control handles may be added anywhere
on the curve. In the 'raphical "ditor panel with your @ 1ocation #+ube$ graph #6ed
1ine$ selected place your arro( crsor on the line between frame 34 and 740 hold
the +trl key and click on the line with the 1B. Another control handle is created.
This is actually another :eyframe. Cou can actually enter a new :eyframe this way
anywhere on the red line in the animation. Another way to skin the cat.
6B +lick and <rag
+trl 8 1B to Add +ontrol &oint
Arrow +urser
4t&er ,/pes 45 Crves:
We had previously made note that by default Blender selects the Be9ier type
Interpolation to insert frames between keyframes. At this point it should be noted that
there are two other options. In the 'raphical "ditor Window select all the channels in
the <ope *heet panel by clicking in the colored bo!es. All the graphs will display in
the graphical "ditor panel. )ow A :ey twice to make sure they are all selected.
'o to the 'raphical "ditor Window header , :ey , Interpolation ode and you will
see the option to select +onstant0 1inear or Be9ier. +licking on +onstant or 1inear
will change the type of graphs and therefore change the action of the actor. >+onstant>
results in a dramatic quick change from one state to the other at a given frame while
>1inear> produces a change following a straight line graph between points.
The choice of these types of graphs and hence motions depends on how you want
your actor to behave in the animation. Both of the alternatives to Be9ier give the
option to grab and move points and to add additional points on the graph but Be9ier is
by far the more fle!ible.
+5)*TA)T I)T"6&51ATI5)
1I)"A6 I)T"6&51ATI5)
Blender Interpolates to add frames between the keyframes according to which of the
above options were selected. Blender also figures out what to do with the frames of
the animation before the first keyframe and what to do after the last keyframe.
(iguring this out is called "6trapolation. There are two options in Blender0 +onstant
and 1inear. By default Blender selects +onstant.
Constant "6trapolation can be seen with the 0 1ocation (C!e) channel selected
in the <ope *heet. With :eyframes at frame 34 and frame 74 Blender has
Interpolated the in between frames according to the default Be9ier method. That is
Blender has inserted frames which comply with a be9ier curve. "ither side of the
keyframes you see hori9ontal lines which dictate no further change in status. This is
+onstant "!trapolation. If you go to the -rap& "ditor &eader 7 8e/ !tton 7
"6trapolation Mode and select 1inear "6trapolation notice what happens to the
curve. Blender takes a look at frame 34 and 3I and from the data plots a straight line
coming up at an angle . Blender also looks at frames 7J and 74 and plots a straight
line curve leaving the curve . The action of the actor before and after the two
keyframes will follow these straight line curves.
Modi5/ing Crves:
We have so far discussed creating graphical curves and how to change them or
modify them thus changing how our actor behaves in the scene. Blender has more
options for more subtle control of animation.
In the <ope *heet panel0 display all the channels and have them all selected. With
your arrow cursor in the 'raphical "ditor Window press the A :ey until all channels
are highlighted in white and all the colored bo!es are ticked. )ow press the ) :ey to
display a panel with a Kiew &roperties tab.
To begin with this panel will only provide the option to show or hide the cursor # The
'reen hori9ontal line $. In the <ope *heet untick all but the the 0 1ocation (C!e)
channel. In the 'raphical "ditor panel +lk A :ey twice to ensure all channels are
selected but since only the @ 1ocation #+ube$ is ticked only that graph will display.
Toggle 'reen 1ine 5nF5ff
The new panel will now display three tabs. The 'ie( Properties, Active F9Crve
and the Modi5iers tab. The Active (2+urve tab shows that the @ location curve is
selected and that it is displayed in a Auto 6ainbow color. This color may be changed
by clicking on the drop down menu under ><isplay +olor>. It could be advantageous
to change the color of a curve if it is required to distinguish it from another.
We are at this point interested in modifying our curve not changing its color. )ote the
odifier tab with its Add Modi5ier button. +licking on this button produces a drop
down menu with seven options. We will not attempt to demonstrate all of these
options at this time but several are of particular interest.
We have the @ 1ocation #+ube$ channel curve selected in the 'raph "ditor panel.
)ow click on Add odifier and select :C/cles:.
The graph changes rather dramatically. The curve between frame 34 and frame 74 is
the same but instead of straight lines either side of this0 Blender has duplicated this
curve. In selecting +ycles we have made the movement of the curve cycle in 34
frame increments either side of the frame 34 , 74 block.
We are starting to get into the comple!ity of Blender and its multiple options.
1ook at the little +ycles panel which has displayed under the Add odifiers button.
)ote the Before and After options. "ach of these have drop down menu buttons
which give options for how the +ycles are to be repeated before and after the frame
block. +lick on the After button and select 6epeat irrored.
Blender alternately reverses the cycle curve. *crub the animation to observe the
motion of your actor.
1ets have another demonstration. +lick on the @ at the top right hand corner of the
+ycles panel to delete the modifier. +lick on Add odifier again and this time select
)oise.
WowB We now have our original graph with the jitters and if you scrub your
animation you will see thats e!actly what you get in the movement of the actor. 5f
course it doesn>t stop there the noise modifier contains a drop down to select sub
options and buttons to alter values for the options. Cou have plenty to play with.
'ood luck.
(or another demonstration delete the noise modifier and select the Built In (unction
modifier. This produces a straight sinusoidal graph. +heck out the drop down in this
modifier panel for the selection of graphs based on various mathematical functions.
All selections have buttons to control values being introduced. ore stuff to play
with.
To get more evolved try adding multiple modifiers to your curve. %ust click on the
Add odifier button without deleting what you already have.
Atomatic 8e/5raming:
&reviously :eyframes have been inserted in our animation by having our curser in
the .< Window0 moving the timeline to a particular frame0 changing the status of our
object and then pressing the I :ey and selecting a keyframe option.
Besides this method after the frame has been selected and the object status changed
we can press the Insert :eyframe button in the tool bar at the 1eft hand side of the
.< Window. The T :ey toggles hide and show this panel.
There is another method which makes life a lot easier when multiple keyframes are
required.
In the Timeline Window header you will see a red button ne!t to the play control
buttons.
+licking on this button toggles automatic keyframing onFoff. With auto on whenever
you move0scale or rotate your actor object in the .< Window a keyframe will be
inserted at whatever frame you have selected. 6emember to turn this off after using it.
Animating 4t&er Featres:
=aving an understanding of animation basics allows us to look at some of the other
things that can be animated in Blender besides movement0 rotation and si9e of an
object. It is also possible to animate among other things aterials0 Te!tures0 1amps
and World settings.
The following is a list of some of the features which can be animated?
aterial Animation 5ptions?
aterial 6'B Kalues +olor can be animated to change.
Alpha Transparency of an object can be animated.
=alo *i9e A halo can grow or shrink in an animation.
*etting a halo to 9ero will make it disappear.
Te!ture 5ffset Te!ture applied to an object can be animated.
It can move across the face or change in si9e.
Toggle Auto :eyframing 5nF5ff
1amp Animation 5ptionsL
1amp 6'B Kalues The color of light can be animated to change.
"nergy The intensity of light can vary.
*potlight *i9e The angle of beam can be animated to change.
Te!ture Te!ture can be applied to a lamp and animated.
World Animation 5ptionsL
Henith 6'B +olor of the 9enith #top$ can be animated.
This is great for sunsets or sunrise.
=ori9on 6'B +olor of hori9on #bottom$ can be animated.
ist (og can be animated for interesting effects.
*tars *tars can be made to move.
Te!ture 5ffset G *i9e Te!ture applied to a world can be made to move.
The above are only some of the features which can be animated in Blender. To give
you an idea how this is possible we will take a look at a couple.
"6ample 1 Color
1et>s start with the color of an object. 5pen up a new scene in Blender. #The default
scene with the cube object will do$.
'o to the &roperties Window at the left hand side of the screen and click on the
aterial button. When you open the default scene in Blender the cube object in the
scene is selected. ake sure it is selected before clicking on the material button. After
all we are concerned with the material of the cube object.
The &roperties Window with the aterial button activated show a whole bunch of
tabs for controlling how the surface of the object displays in the .< Window. To
begin note the &review tab showing a dull grey sphere and below that the <iffuse tab
with a button showing the same dull grey color. Actually on my screen the diffuse
color button looks a lot lighter in color than the sphere in the preview or the cube in
the .< Window. The values for all three are however identical.
1ook at the Timeline Window across the bottom of the screen. The green line shows
at frame ; of a 34/ frame animation # / to 34/ scale along the bottom of the window
above the header$.
We are again going to insert :eyframes on the Timeline. We will make the color of
our cube object change from 'rey to 6ed over 4/ frames of the animation.
Cou could change the starting color of the cube by clicking on the diffuse color
button #1B$to display a color picker0 click anywhere in the colored circle to change
the color. 1et>s just leave things alone for the time being and stick with dull old grey.
Instead of clicking #1B$ on the diffuse color button click#6B$ and in the menu
that displays click on >Add :eyframes>. Cou have inserted a keyframe at frame ; on
the timeline. +hange to frame 4/ # *crub the green line in the Timeline Window$.
)ow click #1B$ on the diffuse color button and in the color picker that displays
click on the red part of the colored circle. This changes the color of the cube to red.
+lick on the diffuse color button again0 this time #6B$ and then click on >Add
:eyframes> to insert a keyframe at frame 4/. )ow when you scrub the timeline you
will see the color of the cube change from grey to red over the 4/ frames. =itting Alt
8 A will play this animation. If you open the 'raphical "ditor Window you will see
the graphical representation of this animation.
"6ample # Spotlig&t Si2e:
To show how the spotlight may be animated we first need to put a spotlight into the
Blender scene. 1et>s start again with the default Blender scene with the cube. +hange
the .< Window to show the front side view and deselect the +ube #A :ey$. With the
curser in the .< Window hit the ; )um &ad key then hit *hift 8 A then select Add ,
1amp , *pot. Cou will see some orange lines appear in the .< Window. =it the '
:ey #'rab$ then H :ey and move the mouse up. The ' :ey lets you grab the spot
light so you can move it and the H key confines the movement to the H a!is. Cou
could also have clicked #1B$ on the blue arrow of the .< manipulator widget and
moved the spotlight up the H A!is. Another way to skin the cat . You will see that you
have actually moved a cone in the screen. =it the * :ey and move the curser towards
the ape! of the cone to scale the spotlight down a bit. The light is at the ape! of the
cone and the circle at the bottom represents the circle of light it would generate.
)ow go to the &roperties Window and press the 5bject <ata button to display all the
buttons which control the properties of the spotlight. 1ook for the *pot *hape tab and
see the button with> *i9e? J4> in it. J4 degrees is the angle of the cone.
The Timeline Window is again across the bottom of the screen and the green line
indicates that we are at frame number ;.
6ight click on the *pot *hape *i9e button and select Insert :eyframes from the menu
that displays. The *i9e button will turn yellow indicating that you have inserted a
keyframe in the Timeline. *crub the green line in the Timeline to frame 4/. The *i9e
button turns green #)o keyframe at frame 4/ yet$. 1eft click on the *i9e button and
holding the mouse button move the mouse to the left decreasing the value of the cone
angle. The angle of the cone in the .< Window will decrease accordingly. 6ight click
on the *i9e button and select Insert :eyframes again. Button turns yellow. We now
have a keyframe at frame 4/. *crub the green line in the Timeline Window between
frame ; an 4/ to see the angle of the cone change. Cou have animated the spotlight
si9e.
Man/ properties can !e animated t&is (a/ !/ inserting +e/5rames and c&anging
propert/ vales. )o &ave lots o5 e6perimenting to (or+ on.
8e/ing Sets:
Cou can add multiple properties to a group called a 8e/ing Set which allows you to
animate whole bunch of stuff at one time. Cou do this by defining a :eying *et.
We will look at our +ube actor in the default Blender Window. 1et us say you want to
have the cube move along the @ a!is and change color at the same time. )ot too
difficultA %ust add a bunch of keyframes. "!actlyB But consider if you had a lot of
property changes. Adding all those keyframes one by one could become tedious. It
would be nice if you could do the property changes then hit a button to add all the
keyframes in one go. 1et>s do it.
With the +ube selected in the .< Window go to the &roperties Window. We will look
at the movement part of the e!ercise first. +lick on the 5bject button in the header
and in the panel that displays find the Transform tab and the 1ocation buttons. Cou
will see @?/.///0 C?/./// and H?/.///. This shows that the +ube is at the center of
the .< Window in all planes. 5: we are concerned with the movement on the @ a!is.
6ight click on @?/./// and in the panel that displays click >Add *ingle to :eying *et>.
If you look at the Timeline Window header you will see a button with
>Buttons:eying*et> in it and two little :ey icons ne!t to it. 5ne of them has a red line
across it. )ote in the Timeline you are at frame ;. Cou have just entered the
information into a :eying *et telling Blender that at frame ; the +ube is located on
the @ a!is at position /.///.
)ow consider the color part of the e!orcise. In the &roperties Window click on the
aterial button. 6ight click on the <iffuse color button then click on >Add All to
:eying *et>. ake sure you click on >Add All> not >Add *ingle> )ow the information
for the color has been added to the :eying *et.
In the Timeline Window header click on the first of the little :ey icons #)ot the one
with the red line$. Cou have entered a :eyframe for the location and color of the
+ube. Cou can see this in the 'raph "ditor Window by opening up all the headings in
the <ope *heet.
)ow move to frame J/ or wherever you wish on the timeline.
+hange the value for the Transform 1ocation @ a!is in the &roperties Window 5bject
buttons. 6ight click the new value and click >Add *ingle to :eying *et>.
<o the same thing for the aterial color value but make sure you click on >Add All to
:eying *etE. )ow click on the first of the :ey icons again to add the new :eyframe
at frame J/.*crub the timeline to see the +ube move and change color.
Wind Strength Animation
Wind force can be applied to particles and cloth. The Wind Strength is able to be
animated to provide a realistic reaction due to varying wind strength.
In the 3D Window add an 'Empty'. Split the 3D
Window in two and mae one half the !raph editor
Window. With the Empty selected in the 3D Window
go to the "roperties Window#"hysics button. In the
$orce $ield tab clic on the 'Type' panel to display the
dropdown selection panel and select 'Wind'.
The wind force is displayed in the 3D Window as a
stac of circles along the positive % a&is.
In the "hysics $orce $ield tab the 'Strength' value refers
to the wind strength. Increasing the value causes the
circles in the 3D Window to move apart showing the
increase.
Starting with the Strength ' (.))) at frame ( on the Timeline
right clic in the Strength panel and select 'Insert *eyframe'
in the drop down that displays.
+ *eyframe is added in the !raph Editor Window. ,lic on the vertical green line
and drag it along to frame -(. .ou will see your first *ey shown as the orange dot at
frame (. With the green line at frame -( alter the Strength value to /.))) and right
clic in the Strength panel again.
!reen 0ine at frame -(
*eyframe +dded
!raph Editor
Window
3D Window
%
Select 'Insert *eyframe' and a second *ey is added in the
!raph Editor Window.
1y moving 2Scrubbing3 the green line in the !raph Editor
Window bac to frame ( you will see the wind strength alter
in the 3D Window.
4ove the green line bac to frame (. With your curser in the
3D Window press +lt5+. .ou will see the wind strength
animated.
The above method show you the manual insertion of
eyframes. To mae life easier there is an automatic insertion
of eyframes method.
!o to frame -( 2.ou can start where you lie but lets build on to what we already
have3. In the Timeline Window at the bottom of the screen clic on the 6ed button
ne&t to where it says '7o Sync'. 4ove the green
line along the timeline and change the Strength
value. + third eyframe is added in the !raph
Editor Window. 6epeat this a few times
increasing and decreasing the strength value. 1y
scrubbing through the animation you see the wind strength animated in the 3D
Window. 4ove the green line bac to frame( and press +lt5+ and play the
animation.
With the Wind Strength animated you can direct it at "articles or Soft 1ody ob8ects
which influences haw they behave in an animation.
Second *ey
!raph Editor Window
$irst *ey
Timeline Window
!raph Editor Window
*eyframes
CH12- 3D Text
01-3D Text
02-Creating 3D text in Blender
03-Properties Window-Object Data
0-Creating Text on a C!r"e
0#-Con"erting to a $es% Object
0&-Con"erting to a C!r"e
0'-(le)ont 3D Text
3D Text
3D Text can be considered a very important element to add into a scene. Think of all
the television advertisements that contain text and how it is animated. There are two
ways of adding text to a scene in blender. One way is to use the inbuilt text generator
and the other is to use an external program to generate the text. Text made in Blender
can be easily edited in the Properties indow. Text made in an external program like
!lefont may give you additional options and different fonts.
Creating 3D text in Blender
To create text in Blender put your scene into top view orthographic
pro"ection #$um Pad % then $um Pad &'. Text is entered into the scene
in the top view. (ocate the curser at the point in the scene where you
want your text to go. Press )*hift + ,) and select ),dd Text).
The word )Text) displays in the 3D indow in Ob"ect mode.
Tab into !dit mode. The word )Text) will now have a typing cursor at the end of the
word. -ou can now backspace to delete letters and type in your own words "ust like in
a text editor. Don)t worry about the .ont style or si/e at this stage. hen you have
typed in the words you want0 tab into Ob"ect mode. This is where you shape and
color the text.
Before you do any shaping or coloring you can move0 rotate and scale "ust like any
Ob"ect in Blender.
1hanging the text into something interesting is done in the Properties indow.
*elect the text in the 3D indow then go to the Properties indow 2 Ob"ect data
buttons.

Ob"ect 3ode
!dit 3ode
Typing 1urser
The word )Text) deleted and )!dit 3ode)
typed in its place
Tab to Ob"ect 3ode
Properties Window Object data
idth0 extrude and bevel depth sliders
control exactly what they say.
idth4 The text width.
!xtrude4 !xtrudes text to a 3D shape.
Depth4 Bevel si/e.
!xperiment with the settings to modify the
shape of the text
The default .ont *tyle is entered as Bfont. -ou can change this to whatever .ont
*tyles you have on your system. 5f you are using a indows operating system you
can find .ont *tyles in the indows .onts folder. #146 indows 6.onts'. To change
the .ont style click on the *earch Folder Icon and in the search window navigate to
your .onts folder and select a different .ont. Blender will accept any of the indows
fonts but some may be distorted when they are extruded into 3D shapes.
5n the .onts tab0 the 7nderline Position and Thickness values only operate when
)7nderline) is ticked under 1haracter4 7nderlining occurs as you type your text in
!dit mode.
Default .ont *tyle
*earch .older 5con
Creating Text on a Cure
Text in Blender can be made to follow
the shape of a Cured Path. Begin by
adding text to your scene as previously
described then when it is in Ob"ect mode
deselect it ! " #e$!
,dd a curved path to the scene. %hi&t '
" Cure Path! $ote that by default
the Path is named )1urve). The curve
path is added to the scene in Ob"ect
mode and appears as a straight line. -ou
can scale it to make it longer and
reposition it in Ob"ect mode but you will
have to Tab to edit mode to extrude or shape it into a curve. ith the curve shaped to
whatever you want Tab back to Ob"ect mode and deselect it.
*elect the text Ob"ect. 5n the Properties
indow 2 Ob"ect data buttons 2 .ont tab
find the )Text on 1urve) panel. 1lick on the
little cube icon and in the drop down that
displays select )1urve). The text is shaped to
follow the profile of the curve.
1urve
!dit 3ode
Ob"ect 3ode
*elect )1urve)
1lick on 1ube icon
Conerting Text to a (esh Object
There is only limited functionality in the text
Ob"ect data buttons geometry tab for modifying
the text shape. 7nless you have extruded the text
it remains a two dimensional plane ob"ect.
!ntering edit mode only allows you to retype a
text change. To perform editing which actually
changes the shape of
the text you have to
convert to a 3esh
ob"ect. To do this
select the Text in
Ob"ect mode then
press "lt ' C and in the drop down menu that displays
select ) (esh &ro) Cure*(eta*%ur&*Text). Tab to !dit
mode and you will see that the text is now a mesh ob"ect
with verticies that can be moved0 rotated and scaled.
Conerting Text to a Cure
5f you would like to perform some fancy
editing of a single letter you can convert
the letter # Text ' into a curve. The
outline of the letter becomes a curve
with handles which allow you to
manipulate the shape into anything you
wish.
,dd Text then in edit mode delete and retype your
letter. *cale it up0 rotate and move it where you like
then Tab to Ob"ect mode. Press "lt ' C and select
)Cure &ro) (esh*Text). $ow in !dit mode you will
see the outline of your letter as a curve with
manipulating handles.
Drag 8andle
!dit 3ode
Ob"ect 3ode
!dit 3ode
Elefont 3D Text
Text can be created in an external 3D Text Editor and imported into Blender. A
popular program to use is the freeware program Elefont available at
www.armanisoft.ch. This is a simple to use program that saves the file in a .DXF
format. An program that exports 3D text as .DXF or !"#$%.wrl& will wor'.
The Elefont interface is shown below.
After ou have created our text in Elefont save the .dxf file and ma'e note of where
ou saved it. (pen Blender and go into Top !iew in the 3D )indow. *n the
information )indow header clic' on +File+ then +(pen+. The blender File Browser
)indow will open. ,avigate to the folder where ou saved our file. ,ote- B
default Blender does not displa all files in the Browser )indow. .o to the header at
the top of the window and clic' on +Enable Filtering+. This will displa all the files
in an folder.
/lic' on our .dxf file and then clic' on +Open Blender File+ % 0pper $1 2ide of
window&. 3our text will be displaed in the Blender 3D )indow but note each letter
is a separate Object.
Tpe text here
T4 2elect the Font 2tle
54 2et /urve 5ualit
E4 Extrude depth
e4 Bring up Extruder )indow
B4 Bevel (ptions
24 Bevel 2i6e
F4 2ave % Export as DXF&
14 1elp *nformation
2ince each letter is a separate ob7ect ou can appl a different material color to each
letter. To 7oin all the letters into a single ob7ect8 shift select all the letters then press
+9oin+ in the Tool 2helf % Alternative /trl : 9 &.
Tab to edit mode to see the mesh ob7ect.
The text can now be edited as a single ob7ect and made to follow the profile of a
curve b adding a #odifier to the Text (b7ect. #odifiers will be discussed later.
Edit #ode showing #esh
(b7ect #ode $etters 9oined
#odifier Applied to Text (b7ect
/urve ;ath Deformed
/lic' on /ube *con
select curve
/urve ;ath
,amed /urve
CH13- Nurbs and Metashap
01-Using Nurbs
02-Creating a Lofted Tunnel
03-Meta Shapes
Nurbs

When you press the 'Shift + A' and select ' Add', you will notice other object types
beside meshes, cameras and lights that can be created. One type of object that can be
created is Surface (!"#S$.
Using NURBS
%f you loo& at the Surface menu, you will see a 'ariety of shapes that can be created.
(hese shapes can be used as they are or con'erted to meshes so you can wor& with
'erticies. (o get you started and gi'e you the idea how this is achie'ed follow the
procedure outlined below.
Start a new scene in #lender and delete the default cube. )lace the
scene in top 'iew ( um )ad *$. Add a urbs +ircle (Shift + A
,ey - Add - Surface - !"#S +ircle$. (he !"#S +ircle will
be displayed in the scene in Object mode.
(ab to .dit mode and you will see the circle surrounded by
manipulation handles which by default are all selected. /eselect
the handles (A ,ey$. "ight clic& on a handle to select it. %f you
ha'e the manipulation widget turned on you can use it to move
the handle and deform the circle. Alternati'ely 0 ,ey and drag
the mouse.

(ab into Object mode to see the deformed circle.
(he deformation may be what you want or you
may wish to further refine the shape. 1ou can
do this by con'erting the !"#S shape
(Surface$ in to a 2esh object. With the shape
selected in Object mode press Alt + + and in
the drop down select ' 2esh from +ur'e32eta3
Surf3(e4t'. We are con'erting 'Surf' (Surface$
into a 2esh. Ob'iously this same command is
applicable to con'erting +ur'e, 2eta and (e4t
into a 2esh object.
Widget
(ab to edit mode and you will see the shape now has
'erticies applied which you can select and manipulate to
further modify the shape. A ,ey will deselect the 'ertice you
ha'e just mo'ed and A ,ey again will select all 'erticies.
(ab to Object mode then Alt + +
and this time select '+ur'e from
2esh3(e4t'. (his is creating a 2esh
+ur'e object from the 2esh Object.
(ab bac& to edit mode and you now
ha'e a +ur'e +ircle object. 1ou
can now use the 0eometry 'alues in
the )roperties window - Object
data buttons to manipulate the
objects shape or select 'erticies and mo'e them. Since this is a +ur'e circle it can be
used as a path in animating.
(his is simply showing that by con'erting from one type of object to another gi'es
different options for shape manipulation.
Single 5ertice Selected and
2o'ed
5ertices selected and 2o'ed
Creating a Lofted Tunnel
(his process will ta&e se'eral profiles of a !"#S +ircle which are all manipulated
to different profiles and connect them together forming a hollow object ((unnel$.
(he first thing you need to do is create a !"#S
+ircle as pre'iously described. (he circle is
entered in the scene in Object mode. (ab into .dit
mode. Select the points and shape the circle a bit.
After shaping go bac& into Object mode. +hange
your 'iew so you are loo&ing down on the circle
((op 'iew um )ad *$. !se the 6 Shift7/ 8 &eys
to duplicate the circle se'eral times and position
them. (hen rotate your 'iew so you can select
each circle. %n .dit mode edit the shapes . After
shaping the circles, e4it edit mode and select them
all by "2# clic&ing on them while holding
'Shift'. 9oin them together, pressing 9oin in the
(ool Shelf. :or the final step press (ab for .dit
mode then A ,ey to select all 'ertices then :
,ey.
All 5ertices selected
Shift select +ircles and 9oin
: ,ey +reates ;ofted Shape
Shape "otated
Meta Shapes
There are several Meta Shapes you can use in Blender. When Meta Shape get close to
one another they begin to pull and flow together like droplets of liquid. The shapes
can be animated, tetured, and reflection and transparency can be applied to create
some stunning effects. Meta shapes are added to a scene like any other ob!ect.

Meta Shapes are added to a scene in "b!ect mode. #emember to deselect one shape
before adding another otherwise they will be !oined.
Meta Ball
Meta Tube
Meta $ube
Meta %lane
Meta &llipsoid
Meta Ball and Meta Tube
'n close proimity
CH14- Modifiers
01-Modifiers
02-Modifier Stack
03-Array Modifier
04-Object Offset Modifier
05-Bevel Modifier
0-Boolea! Modifier
0"-B#ild Modifier
0$-%eci&ate Modifier
0'-Mask Modifier
10-Mirror Modifier
11-Scre( Modifier
12-S#bdivisio! S#rface Modifier
13-)* +roject Modifier
14-Cast Modifier
15-C#rve Modifier
1-%is,lace Modifier
1"-Hook Modifier
1$--attice Modifier
1'-Mes. %efor& Modifier
20-S.ri!k(ra, Modifier
21-Si&,le %efor& Modifier
22-/ave Modifier
23-01,lode Modifier
Modifiers
A Modifier is defined as the application of a process or algorithm upon Objects. In
other words once you have created an object in the scene you can apply a neat little
and sometimes not so little set of data that will change the shape or way the objects
behave. The modifiers are designed to tae some of the hard wor out of shaping an
object. !e warned though that applying some of !lenders modifiers is not straight
forward and has to be performed in conjunction with other processes. "ithout some
instruction in how to apply the modifiers a lot of hit and miss# trial and error# messing
about can be involved. To save you all that trouble the following section on Modifiers
is offered as a guide. $ou will still have to e%periment and record your findings to
become proficient in the application of modifiers.
To begin with Modifiers are found in the &roperties "indow ' Modifiers button. The
Modifier button is only displayed when an object is selected in the () "indow and
only when it is possible to apply the modifier to that object.
*tart with the default !lender scene with the default +ube object. *elect the +ube. ,o
to the &roperties "indow ' Modifier button and clic on -Add Modifier- to display
the Modifier drop down selection menu. $ou will see there are .uite a number to
choose from# some of the names seem self e%planatory some not so clear in their
meaning.
&roperties "indow
Modifier &anel )isplayed
)rop )own *election Menu
Modifier Stack
!efore e%plaining the individual modifiers it should be noted that in some cases it is
appropriate to apply more than one modifier to an object. "hen this is done the
modifiers are placed in a stac in order of priority. The priority can be changed by
moving a modifier up or down in the stac.
Also note that although modifiers are generally applied in Object mode some may be
used in /dit mode.

This *creenshot shows an Array Modifier and a !evel Modifier applied.
Array Modifier
!evel Modifier
+lic to enable Modifier settings
to be applied in /dit mode
+lic to move Modifier up in
the *tac
+lic to move Modifier down
in the stac
The following pages will give a basic insight into how some of the modifiers are
employed. The full listing of modifiers available are as shown in the modifier
selection drop down menu.
The modifiers mared in yellow will be covered in later sections relating to
Armatures# &articles and &hysics. The modifiers mared in red will be added when I
figure out what and how they are used.
Array Modifier
The Array Modifier creates an array of copies of the base object with each copy being
offset in a number of possible ways.
UV Sphere object with Array Modifier applied with Count = ! the base object plus
two copies e"uals an array of three# and $ and % &ffsets.
'ote the abo(e is using the )elati(e &ffset function.
There are three types of offset functions a(ailable. )elati(e* Constant and &bject.
+ith a Count (alue of , and offset along the $ a-is of .
the difference between )elati(e and Constant is shown
here.
The third offset option /&bject/ is show as follows and is
combined with the addition of a second Array Modifier..
0roperties +indow Modifier button
% = ..111
$ = ..211
)elati(e
Constant
Object Offset
3n this e-ample the Sphere has an Array modifier
with Count = , and a Constant offset - = 4. 3n
addition a second Array modifier is added with an
&bject offset.
The &bject Cube is located at - = 5..2 and y = 5..2
The first Array modifier places a second Sphere at
- = 4. The second Array modifier uses the
coordinates of the &bject Cube to place a third
Sphere relati(e to the second Sphere at - = 5..2 and
y= 5..2
)emember Count , means an Array with two objects
the original object plus one. Adding a second
modifier with Count , still tells 6lender to ma7e an
Array comprising the original plus one. +e therefore
ha(e the original plus one and the original plus one.
Three.
.
,

$ = 4
% = 5..2
$ = 5..2
Bevel Modifier
The Bevel modifier simply adds a bevel to the corners of an object.
Default Cube with Bevel
Modifier applied
Extruded Cube with Bevel Modifier applied
Width of Bevel
Boolean Modifier
Boolean Modifiers are used to create shapes by using a Difference, Intersection or
Union between Objects. To demonstrate this we will use the default ube and a Tube
object.
Be warned that unless you ha!e a super fast computer some calculations can ta"e
se!eral seconds.
#tart with the ube and Tube and position them as shown. This will be the same set
up for all three Operation types. Begin with the Boolean type $Intersect$
To ma"e sure the procedure wor"s set the !erticies count to %& when you add the
Tube. My old clun"er of a computer stalls if I try the default '( !erticies. )dd the
Tube then change the !erticies in the Tool #helf.
Intersect
* reating an Object which is the shape of the o!erlap of two objects. The ube will
be the object that is modified +.
#elect the ube. In the ,roperties -indow . Modifier button . lic" $)dd Modifier$
and select type $Boolean$.
The Operation type by default is $Intersect$. In the Object panel clic" on the little cube
icon and select $Tube$ in the drop down menu. * /ote this panel allays shows a little
cube icon despite the shape of the actual object being selected +.
in the $Display$ tab clic" on $)pply$. The modifier panel disappears. In the 'D
-indow mo!e the selected object to re!eal the new object being the shape of the
o!erlap. The Tube object remains in the scene.
#tart position for ube and Tube
Boolean Modifier
lic" to add Tube
Union
* reates a shape which is a union of two objects +.
)dd a Modifier to the ube and select Operation type $Union$. In the Object panel
*0ittle cube icon+ clic" and select $Tube$. lic" 1)pply$. Mo!e the selected object in
the 'D -indow.
Difference
* reates a shape which is the difference of the two objects. In other words subtract
the o!erlap of the objects from the object being modified +.
2ollow the same procedure as the foregoing e3amples selecting Operation type
$Difference$.
'D -indow after applying
modifier
#eparate the objects to see the Intersection
Build Modifier
The Build Modifier creates the effect of something building linearly over a period of
time.
For example Text can be animated to build across the screen. Any object can have a
Build Modifier but to see a nice affect a high vertices count is required.
Add some text to the scene ( ee the section on !" Text #.
elect the text in the !" $indo% and add a Build Modifier.
As soon as you add the modifier the text disappears from the screen. &ress Alt ' A to
see the animation of the text building.
Text in the !" $indo% selected in (bject mode.
Text %ith the Build Modifier added.
Text building %hile playing the animation
&art of the text sho%ing
Build direction
Decimate Modifier
The Decimate Modifier allows reduction in
vertices count without too much alteration
to shape.
Default Tube before Modifier applied
Default Tube in Edit mode showing
vertices before Modifier applied
Tube after Modifier applied with Ratio:
0.600. There is not too much change to
the appearance.
Edit mode shows the reduction
in the number of vertices
Mask Modifier
The Mask Modifier allows portions of a mesh which are defined by Vertex Groups to
be the only part of the mesh that is visible or inversely to be the only part of a mesh
that displays. By using the modifier visibility can be controlled without removing
verticies.
Vertices selected in Edit
mode
Vertices assigned to the
Vertex Group named
Group
!b"ect data button
#lick to assign
vertices to Group
#lick to add Group
Mask Modifier added to #ube
Group entered
!nly Group visible with modifier applied
Group invisible with $nvert ticked
%o vertices have been removed from the #ube
Mirror Modifier
The Mirror Modifier allows the construction or
deformation of a mesh on one side of a center point to
be duplicated (Mirrored) on the opposite side.
Example 1.
Example 2.
1. Plane in Edit Mode 2. Plane Subdivided
3. ertices removed on
one side
!. Mirror Modifier
applied
". Mesh deformed b# movin$
vertice with Mirror applied
Mirror Modifier
1. default Plane 2. Plane deformed and moved from center
3. Mirror Modifier %pplied
Screw Modifier
The Screw Modifier allows a shape to be generated by revolving a profile around an
axis. To demonstrate this we will construct a spring.
All operations are conducted in the default camera view.
Follow the steps in the exact order listed.
1. Delete the default ube ob!ect and add a circle. Scale the circle down ".#"".
$. Tab to %dit mode and move the circle along the & axis ' ( )ey to display the
Transform panel* Median+ ,-."""..
/. Tab to ob!ect mode.
0. Add a Screw Modifier to the ircle.
ircle revolved about the default 1 axis
%dit Mode
2b!ect Mode
#. hange the settings in the modifier panel.
-. Axis+ y ' 3evolve about the 4 axis .
5. Steps+ 1"" ' To produce a smooth
surface .
6. Screw+ 1" ' 2ffsets the revolution .
7. Angle+ 1""" ' (umber of revolutions
.
Modifier panel shown with the
default settings
3evolved about 4 axis Screw+ 1" 2ffset
Angle+ 1""" 3evolved
Subdivision Surface Modifier
The subdivision Surface Modifier is used where the Smooth button in the Shading
section of the Tools Shelf does not quiet do the job and you do not want to subdivide
your mesh adding more vertices.
This example shows the method.
1. Default ube with one face extruded
!ront view "um #ad 1$ edit mode.
%. Sub Serf Modifier #anel
Default settings
&. 'ser perspective view of extrusion
(bject mode
). 'ser perspective view
*ith Sub Serf Modifier added + default settings,
-. .iew value 1 changed to )
/. Tab to edit mode to show
(rigional number of .ertices unchanged
UV Project Modifier
The UV Project Modifier allow projection of an image on to the surface of an object.
Before the modifier can be applied the scene must contain the following items and
settings are required. To demonstrate the very basics of the process we will project an
image on to one face of the ube in the default Blender !cene.
Before we begin we must have the following items.
". #n $bject on which to project the image %&efault ube'.
(. #n image to be projected % )now the location of an image on your computer'.
*. # amera to see what is being projected and to allow rendering.
+. # Projector to do the projecting.
!tart with the &efault Blender scene and go to top view %,um Pad -' in Top
$rthographic projection %,um Pad .'.
The scene already contains a ube object/ amera and 0amp. 1or this e2ercise the
0amp isn3t necessary since the image we will be projecting will be self illuminating.
4e will leave the 0amp in place anyway.
The first thing to do is add a Projector. #ny object can be used as a Projector and it is
common to use an 5mpty or a amera for the purpose. !ince we already have a
amera it is very simple to duplicate it % !hift 6 & '. 4hen the amera is duplicated
Blender automatically names it amera.77". 8o to the Properties 4indow 9 $bject
button and rename 3amera.77"3 3Projector3 % lic: on the name/ delete/ retype/ press
35nter3 '.
;n the *& 4indow move the Projector and position it as shown above.
Transform Panel
Values
Projector
amera
<ou may position the Projector anywhere you li:e but it will ma:e this demonstration
easier to follow if you copy the demonstration e2actly. To precisely position the
Projector use the Transformation panel and enter the values as shown. This will put
the Projector squarely pointing at the ube on the = and < a2is.
&eselect the Projector and change the *& 4indow to amera view %,um Pad 7'.
To perform ;mage projection the $bject being projected on must have a Material with
some unique settings. ;n the *& 4indow %amera View' select the ube. 8o to the
Properties 4indow 9 Material button. The default ube in the default scene comes
preloaded with a material. Thats the dull grey color that you see. ;f you have added a
new ube object you will have to add a new material.
4ith a material added change the following settings in the Material buttons.
". ;n the &iffuse tab set > 3;ntensity? ".7773
(. ;n the !hading tab tic: 9 3!hadeless3 and set
3#mbient? 7.7773
*. ;n the Transparency tab tic: 9 3Transparency3
and chec: 3 #lpha? ".7773 is set.
+. ;n the $ptions tab tic: 9 31ace te2ture3 % 0eave
3Traceable3 tic:ed '
4e now have to tell Blender what image we want
projected and give some coordinates to project to.
!plit the *& 4indow in two and ma:e one half a UV
;mage 5ditor 4indow.
;n the *& 4indow with the ube selected change
Viewpoint !hading to 3Te2tured3.
Tab to 5dit mode and set it in 1ace select mode. Press # )ey to deselect all faces then
@ lic: on one face of the cube to select one face.
1ace select mode
4ith the cursor in the *& 4indow press
U )ey and select 3Project 1rom View3.
<ou will see the face you have selected
appear in the UV ;mage 5ditor.
;n the UV ;mage 5ditor load your image. ;n the header clic: 3;mage3 then select
3$pen3. This opens a file browser window where you navigate to the folder containing
you image. lic: on the image file and clic: on 3$pen3 % Upper @A! '.
<our image displays in the UV ;mage 5ditor window. <ou can still see the outline of
the face you have selected.
UV ;mage 5dit 4indow
$utline of !elected 1ace
;mage 1ile 0ocation
1ile ,ame
;mage 1ile selected
$utline of !elected 1ace
;f you Press # )ey to select the face outline and 8 )ey and move the mouse you will
see the image projected on the face in the *& 4indow move at the same time.
;f you press 1"( and render with the cursor in the *& 4indow you will see whatever
portion of the image is covered by the face outline in the UV ;mage editor is rendered
on to the selected face of the ube. <ou can also scale the face outline to capture
more or less of the image.
This shows you one method of projection but that is not where we were heading to
begin with. 4e want to use our projector but we have given Blender the information
about our image and have established some mapping coordinates.
#t long last we can add our UV Project Modifier.
The ube remains selected. ;n the Properties 4indow 9 Modifier button clic: 3#dd
Modifier3 and select 3UV Project3 to display the modifier panel. ;n the modifier clic:
on the panels shown and select your ;mage /the Projector and the UV Te2
coordinates.
;mage on selected face
lic: and select your
;mage file
lic: and select
Projector
lic: and select UV
Te2
@ender %Press 1"(' to see the image projected on to the face of the ube.
By moving the Projector in the *& 4indow relative to the ube or moving/ rotating
or scaling the ube relative to the Projector the portion of the image displayed can be
controlled.

!elected 1ace
Cast Modifier
The Cast Modifier shifts the shape of a mesh, curve, surface or lattice to any of the
predefined shapes included in the modifier ie. Sphere, cuboid or cylinder.
X, Y, Z: Untic to disable the deformation
on that a!is.
"actor: Slider controls the deformation. #
$ ori%inal & or ' to deform.
(adius: )nly deform verticies *ithin this
distance from the center +# $
infinite,.
Si-e: Si-e of the pro.ection shape +# $
automatic,.
/erte! 0roup: 1f verticies are assi%ned to a
verte! %roup only those verticies
*ill be effected.
Control )b.ect: 1f a control ob.ect is used it
determines the center of the
effect.
2efault Cube
Subdivide !3 in 4dit mode
Cast Type Sphere
Cast Type Cylinder Cast Type Cuboid
Curve Modifier
The Curve Modifier uses a Curve to deform a mesh.
Curve Modifier
Default Cube scaled on X axis and
subdivided six times in Edit mode.
Bezier Curve scaled on the X axis
Scaled Cube with Curve Modifier added
Scale and subdivide Cube mesh. Add a Bezier
Curve to the scene and scale u.
Add Curvr Modifier to the scaled Cube and
enter the name of the Bezier Curve in the !b"ect
anel
#ame $ %Curve%
Select the Curve and chan&e its shae in Edit mode to maniulate the shae of the Scaled Cube
Displace Modifier
The Displace Modifier uses a Texture to displace the verticies of a mesh. If verticies
are assigned to a Vertex Group and the group is entered in the modifier only the
verticies belonging to the group will be effected.
Default Cube
ubdivided in !dit mode
Texture
Modifier
Vertex Group elected
elect vertices in !dit mode and assign to
Vertex Group. !nter "Group" in the modifier
!nter "Group"
Default Cube with Displace Modifier
Distorted #oise Texture entered
Hook Modifier
The hook modifier allows you to manipulate or animate selected verticies of a mesh
while in Object mode. Verticies are assigned (Hooked) to an mpty object which can
be moved in Object mode pulling the selected verticies with it. This can be use for a
static mesh deformation or the movement can be animated.
Simple Example: !oving one corner of a "ube.
#tart with the default scene with the "ube object
selected. Tab to edit mode and deselect all verticies
then select one vertice ("orner). $ress "trl % H &ey
and select ' Hook to (ew Object'.
)n mpty is added to the scene and by going to the
$roperties *indow + !odifier buttons you will see
that a Hook !odifier has been added named 'ok,
mpty'.
#elect and move the mpty in Object mode and the "ube is deformed.
mpty added
Lattice Modifier
The Lattice Modifier is used to deform a mesh object or to control the movement of
particles. By using the modifier it is simple to shape a mesh object that has many
verticies. A Lattice is a non renderable grid of verticies therefore it does not render in
the scene. You can use the same lattice to deform several objects by giving each
object a modifier pointing to the lattice.
Example !eform a "# $phere object %ith a Lattice.
Add a "#$phere to the scene then add a Lattice.
Before you can see the Lattice mesh you %ill have to
scale up &$ 'ey ( !rag Mouse).
The Lattice is entered as a simple mesh cube. *o to the
+bject data button in the ,roperties -indo% and alter
the ". # and - values in the Lattice tab to subdivide
the Lattice mesh.
Lattice Modifier added to
$phere
Enter /Lattice/ here
$ingle Lattice vertice selected and
moved deforming the "# $phere
mesh.
"# $phere Lattice Mesh
Mesh Deform Modifier
The Mesh Deform Modifier can deform one mesh with another 'cage' mesh. This is
similar to a Lattice Modifier but instead of being restricted to the regular grid layout
of a lattice the cage can be modeled to fit around the mesh object being deformed.
The cage mesh must form a closed cage around the part of the mesh to be deformed.
Only verticies within the cage will be deformed. Typically the cage will have far
fewer verticies than the mesh being deformed.
After modeling your object surround it with a
simple cage mesh and apply a Mesh deform
modifier to the original object. nter the name of the
cage mesh and press '!ind' to lin" the two meshes.
The '!ind' operation may ta"e several seconds to
calculate depending on the comple#ity of your
model. $ait until '!ind' changes to '%nbind' before
selecting verticies on the cage. !y dragging scaling
and rotating the selected verticies the original mesh
will be deformed. The pro#imity of the cage to the
original object has an influence on how to
deformation reacts.
&ote' The cage mesh will render in the scene therefore with the cage surrounding the
elongated sphere all you will see is the cage. (ou can select the cage and move it
away from the sphere "eeping the deformation but the cage will still render. To see
the elongated sphere deformed without the cage clic" on 'Apply' in the modifier tab.
The modifier is applied to the sphere and removed. (ou can now delete the cage and
the elongated sphere remains deformed.
Mesh deform Modifier applied to )phere.
%* )phere scaled to form an
elongated worm shape.
+ube e#truded to form
cage
,art of cage selected moved and
rotated deforming the )phere
+lic" on '!ind' and wait until
it changes to '%nbind'
Shrinkwrap Modifier
The Shrinkwrap modifier takes a mesh and shrinks it down wrapping the mesh
around another object. The deformed mesh can then be offset to produce shapes in
between the original shape and the deformed shape.
UV Sphere with Cone inside
Shrinkwrap Modifier added
Offset increased to 1.! Offset increased to ".##
Shrinkwrap Modifier added to UV
Sphere
$nter %Cone& here
'ncrease %Offset%
UV Sphere wrapped
around the Cone
Simple Deform Modifier
The Simple Deform Modifier deforms a mesh by
increasing factor values in the modifier and having a
second object having an influence.
To see this modifier in action have a UV Sphere in
the scene with a scaled down Cube located on the
center inside the sphere.
Sphere with Cube
inside on the center
irefreme Mode
Modifier added !actor" #.$%
!actor" &.''
Cube entered in (rigin and moved sideways.
)nter *Cube* as (rigin
!ront View
Wave Modifier
The Wave Modifier applies a deformation in the form of a wave. To demonstrate we
will apply the modifier to a Plane.
In the default Blender scene delete the Cube and add
a Plane. Scale the Plane up
(S ey!"#. Tab into $dit mode and subdivide ( Clic
%Subdivide% in the Tools Panel & times#. Tab to 'b(ect
mode. )ou have to subdivide the Plane to *et a nice
affect.
+o to the Properties Window,Modifier button and
clic %-dd Modifier% to open the drop down selection
menu. Select %Wave%.
In the ./ Window you
immediately see the Plane deform.
It is pulled up in the middle and
punched in at the top of the bul*e.
The Wave Modifier has been
applied on both the 0 and ) a1is.
In the Modifier tab you see 12 y
and cyclic ticed. 0 and ) are the
a1is and cyclic means that an
animation of the wave will repeat
over and over.
With your curser in the ./ Window press -lt!- to see the animation play. Press $sc
to stop.
3ntic the 0 a1is in the Modifier tab and play a*ain. - wave alon* the ) a1is results.
-t the bottom of the Modifier tab chan*e the %Speed% to 4.452 the Width to 6.47 and
the %8ei*ht% to 4..9. Play the animation a*ain. )ou can chan*e these values to
whatever you want. In fact2 *o ahead and play around with different values to see
what happens. Its the only way to *et the idea.
Chan*e :alues
Wave ;orm Control :alues
Explode Modifier
The Explode Modifier lets you make a mesh object fly apart or explode. Before you
can apply an Explode Modifier you must have an Emitter Particle System applied.
If you are orkin! methodically throu!h this manual you haven"t come to that yet so
maybe put this on hold for a hile. #e ill rite the procedure anyay since it is
such a neat modifier.
In the $% #indo delete the &ube and add a '( Sphere. )eave the default number
of se!ments and rin!s. *oom in on the Sphere a bit.
#ith the Sphere selected !o to the Properties
#indo+Particles button and in the panel click on the
plus si!n to add a Particle System.
In the Emission tab chan!e the ,mount value to -..
and the )ifetime value to /0..
In the Properties #indo+ Scene button+1ravity tab
untick 1ravity.
In the Properties #indo+Modifier button
click ",dd Modifier" 23ou ill see that there is
already a Particle System modifier applied4.
Select "Explode".
#ith your curser in the $% #indo
press ,lt5, to see the Sphere 6ly
,part
7emove the Tick
CH15- Particle Systems
01-Overview
02-Nomenclature
03-Settup
04-Settings !aterial "n#luence
05-Particle $uttons
0%-Starting a System
0&-!aterial on Particles
0'-"nteraction
0(-)in*
10-Sample Settings
11-+eye* Particles
12-$oi*s Particles
13- Hair Particles
14-,ssignment -a.
Particle Systems and Interactions
Overview.
This overview is intended as an introduction to the Particle Systems in Blender.
The first question that must be answered is, 'what are particles'? My dictionary tells
me that a Particle is a minute portion, piece or amount. That's fine but when
considerin Blender, a particle is a small piece of what? !or simplicity we will
consider a particle to be a small dot on the computer screen. The dot is able to be
displayed in a variety of ways but for now thin" of it as #ust a dot.
$n Blender particles % dots & are emitted from an ob#ect and can be manipulated to
produce varied effects . Particles can be used to simulate snow, fire, smo"e, clouds,
spar"s and hair to name #ust a few. To produce particles an ob#ect selected in the
scene must have a Particle System assined to it. The emission of the particles is
played as an animation and then rendered to produce the simulation effect. The best
way to see how this is accomplished is to follow a few simple instructions and run a
particle system.
Before settin up a Particle System we should establish a nomenclature so that we are
able to understand the instructions that are iven. 'et's bein with the default Blender
scene. The main (indows are outlined as follows.
Blender )efault Scene
*) (indow
+utliner (indow
Properties
(indow
Timeline (indow
Nomenclature
When referring to the Properties Window Particles buttons panel the following
nomenclature will be observed.
Navigation Path Properties Window Particles button

Button
Emission tab
Slider
Selection box
Value button
Drop Down
Data D button
Selection buttons
!ab "losed
!ab #pen
Panel
Setting up a Particle System
Open Blender and delete the default Cube object from the scene and then add a new
UV Sphere. Leave the default values for the Sphere as they appear in the Properties
indow. ith the Sphere selected !o to the
Properties indow and clic" the Particles button.
Clic" on the white plus si!n ne#t to the empty
panel to $%dd a particle system$.
&he window will display with an array of tabs and
buttons which allow the set up of the system. &his
appears dauntin! to say the least but Blender has
automatically created a system with default settin!.
&he first thin! to note is the Type: Emitter ri!ht at the top of the Particle System
panel. &ype 'mitter is what we will discuss to start with. Clic"in! on the panel where
the word 'mitter is displayed will display a drop down with the selection options
'mitter and (air. &ype (air is a separate system which will be discussed later.

ith the cursor in the )* indow press %lt + % to run an animation showin!
particles bein! !enerated. ,ote the &imeline indow is displayed across the bottom
of the screen and will show a !reen line movin! as the animation plays..
Properties indow
Particles button
%dd Particle System
-endered ima!e at
frame .//
Particles emitted as oran!e s0uares as seen
in the )* indow with the sphere selected
ith the emitter object selected the animation will play showin! particles as small
oran!e s0uares bein! emitted from the UV Sphere and then fallin! towards the
bottom of the screen. 1f the emitter object is not selected the particles show as small
blac" dots. &he animation will play for 23/ frames then repeat itself. Press 'sc to
stop the animation. Usin! the Up 4 *own arrows on the "eyboard or by dra!!in! the
!reen line in the &imeline5 move the animation forward to say frame .//. &he
particles will now be displayed as they occur at frame .//. -ender the scene 6 press
7.2 8. %n ima!e will be rendered showin! the UV Sphere and the particles as halos
6 fu99y balls of li!ht mer!ed to!ether 8 cascadin! downwards. 1f the animation were
to be rendered as a video you could play this in action.
Press 'sc to cancel the ima!e and return to the )* indow.
,ote that particles emit their own li!ht therefore it is not necessary to have a lamp in
the scene. 1f the default lamp is deleted from the scene the ima!e rendered will show
the halos but the emitter object will be blac". &he reason that the emitter is seen at all
is because the render has a default !rey bac"!round. 1f the bac"!round were blac"
you would not see the emitter.
By default Blender renders an ima!e at 23: of the )* indow si9e. 1f you want
somethin! different !o to the Properties indow 4 -ender button and in the
*imensions tab 4 -esolution button chan!e the percenta!e value 6 *ra! the slider 8.
;ou can also alter the < and ; values above the percenta!e slider to vary the aspect
ratio of the ima!e.
&hat in essence has demonstrated a particle system bein! applied. 1t is now time to
pro!ress and discover how to manipulate the system. &he fun be!ins.
1n the demonstration5 the particles emitted from the sphere cascade downwards. &his
was to create reality in the scene by havin! a !ravitational effect applied. e will
now turn that effect off.
=o to the Properties indow 4 Scene button and remove the tic" from the little bo#
in the =ravity tab.
Clic" to remove tic" and turn !ravity off
Scene button
Set the animation in the &imeline bac" to frame .
and replay the animation 6 %lt + % 8. &his time the
particles emitted from the UV Sphere disperse in all
directions away from the sphere. ,ote that the
particles seem to only move for a certain time and
disappear before the end of the animation. Obviously
there is somethin! happenin! to cause this.
&a"e a loo" at the Properties indow with the
Particles button activated and loo" at the 'mission
tab. ;ou will see the followin! values>
%mount >.///5 Start >..///5 'nd > 2//./// and Lifetime > 3/.///. &hese values say
that ./// particles will be emitted startin! at frame . and stoppin! at frame 2// but
each particle will only be visible for 3/ frames. Particles therefore disappear after 3/
frames.
%lso loo" at the Velocity tab and the ,ormal> ../// value. &his says particles are
bein! emitted at a speed of . unit per second normal to the surface of the sphere 6 at
?/ de!rees to the surface 8.
1ncrease the Lifetime value to 2// and replay the animation. ,ow particles are
displayed for the whole 23/ frame animation since particles emitted at frame 2// stay
visible until frame 23/ 6 3/ frames 8.
@ust to demonstrate another particle emission control feature5 in the Velocity tab
chan!e the 'mitter =eometry ,ormal value to /./// and the 'mitter Object ; value
to ././//. -eplay the animation and see all the particles emitted move fairly rapidly
alon! the ; a#is of the scene. ;ou have just told Blender to emit the particles alon!
the ; a#is at ./ units per second instead of emittin! them at . unit per second at ?/
de!rees 6,ormal8 to the a face on the surface of the sphere. ,ote that in the 'mission
tab $'mit 7rom 7aces$ is activated 6 (i!hli!hted in Blue 8.
&he for!oin! has demonstrated how a particle system is insti!ated and can be
controlled by values in the Particles buttons window. e will leave the buttons alone
for the time bein! and come bac" later.
e will now have a loo" at some detail of where and how particles are emitted from
an object. 1n the Properties indow 4 Particles buttons 4 'mission tab note the 'mit
7rom buttons Verts5 7aces and Volume. &he default value 7aces is 6 (i!hli!hted in
blue 8.
&o see what this means start with a new Blender Scene and delete the default Cube.
%dd a Plain object and remove the )* Aanipulator id!et. -emovin! the id!et
will let us see more clearly what is happenin! when particles are emitted. Untic" the
=ravity button in the Scene buttons. %dd a particle system to the Plane. Press %lt + %
and play the animation showin! the particle !eneration.
;ou will see the particles bein! !enerated on the face of
the Plane object. &he Plane only has one 7ace. &he
particles are bein! !enerated at an initial velocity of .
unit per second normal to the face of the plane 6 %t ?/
de!rees to the surface 8. &his is in accordance with the
default values in the Velocity tab.
1n the 'missions tab 4 'mit 7rom buttons select Verts
and replay the animation. ;ou will now see the
emission of particles from the verticies located at the
four corners of the plane 6 B verticies8.
Selectin! 7aces or Verts depends on what you want to
see in your final render.
e will now have a loo" at a little more detail of particle !eneration. Start over with a
new Blender scene and delete the default Cube object. e will now create a circular
plane object to use in this e#ample.
%dd a Circle object to the scene and scale it up ) times. =o into edit mode and with
all verticies selected press the ' Cey 6 '#trude8 then clic" LAB followed by S Cey
6 Scale 8 and move the mouse towards the center of the circle. ith the ' Cey you
have e#truded 6 created a new set of verticies 8 and the S Cey has allowed you to
scale the set of new verticies. Chan!e to object mode and add a particle system. =o
to the Scene buttons and untic" !ravity. Play the animation.
;ou will see particles bein! !enerated but some
are movin! up and some are movin! down. ,ote
that the default 'mission 4 'mit 7rom value is
$7aces$ and the Velocity 4 'mitter =eometry 4
,ormal value is ..///. e are therefore emittin!
particles from the faces of the object at . unit per
second normal to the face. 1n modelin! the circular
plane object some faces have been assi!ned a
ne!ative normal value and some have been
assi!ned a positive normal value 5 hence the
Outer vertices '#truded and
Scaled down to form inner rin!
movement of the particles as seen in the animation. &he normal values need to be
recalculated to ali!n them in the same direction.
&o reali!n the normals !o into edit mode and select all the verticies. ith the cursor
in the )* indow5 press Ctrl + , Cey. Aa"e ,ormals Consistent will display in the
side panel at the lower L( corner of the screen.
=o bac" to object mode and replay the animation. %ll the particles will move in the
same direction but not necessarily upwards. ,ote that if the normal value is chan!ed
to D../// 6 Ainus one 8 the particles will move in the opposite direction. Set the
normal value to move up.
OC let$s have a close loo" at what is happenin! to the particles. 1f you loo" at the
values in the Particles 'mission tab you see that ./// particles are bein! !enerated
startin! at frame .5 endin! at frame 2// with a lifetime of 3/ frames. ;ou will also
see -andom and 'ven *istribution bo#es tic"ed so the particles are bein! spread
between the faces in a random order as they are !enerated. -andom would appear to
ta"e precedence over 'ven *istribution. ,ote the value @ittered hi!hli!hted in blue.
@ittered means that in any one face on the object particles appear in a random
position.
Untic" the -andom bo# and play the animation. &he particles are now !enerated
from one face after the other around the circle plane object.
1ncrease the Lifetime value to 2// to ma"e the particles display lon!er in the
animation.
,ote if the animation is played without the object bein! selected the particles will
appear as small blac" dots instead of the little oran!e s0uares.
Cyclin! the animation in the &imeline to frame
2// produces a spiral array in the )* indow
which may be rendered as an ima!e. ;ou will
however have to relocate the camera in the
scene to render an ima!e of the complete spiral.
%nother feature worth mentionin! at this time is
the fact that by default Blender renders an
ima!e of a particle system which includes the
emitter object. &o render without the emitter
object !o to the -ender tab and untic" the
'mitter bo#.
&he spiral has been !enerated
with ,ormal Velocity value
of ..///. 1f this value is
deleted and still in the
Velocity tab the 'mitter
Object ; value is set to ..///
then when the animation is
replayed the spiral will
!enerate on the flat alon! the
; a#is. &his demonstrates that how the array of particles is !enerated is controlled by
the values entered Velocity tab.
%t this point we are attemptin! to only !ive an overview of particle !eneration and it
is not intended that every function of the control buttons be detailed.
e will demonstrate two more features in this overview.
So far the particles that have been !enerated have been displayed as dots or little
oran!e s0uares in the )* indow and have been rendered as halos 1n the -ender tab
you will a selection of render options. ,one5 (alo5 Line5 Path5 Object5 =roup5
Billboard. e will have a loo" at the Object option. =o ahead and select it. ,ow
reduce the number of particles in the 'mission tab %mount to )2. Our plane circular
rin! object was created from a circle with )2 verticies therefore it has )2 faces.
-educin! the particle amount to )2 !ives us appro#imately one particle per face. &his
is appro#imate since at this point the !eneration of the particles follows an animation
curve which accelerates and decelerates. Play the animation a!ain to re!enerate the
particles then cycle throu!h the animation and at frame 2// you will see )2 particles
but they are not evenly spaced alon! the spiral. &his is showin! the influence of the
acceleration chan!e in the !eneration. e are only concerned with reducin! th
particle count just now.
*eselect the rin! in the
)* indow. %dd a UV
Sphere object and note
that it is called
Aesh.//. 6 See lower
L( corner of window8.
*eselect the sphere and
reselect the rin!. 1n the Particle button 4 -ender tab loo" for the *upli Object> bo#.
Clic" in the bo# and in the drop down
panel that displays select Aesh.//.. &he
particles are now displayed in the )*
indow as tiny little spheres. =o to the
Physics tab and increase the Si9e>value to
increase the si9e of the tiny spheres in the
)* indow. -ender to see an ima!e of
the spheres.
Up to now everythin! created and rendered has been the default dull !rey color.
%ddin! a new material color to the sphere we have just added will cause the array of
spheres to display and render in that material color. %ddin! a material to the rin! in
the )* indow will cause the particles with a halo value to render in that material
color.
&his demonstration of particle system applications has touched on the tip of the
iceber!. e now re0uire to ma"e a detailed study of the Particle buttons window to
ascertain the function of each tab and button and formulate the lo!ic of particle
systems interface. &here are many e#cellent tutorials available to compliment this
study but it is recommended that an understandin! of the buttons be attained to allow
the transition from an operator of the pro!ram to creative artist.
UV Sphere %dded
Aesh.//.
Particle Settings and Material Influence
We will continue the study of the Particle System by examining the Particle Settings
and Material Influence and seeing how settings are entered to create effects. The
possible effects that can be created are endless and only limited by the imagination.
Particles can be deflected off other objects, be blown by the wind, be displayed
before they are built and many more options. It would be impossible to demonstrate
eerything and only by experimentation and recording settings for future use will you
become proficient.
!emember that a particular effect can be saed as a "lender file which can be
imported into a scene in another "lender file. When you create something interesting
its worth saing and recording for future use. "lender doesn#t come prepac$ed with
instant goodies so the objectie should be for a "lender %rtist to compile a library.
The Particle Setting are controlled by the Particles buttons which consist of a series
of tabs housing buttons and sliders allowing alues to be entered. %s we hae already
seen "lender automatically created a Particle System when the %dd button is
pressed. What we do next is to modify that system to produce the particular effect
that we re&uire. The system is then saed to a cache to be used.
The tabs of the buttons window hae a logic in setting up a Particles System so if
each is examined and understood separately the oerall picture will become eident.
It is not intended to underta$e that study here instead we will demonstrate some
settings which produce examples.
'ote( )n the following diagram we hae ta$en the liberty of labeling the first part of
the "uttons Window as the %ssignment tab. This part of the window is always open
unli$e the remainder of the tabs which are opened and closed by clic$ing on the
triangles at the upper left hand corner of each tab.
)ur %ssignment tab controls what we do with a Particle System when we hae
created * modified the default + a system. We will therefore postpone the discussion
of this tab until last.
Particles Buttons Panel
Assignment tab
How particles are assigned
(The missing tab)
Cache tab
Saving the particle system
Emission tab
How particles are generated
Velocity tab
How fast and in what direction
Rotation tab
How particles rotate
Physics tab
Rules of animation
Rules of interaction
Render tab
How images and video display
Display tab
How particles display on screen
Children tab
Particles generate other particles
Field Weight tab
Values effecting Force Fields
Force Fields Settings tab
odifiers effecting particles
Verte groups tab
!here particles originate
Custom Properties tab
"ache closed #mission open
"lic$ on triangle open%close
Properties !indow
The Particle Buttons Panel
The Particle Buttons panel displays all the options relating to how particles are
generated and displayed. To understand how we create specific effects using particles
we will first require to look at some of the Buttons tabs.
Emission tab.
The Emission tab controls how particles are emitted.
Amount: The number of particles emitted in the animation between the start and the
end frame settings.
Start: The frame number in the animation where particles will start to be emitted.
End: The frame number in the animation where particle emission will stop.
Lifetime: How long each particle will be visible number of frames! in the
animation.
Random: Particles are emitted from "aces in a random order.
Emit From: Particles may be emitted from either #erticies$ "aces or the #olume.
"aces is selected in the screenshot as indicated by the blue highlight.
The remainder of the options in the tab control the order of particle generation.
%andom: Even &istribution: 'ittered: %andom: (rid: Particles)"ace: 'ittered *mount:.
These options permutate depending on which of the Emit "rom options has been
selected.
E+perimentation and recording of results are required to establish combinations for
specific application.
Velocity tab
The #elocity tab settings control how fast and in what direction particles are emitted
from a mesh ob,ect.
Emitter (eometry
-ormal: #elocity of particles normal at ./ degrees! to the emitting surface
Tangent: #elocity of the particles parallel to the surface.
%otation: #alue rotates the direction of the surface tangent.
Emitter 0b,ect
The velocity of particles along the 1$ 2 3 4 a+es in the scene.
-ote all values may be entered as positive or negative reversing direction.
0ther:
0b,ect: The ob,ect gives the particles a starting speed and direction.
%andom: (ives the starting speed direction a random variation.
-ote: The 50ther5 values are best demonstrated with particles being displayed as
ob,ects. 6ee: %ender Tab.
Physics
Physics determine the way particles move and interact with the world around them.
-ote the selection bar at the top of the Physics tab with -ewtonian highlighted in
blue. -ewtonian is the normal particle physics which we will consider at this time.
The other options are:
-o Particles stick to their emitter for the whole lifetime.
7eyed *llows particles to be directed from one emitter to another setting
up a chain of particles moving from one place to the other.
Boids *llows particles to be given rules of behavior which allow them to
represent flocks$ swarms$ herds and schools of various kinds of
animals.
'ust for the moment the only setting we need concern ourselves with in the
-ewtonian system is the 6i8e value which controls the si8e of the particles as seen in
the 9& :indow and as rendered in an image or movie.
Display
The display tab controls how particles are seen in the 9& :indow. The options in this
tab are useful when multiple particle systems are in play and it is desirable to
distinguish between the particles in the different systems.
;ets work with our e+amples and begin by recapping starting a Particle 6ystem.
Starting a Particle System
Open Blender with its default scene containing a mesh Cube object. Delete the Cube
and add a UV Sphere. Keep the segments and rings at 3. !he number of segments
and rings ma" be altered in the !ools #anel $! Ke" toggles hide%show& at the lower
left of the screen.
'ith the Sphere selected in the 3D 'indow go to the #roperties 'indow ( #articles
button and clic) the *dd #article S"stem button $ !he white plus sign &. !he #article
S"stem tabs displa" as shown in the pre+ious #article S"stem Buttons diagram.
Blender has created a complete #article S"stem which we can modif" to produce
whate+er effect we want.
,ote the !imeline 'indow displa"ed across the bottom of the screen.
!he timeline show a -. frame animation window as seen b" Start/0 and 1nd/-..
,ote the green line positioned at frame number 20. 3ou will see wh" in a moment.
'ith "our cursor in the 3D 'indow and with the UV Sphere selected press *lt 4 * to
pla" the animation of particles being generated. !he particles emit from the surface of
the Sphere in a random order and fall towards the bottom of the screen. !he
animation pla"s for -. frames then repeats. #ress 1sc to cancel.
Clic) on the green line and drag it o+er to frame 20 to see the +iew below.
!he particles beha+e in this manner since there is a
gra+itational force being applied. 5a+e a loo) at the
#roperties 'indow ( Scene button and note the tic) in the
6ra+it" bo7.

6ra+it" tic)ed
6ra+it" 8orce 9:.;0.
1arths 6ra+it"
Clic) on the tic) to remo+e it and pla" the animation again.
!his time the particles emit from the sphere and float off into space. !he" still emit in
a random order from the faces of the Sphere.
<oo) at the 1mission tab and note the +alues inserted.
!hese +alues tell us that 0... particles will be generated in the animation starting at
frame 0 and ending at frame .. during the animation. !he animation is -. frames.
!here is also a <ifetime +alue which tells us that when a particle is generated it
remains +isible for -. frames. !herefore a particle generated at frame .. will remain
+isible until frame -..
,ote the tic) in the bo7 labeled =andom. !his is gi+ing the random order of
generation of the particles. Clic) on the tic) to remo+e it. #la" the animation again.
1sc to cancel. !he 3D 'indow is in User #erspecti+e +iew therefore it is difficult to
see what has been achie+ed b" remo+ing the =andom tic). Change the +iew to !op
View $,um #ad >& then to 8ront View $,um #ad 0&. 'ith the !imeline ad+anced to
frame 20 "ou will see an ordered arra" of particles.

!op View
8ront View
Material Influence on Particles
Particles emit their own light so it isn't necessary
to have lamps in the scene when particles are
rendered. To give particles color you have to add
a material to the emitting object. We could render
an image of frame 41 of what we have already
created by pressing F1 on the !eyboard. "o
ahead and do it. What we get is a plain grey and
white picture. Press #sc to cancel the image.
With the $phere selected in the %& Window go to the Properties Window ' (aterial
button. Press )dd *ew to display the +utton tabs and clic! on the &iffuse color bar to
display the color pic!er. $elect a color then render the image again.
We see the emitter
object ,$phere- and the
particles rendered in
the same color. To
advance this subject a
little further go to
Particle buttons and
find the .ender tab.
/n the .ender tab you will see 0alo
highlighted in blue. This is telling +lender
to render the particles as halos. $ince there
are a considerable number of particles
visible at frame 41 close together our
rendered image shows us a colored blob.
*ote the tic! in the #mitter bo1. This tells
+lender to render the emitter object in the image. 2lic! in the bo1 to remove the tic!.
"o bac! to the (aterial buttons and find the Transparency tab. 2lic! and add a tic! in
the Transparency bo1. .educe the )lpha value to 3.343 and render again.
*ow only the particles are rendered and they are
transparent.
This has demonstrated some of the effects of
materials on particles. There are many more
combinations to play with.
We will have a loo! at adding halo effects to particles and at the same time introduce
a few more tric!s to give you the feel for the the versatility of the Particle $ystem.
5pen a new +lender scene6 delete the cube and add a Plane object. 7eave the gravity
setting in the $cene button tic!ed to maintain a gravity effect. With the Plane selected
"o to the Property Window ' Particle button and add a Particle $ystem. /n the
#mission tab change the following6 )mount8 916 7ifetime8 33. in the :elocity tab
change *ormal8 ;.433 and #mitter 5bject <8 3.==3.
)t the bottom of the :elocity tab set .andom appro1
.
We are decreasing the amount of particles so we are
not flooding the scene but changing the lifetime
ma!es the particles visible longer in the animation.
We still have gravity wor!ing but with normal
velocity at ;.433 the particles will project up a way
before descending. $etting #mitter 5bject <8 3.==3
gives the particles a slight hori>ontal velocity along
the < a1is ma!ing them move in an arc.
*ow let's ja>> the particles up a bit. With the Plane
still selected go to the (aterial button.
?ust above the Preview tab change to a 0alo material.
2lic! on the color bar and select a nice bright color
,<ellow-. 2hange th 0alo si>e to 3.;336 tic! .ings
and $tars.
Press )lt @ ) and run the animation. #sc to e1it then
cycle to animation to frame 41. if you select some
other frame you wont see what / do. .ender an image.
%& Window at Frame 41
.endered /mage
#1periment with .ings6 7ines6 $tars and 0alo si>e. For e1ample in (aterial untic!
.ings and $tars to change the particle render bac! to a plain halo. $et the $i>e to 4 to
increase the halo si>e to something that fills the camera view. /n the $hading tab
decrease the )lpha value to 3.133 to give the halo a transparent loo!. This should
produce something that loo!s li!e a cloud of smo!e. /f you place an object in the
scene and position it where the particles are at frame 41 the object renders in the
smo!e cloud. There are many many combinations all producing different effects.
(on!ey positioned behind Particles
.endered /mage
Particle Interaction With Objects And Forces
Particles can interact with other objects and be affected by forces like wind. Particles
can bounce off other objects and act like sparks or droplets. To show how these
features work set up a scene with a Sphere positioned above a Plane as shown below.
Don't forget to scale the Plane up.
With the Sphere selected go to the Properties
Window Particle button and dd a Particle
Syste!. "n the #!ission tab set the #nd value
to $%% and in the &elocity tab set the #!itter
'bject () *+.%%%.
"n the Properties Window Scene button
untick the ,ravity bo-.
With your cursor in the +D Window press
lt . to play the ani!ation of the
particle generation. /ou will see the
particles fall and pass through the Plane as
below.
The ne-t step is to stop the particles falling
through the Plane.
Select the Plane and go to the Properties
Window Physics button.
0lick on the triangle in the 0ollision tab and click on dd to activate a collision
!odifier to the Plane. Press lt . again to replay the ani!ation. 1e!e!ber you
!ust be at fra!e $ before you replay.
/ou will now see the particles bounce up fro! the surface of the Plane. 2Tip) Shift
select the Sphere and the Plane to better see the particles34
5y increasing the Particle Da!ping factor in the 0ollision tab to $.%%% the particles
will land on the Plane but no longer bounce.
5y e-peri!enting with other particle and collision settings and by applying !aterials
with halos6 line and stars you can si!ulate sparks bouncing with high 7uality results.
Wind
5lender allows particles to be influenced by a si!ulated wind force. To create a wind
effect you have to place an object in the scene and assign a wind force to it. n object
called an #!pty is great for this since it doesn't render. 5egin by opening a new scene
and deleting the 0ube replacing it with a 8& Sphere. dd a Particle Syste! to the
sphere and leave the default settings. dd an #!pty to the
scene. Shift . and select #!pty. Position the #!pty just
below the Sphere off to one side as shown to the right.
The Sphere will e!it particles which will fall downwards
since the gravity effect is ticked in the Scene buttons
with the #!pty selected in the +D Window go to the Properties Window Physics
button and click on the drop down
selection. Select Wind to display the
9orce 9ield type Wind settings. /ou
will see the wind force field in the +D
Window attached to the #!pty object.
The Wind force is acting along the ( a-is of the #!pty object at strength $.%%%. We
want the wind to blow the particles falling fro! the sphere along the ,lobal / a-is.
With the #!pty selected rotate it about the : a-is so that the #!pty local ( a-is
points in the sa!e direction as the global / a-is.
"ncrease the 9orce 9ield Strength value to $%. Play the ani!ation to see the Spheres
particles being blown.
Wind strength is able to be ani!ated which creates a realistic wind effect.
Particles blown along
,lobal / a-is
#!pty Wind 9orce
rotated about : a-is
with Strength $%
,lobal / -is
Sample Particle Settings
The following are some sample settings for various uses. Follow the settings carefully
otherwise you will not get the results as demonstrated. Settings can be tweaked to
produce whatever results you want and only by experimentation will you discover
what can be achieved. Remember to record settings for future use when you discover
something really neat.
Snow Effect
In a new scene delete the Cube and add a lane. Scale the lane up ! times and
subdivide the surface " times. osition the lane at the top of the screen above the
Camera out of camera view. The lane is there to emit particles not to be included in
the rendered image or movie.
#o to the roperties $indow % Scene button and set #ravity &' ().*+). This is a low
value since we want our snow to float down gently. Remember though if there are
other ob,ects in the scene which are effected by gravity they will also float.
-dd a article System to the lane. In the .mission tab set /ifetime' *)) and in the
0elocity tab set 1ormal' ).)+) and Random' ).2*). $e want the particles to display
for a fair while3 not go careering off at a hundred miles an hour and have a random
speed at start up.
In the 4aterial button add a 4aterial 5$hite is appropriate6 and set it as 7alo. Set the
halo si8e to ).)!) 5Small snowflakes6
Run the animation to generate particles then advance the animation to about frame
*2) and render an image.
Snowflakes
lane above Camera
out of view
-nimation as seen at Frame *2)
Rendered Image
Fire
In a new scene delete the Cube and add a 90 Sphere. -dd a material 7alo type and
make it a nice yellow or red color. Set the 7alo si8e to ).2)).
In the Scene button untick the #ravity box.
-dd a article System to the Sphere and in the .mission tab set 1ormal' ).))). Set
.mitter :b,ect &' *.;<)
In the 2= $indow move the Sphere down the & axis a touch to position it at the
bottom of the camera view.
Run the animation then cycle forward through the frames and render an image.
Simple Fireworks
1ew scene with 90 Sphere scaled down.
osition Sphere at top of Camera view.
4aterial button % -dd material( 7alo type
Color % >ellow3 7alo Si8e '+.)))
article button % -dd article System.
.mission % /ifetime' +))3 Start' !)3 .nd' !+
0elocity % 1ormal' *.)))
-fter animation run advance frame to ?<.
Render tab % untick .mitter.
2= $indow
Rendered image
2= $indow
Camera 0iew
Rendered Image
.mitter 1ot Shown
Keyed Particle Systems
So far we have looked at Particle Systems of Type: Emitter with Newtonian Physics.
We will now consider type: Emitter with Keyed Physics which we call Keyed
Particles.
Keyed Physics is a way of controlling the movement of particles by directing them
from the original emitter obect to a second obect and on to a third and s!bse"!ent
obects. The flow of particles may be !sed as an animation or !sed to create a static
image.
The following proced!re for setting !p a Keyed system will demonstrate the
principals involved.
#pen a new scene in $lender and delete the defa!lt c!be. %dd three separate Plane
obects and position them as shown in the diagram. % simple way to do this is to add
one Plane then with the Plane selected press Shift & ' to d!plicate . the new Plane
will be in (rab mode ) White o!tline * so hit + Key to confine movement to the +
a,is and drag it to one side. -lick mo!se to e,it (rab mode. .epeat the process to
add a third Plane.
Note the first Plane was named /0esh/ by $lender ) see names at lower left of screen
when selected *. The second Plane is named /0esh.112 and the third /0esh.113.
%rrange them in the 4' Window in order of name. 5t will help later on.
6!st as an aside yo! co!ld go to the Properties Window 7 #bect data b!tton and edit
the name in the Name bo, at the top of the window. +o! co!ld !se any name yo! like
say8 /$orris98 /-live/ and /6ames/. Since they are all identical triplets it/s probably best
to stay with the /0esh/ names.
0esh
0esh.112
0esh.113
$y the way the Planes have been arranged in a vertical stack with /0esh/ at the
bottom left8 /0esh.112/ middle right and /0esh.113/ top left.
Select /0esh/ and in the Properties Window 7 Particles b!ttons click on the pl!s sign
to add a Particle System.
(o to the Physics tab and select /Keyed/. -lick on the pl!s sign ne,t to the Keys panel
to add a new Particle Target.
$lender enters this in the panel and
names it /Particle System/. Note the small
panel with the little c!be in it !st below
the Keys panel. :eave this empty for the
time being.
The Plane named /0esh/ is going to be
o!r Emitter.
'eselect /0esh/ in the 4' Window and select /0esh.112/. .epeat the process to add a
Keyed Particle System to /0esh.112/.
Tip for Newbies: When yo! select /0esh.112/ all the b!ttons in the Particle b!ttons
panel disappear if yo! happened to scroll down the b!ttons window with a few tabs
e,panded. 'rag !p the scroll bar at the right hand side of the window to reveal the
pl!s sign to add a new system. So!nd silly b!t it fooled me for a bit.
.ename #bect here if re"!ired
Select /0esh.113/ and %dd a Keyed Particle System to /0esh.113/.
Now go back and select /0esh/. 5n the Particles b!ttons ; Physics tab click on the pl!s
sign ne,t to the Keys panel to add a new Particle Target. $lender enters Particle
System again. .emember the small panel with the little c!be in it. -lick on the c!be
to display a drop down selection panel. -lick on /0esh.112/. $lender changes the
target to /0esh.112:ParticleSystem/
+o! are telling the particle target for /Particle System that the target obect is
/0esh.112/.
Still with /0esh/ selected in the 4' Window click on the pl!s sign ne,t to the keys
panel again. %gain $lender enters /ParticleSystem/. -lick on the c!be and select
/0esh.113/.
We now have Particle targets named /ParticleSystem/8 /0esh8112: ParticleSystem/ and
/0esh.113: ParticleSystem/.
This is simply telling particles emitted from
/0esh/ to go to /0esh.113/ and then go on to
/0esh.113/.
<it %lt & % to see it happen.
.emember all the r!les for n!mber of particles8 lifetime8 start8 end and normal
velocity etc. apply.
Particle 0ovement
Particle Targets
Particles flow from one
mesh to the other
Boids Particle Systems
Boids particle systems are used to simulate flocks, swarms,herds and schools of
various kinds of animals or anything that acts with similar behavior. Boids particle
systems are of Type: Emitter but have Boids Physics applied. Boids particles in one
particle system can react to particles in another system or they can react to particles
within their own system. Boids are given rules of behavior which are listed in a stack.
The rules at the top of the stack take precedence over rules lower down in the stack
but the stack is able to be rearranged once it is written.
Since only a certain amount of information is able to be evaluated if the memory
capacity is eceeded rules lower down the stack are ignored.
The procedure for setting up Boids Particle Systems will be demonstrated with a few
eamples.
Example: A Flock of Birds
!emember we are sticking to basics so don"t get too ecited. #ur particles will act
like a flock of birds not look like birds.
#pen a new Blender scene and stick with the default $ube. This will be our particle
emitter. %n the Properties &indow ' Particle buttons ' (dd a new Particle System.
)et"s try a new innovation as far as instruction is concerned. )eave all buttons
settings as default values ecept for the following. $hange these values.
Emissions tab
(mount: *+ &e will have a small flock.
)ifetime: ,-+ The default animation length in the Timeline.
Physics tab
Select Boids Physics
Boids Brain tab
Blender default rules are: "Separate" and ".lock". &ith "Separate" highlighted hit
the minus sign to delete it. $lick on the plus sign at the right hand side of the
window to display a selection drop down for Boids !ules. Select " .ollow
)eader". &ith ".ollow )eader" highlighted click on the up arrow below the
minus sign to move ".ollow )eader" to the top of the stack.
&e have told the particles to follow the leader while flocking together. &e will now
give the particles a leader to follow.
/eselect the $ube in the */ &indow 0 ( 1ey 2 and add an "Empty". (n "Empty" is a
location point which can be animated to move in the scene but which does not render.
3rab the "Empty" and move it to the side.
/eselect the "Empty" and select the "$ube". 3o
back to the Boids Brain tab and make sure
".ollow )eader" is highlighted. Below the
stack window you will see a name bo where
you can rename the rule if you wish and
below that an empty bo with a little cube at
the end. $lick in this bo and select "Empty"
from the drop down which displays.
&e have told the particles to follow the
"Empty".
(nimate the "Empty" to move across the screen
0 See the section on animation2.
&hen the animation is played have the $ube selected in the */ &indow. Particles are
emitted from the $ube, head towards the "Empty" and attempt to follow it as it moves
across the screen. 4aving the $ube selected displays the particles as little orange
s5uares. %f it isn"t selected all you get are black dots which are hard to see.
6ote: &ith a high particle amount Blender may crash due to overload when
calculating data. This of course depends on the capability of your computer.
Particles emitted from $ube swarm and follow Empty as is moves
Empty
Example: Directing Movement
%n this eample we will demonstrate how to direct particles to move from one ob7ect
to another.
Start a new scene and add a second $ube ob7ect. 6ote the default cube is named
"$ube" 0 see lower left of */ &indow 2 and the new $ube is named "8esh" that is if
you added it by going Shift 9 (. %f you duplicated the default $ube by Shift 9 / then
it is named "$ube.++:". !emember the names.
Position the $ubes as shown in the diagram scaling the new cube down.
Select "$ube" and add a particle system with Boids physics. %n the emission tab reduce
(mount to :+ and set )ifetime to :-++. &e want to keep the number of particles low
and have them visible for a fair amount of time in the animation.
3o to the Timeline &indow and and set the animation at :-++ frames.
)et"s display the particles in a different way. %n the /isplay tab select $ross" and set
the /raw Si;e to :+. <ou will see a biggish cross appear on the $ube.
6ow for the Boids Brain tab. !emove "separate" and ".lock" and add "3oal". $lick in
the #b7ect bo below the rule window and select "8esh" or "$ube.++:" as the case
may be. This tells the particles emitted from "$ube" to go and find the target.
$ube
8esh
Play the animation to see the result.
$rosses emitted from "$ube" migrate across to and accumulate on the target.
!emember the location of either or both of the cubes in the scene may be animated at
the same time.
Example: Prey Predator Relationship
Boids particles will not only act like swarms or flocks in their movement they can
also be made to react to one another. (n eample would be one flock of birds chasing
off another flock.
&e will set up an eample in a new Blender scene with two cubes as shown in the
diagram. 8ake the larger cube - the smaller Predator Particles
Predator Particles
Select the small cube 0Predator2 in the */ &indow then in the Properties &indow '
Particle buttons add a Particle System. $hange the following settings:
Emission tab
(mount: :++ 0 #bservation: )arger number becomes the aggressor2
)ifetime: :-++ 0 (llows particles to be visible for duration of the animation2
/isplay tab
Select "Point" and set /raw Si;e to *.
Physics tab
Select "Boids"
Si;e: +.+*++
8a (ir Speed: =.+++ 0 3ives an advantage over the slower Prey particles2
Select: Enemy
Boids Brain tab
The default Separate and .lock rules are applied. (dd a .ight rule and move it
to the top of the stack.
Prey Particles
Select the large cube 0 Prey 2 in the */ &indow and add a particle system.
$hange these settings:
Emission tab
(mount: :+
)ifetime: :-++
/isplay tab
Select "$ross" and set /raw Si;e to :+.
Physics tab
Select "Boids"
Si;e: +.+*+
8a (ir Speed: -.+++ 0 $ombined with si;e makes bigger and slower2
!elations: $lick the Plus sign 0 %nvalid target displays2 then click in the target
selection bo below the window 0 little cube 2 and select "$ube". 6ow "$ube:
ParticleSystem" displays in the window.
Select "Enemy".
Boids Brain tab
!epeat the same set up as the Predator system.
3o back to the Predator and repeat the "!elations" setup this time selecting "8esh" as
the target. 06ote: <ou can not set up !elations until the other ob7ect has a particle
system2
Still in the Physics tab with the larger cube selected change to 6ewtonian Physics
then tick in the /ie on hit bo. $hange back to Boids Physics.
Shift select both cubes in the */ &indow and play the animation to see the result.
Selecting both cubes draws orange lines around the particles and makes them more
visible.
The $ross particles emitted from
the large cube are attacked by the
swarm of small particles from the
small cube. The $ross particles die
when they are hit. By observation,
on my machine, this is a hit and
miss process and % am unable to
define accurately at what frame a
particular particle dies.
.or simplicity we are showing only
dots and crosses as seen in the */ &indow. ( render could show anything you wish
by choosing "#b7ect" in the !ender tab and assigning a preconstructed mesh ob7ect. (
comple single frame can take a while to render and a comple animation can take an
eternity.
Example: Follo !errain
Boids particles can be made to emulate herds following a terrain.
Set up a new Blender scene as shown in the diagram. The $ube ob7ect is the default
$ube and will act as a target to which the particles will be directed. The other two
ob7ects in the scene are two Planes with one being scaled up and shaped to act as our
terrain.
/ot particles attacking $ross
8esh.++:
8esh
$ube
&ith the scene assembled select the ob7ects as listed and perform the following set up
in the Properties &indow:
Select 8esh.++: 0 The small plane rotated ' The emitter 2
(dd a Particle System with Boids Physics untick (llow .light and tick (llow
)and.
%n the Emission tab: (mount: :++, )ifetime: :-++ 0 $hange the animation
length in the Timeline to :-++ frames.
%n the Boid Brain window add a "3oal" rule, move it to the top of the stack and
select "$ube" as the goal.
Select 8esh 0 The Terrain 2
%n the Properties &indow ' Physics buttons ' $ollision tab ' click (dd.
The $ube 0 Target 2 re5uires no action other than to scale it down a bit.
Select "8esh.++: and play the animation.
The particles emitted follow the contour of the terrain as they move to the target.

Hair Particles
The previous pages describing particles have introduced particles of Type: Emitter
with Physics types No, Newtonian, Keyed and Boids. e will now ta!e a loo! at
particles Type: "air, where particles are rendered as strands and may be edited in the
#$ indow. "air type particles may be used to represent such things as grass and fur
as well as hair or anything which has a surface with fibrous strands.
e will perform a %uic! demonstration to show what is meant by "air Particles.
&n the #$ indow delete the default 'ube ob(ect and add a Plane. )oom in a bit.
ith the Plane selected go to the Properties
indow * Particle button and clic! on the plus sign
to add a Particle +ystem. ,t the top of the Particles
window clic! on the drop down where it displays
Type: Emitter and select "air. The Plane in the #$
indow will show long strands stic!ing up from
the surface of the plane. -o to the .elocity tab and
decrease the Normal:/.000 value and you will see
the length of the strands shorten. e have a "airy
Plane.
That (ust shows you what "air Particles loo! li!e in essence.
1et us proceed with something a little more e2citing. +tart a new Blender scene,
delete the 'ube and add a 3on!ey. The mon!ey head always loads loo!ing upwards.
Put him with the top of his head pointing up. 4 Key * 5 Key * 60 * Press 7Enter7.
That means Rotate about the X a2is 90 degrees.
&f we (ust go ahead and add a "air particle system we will get a hairy headed mon!ey
with hair stic!ing out all over everything. e !now a lot of our friends loo! li!e this
but let7s try for a more clean cut loo! with some hair on the head and a beard.
'lic! to ,dd Particle
+ystem
4educe Normal to +horten "air
Press the Num Pad 8 !ey to get into top view loo!ing down on mon!ey7s head. e
will designate where we want the hair to grow by selecting a bunch of vertices. This
bunch is called a .erte2 -roup. Tab into Edit 3ode, 9oom in so you can see what you
are doing and in the #$ indow header clic! on the 1imit selection To .isible
button.
Press the , !ey to deselect all verticies then go ahead and select a group on the top of
mon!ey7s head. :ou can do this by +hift ; 4ight 'lic! individual verts, B Key and
1eft 'li! to drag a bo2 to select or ' Key and 1eft 'l! to drag the circle to select
< +croll 33B to change circle si9e and press Esc to cancel when selection finished =.
1eave the vertices selected and in the
Properties indow clic! on the >b(ect
data button. &n the .erte2 groups tab
clic! on the plus sign to add a .erte2
-roup.

&n the name bo2 clic! on -roup and delete it
< Blender names every new verte2 group
7-roup7 =. Type in 7"air7 and press enter to rename
the group. :ou will note that the group
highlighted in blue in the window changes.
4emember we still have our verticies selected. Now in the .erte2 group tab (ust
below 7Name7 clic! on the ,ssign button. This assigns the selected verticies to the
.erte2 group named 7"air7.
+o far we have a head and we have nominated an area on the head by selecting a
group of verticies. e do not have hair.
-o to the Particles button and clic! on the plus sign to add a particle system.
Plan view of 3on!ey "ead with
vertices selected
-roup renamed "air
'hange Type: Emitter to "air. hat? Nothing
happened@ Thats because we are in edit mode.
Note Blender has named the particle system
7Particle +ystem7.
Tab to >b(ect mode in the #$ indow and
:ay? plenty of hair. &n fact we have hair
everywhere. 1ong hair all over the place
(ust li!e our friends we mentioned earlier. e will correct this loo!. To start with in
the .elocity tab decrease the Normal value until the hair strands loo! reasonable say
about 0.A80. Ne2t, still in the Particles buttons, go down to the .erte2groups tab and
in the bo2 ne2t to $ensity clic! and select 7"air7.
e now have hair only on the area we selected.
Press Num Pad # to get a side on view. hat a
scrawny bunch of hair. Thats not so impressive is it.
To fi2 the scrawny loo! go to the 'hildren tab and
clic! on Particles. ow? Now we have a bushy stic!y
out sort of
mowhaw!ey hairdo.
ell you would if you
selected the same
verticies as & did. &t
still probably loo!s
li!e your friends.
Plenty of "air
e will continue on and add a beard as promised. $oes your friend have a beard@
To ma!e proceedings interesting but hopefully not difficult to understand we will
vary the procedure (ust a little. e previously selected a bunch of vertices then
created a .erte2 -roup and named it then assigned the selected vertices to the group.
1ets create a new .erte2 -roup first this time. ith 3on!ey selected in >b(ect mode
in the #$ indow go to the >b(ect data button in the Properties indow and in
.erte2 group tab clic! on the plus sign to add a new .erte2 group.
Blender again names the new group
7-roup7. 4ename this to 7Beard7 as we did
before for "air.
Now we need to select the verticies to
assign to the new group. e could use
the procedures as outlined previously but
lets do it a different way.
Birst Tab into Edit 3ode and deselect all verticies.
&n the #$ indow header change to eigh Paint mode. >ur
mon!ey turns blue in the #$ indow. This is showing that no
verticies are selected. Note 7Beard7 is highlighted in blue in the
.erte2groups tab in the >b(ect data buttons. 'lic! on 7"air7. &f
you loo! closely in amongst all that blac! hair < 4otate the
view = you will see red scalp. This is showing the area
previously selected by selecting individual verticies. Tab to Edit
mode and clic! on +elect in the .erte2group tab and you see the
verticies that were painted. Press the , Key in the #$ indow
to deselect. 'lic! on 7Beard7 again in the .erte2group tab, >b(ect
data buttons.
Now loo! at the tools panel at the left hand side of the screen.
+ee the Brush tab and clic! on 7,dd7 go below this and drag the
+trength slider all the way to the right to +trength:/.000. &n the
#$ indow drag the circle that appears as the mouse curser
over the mon!ey7s chin.
-roup renamed Beard
:ou will see the color change as you drag.
Keep dragging until the chin is all red which
means that you have selected this area as the
new .erte2 -roup for the Beard. Tab to Edit
3ode, ma!e sure all verticies are deselected,
then in the .erte2group tab clic! on 7,dd7 to
assign the painted vertices to the Beard
.erte2group. 'lic! on 7+elect7 to see them.
-o to the Particles buttons and add a new
Particle +ystem. Note Blender names this
system 7Particle +ystem A7. +elect Type: "air,
decrease the Normal value in the .elocity tab,
go down to the .erte2groups tab and clic! in
the density bo2 selecting 7Beard7. e now have
scrawny hair on the mon!eys chin. -o to the
'hildren tab and clic! Particles for a real hairy guy (ust li!e your friend.
&t doesn7t matter in which order you do it the
procedure is the same. +elect verticies defining
area, create .erte2 -roup, assign verticies to
.erte2 -roup, create "air Particle +ystem and
assign it to the .erte2 group.
, grey mon!ey with blac! beard and hair in the
#$ indow is fine but in a render isn7t all that
e2citing. 1et7s (a99 it up a bit.
+elect mon!ey in >b(ect mode in the #$
indow. -o to the 3aterials button in the
Properties indow. 'lic! on 7New7 to add a
material. 'lic! in the $iffuse color bar and
select a diffuse color for the mon!ey with the color
pic!er that displays. To start with this will be applied
to everything mon!ey, s!in, hair and beard.
,t the top of the 3aterial buttons
window note 73aterial7 highlighted in
blue and (ust below that 73aterial7
again. The blue highlighted 73aterial7
is a material slot and the lower
73aterial7 is a material databloc!.
+1>T
$,T,
'lic! to display 'olor Pic!er
To understand this see the section on 3aterial $atabloc!s but if you haven7t read that
or can7t %uiet remember what it was all about (ust follow on.
&n the 3aterial buttons uni%ue databloc!
&$ name clic! on 73aterial7, delete and
rename it 7+!in7. 'lic! on the plus sign to
add a new slot. Note the number A appears
ne2t to the &$ name. 'lic! on the A to ma!e single user then as before rename it
7"air7. 4epeat the process again and rename 7Beard7. :ou will now have three slots.
4emember / is +!in, A is "air and # is Bur. :ou (ust have to remember the order
number or write it on the bac! of your hand.
There are now three material slots each with a separate databloc!. ,t the moment
they are all the same color which is what we originally chose. 'lic! on slot "air and
Beard in turn and choose colors.
-o to the Particles button and at the top you will see Particle +ystem and Particle
+ystem A. 4emember the first is the "air
P+ and the second is the Bur P+. +elect
7Particle +ystem7 <"air= and in the
render tab 3aterial button clic! on the
little triangle at the 4"+ until you get
3aterial:A <"air=. Now do the same for
7Particle +ystem A7 selecting material:#
<Beard=.
eird beard and weird hair but its
pretty.
'olor ,dded
'lic! on Triangle
Cust to introduce you to some more fun stuff with hair go to Particle mode in the #$
indow and play around with the Brush tools. +omewhere about two thirds the way
down the tools panel there is a 5 3irror switch which lets you comb or add or
whatever on both sides of the model at once.
Note: +elect the Particle +ystem in the Particle +ystem Buttons indow. hen a
particle system is selected in Particle 3ode the #$ indow shows the particles
<"air= without children. Dse the Brush Tools then switch to >b(ect 3ode to see the
effect.
,s allays there is much much more to play with in Blender. Try the "air tutorials at
http:EEwww.blendercoo!ie.com
A Final Note On Hair Particles
,dding hair to an ob(ect can add an awful lot of vertices which when rendering can
ta!e an awful lot of time and may even cause your computer to stall out. &f you are
not doing anything serious and have a slow machine to start with !eep the number of
strands low.
Assignment Tab
When a particle system is first added to a scene by clicking on the white cross 'Add
Particles System' Blender introduces a block of data to the scene which comprises a
default particle system. Blender names this datablock 'ParticleSettings' as seen in the
Settings panel. The datablock named 'ParticleSettings' is automatically linked to the
default particle system which is named 'ParticleSystem'. 'ParticleSystem' is placed in
the Assignment Panel where it is assigned to an object in the ! Window.
This analogy may be "iewed in the following diagram. There is no Assignment tab
or Assignment Panel as such but for the purpose of this discussion we will consider
the area marked in magenta as the Assignment tab and the panel displaying
'ParticlesSystem' highlighted in blue as the Assignment Panel.
The analogy may not be strictly correct in accordance with the program structure but
it is used to describe the logic of the graphical user interface.
The information in the Particle Settings datablock may be altered by changing
settings in the Particle Buttons tabs of the particle systems buttons window to create
"aried effects.
Properties Window
Particle button
Add Particle System
Add Particle Settings
#bject
Particle Settings !atablock
Assignment Tab
Assignment Panel
See #utliner Window
$n !atablock %ode
!atablocks with all of their settings may be "iewed in the #utliner Window in
!atablock %ode.
$n the assignment tab there is a Type drop down button which displays the options
&mitter and 'air. Type &mitter is the default selection which means that with the
particle system assigned to an object in the scene that object becomes the emitter of
the particles. $n either case the object becomes an emitter with a particle system
assigned. 'air type may be "iewed as a specialised static emitter which will be
described later in the section.
(ote that the name 'ParticleSettings' and the name 'ParticleSystems' may be renamed
by clicking in the panels deleting the name and retyping a new name. This is useful
when there are multiple objects) datablocks and particle systems.
%ultiple objects in the ! Window can each ha"e a different particle system
assigned. &ach object may ha"e more than one particle system.
When a new particle system datablock is added to the scene Blender creates a new
name for the datablock. The default ParticleSettings datablock is named
'ParticleSettings' as pre"iously stated. When a second datablock is added it is named
'ParticleSettings.**+) a third would be named 'ParticleSettings.**, etc. -enaming
datablocks to something more rele"ant to objects in the scene would be an ad"antage.
When new datablocks are created they are stored in a cache for reuse by other particle
systems . See the #utliner Window / !atablock %ode 0.
When a new particle system is added to the scene Blender assigns that system to the
object that is selected in the ! Window. $f no objects are selected the new particle
system is assigned to the last object that was introduced to the scene.
Particle systems added to a scene initially ha"e the default ParticleSettings datablock
linked and a new name applied as described abo"e. At this point the datablock
settings may be altered to create a new uni1ue datablock or a pre"iously created
datablock may be selected and linked to the new particle system. 2licking on the icon
in front of the ParticleSettings panel re"eals a drop down showing the cache
mentioned abo"e with datablocks for selection.
The foregoing statements may seem confusing and not easily related to what has been
labeled the Assignment Tab. The following e3ercise will attempt to clarify the
statements and at the same time demonstrate the application of particle systems in
practical terms.
Practical Exercise
#pen a new scene in Blender and delete the cube from the ! Window. Add three
separate Plane objects and position them at the center of the scene so that in camera
"iew they are all "isible and an image containing all three may be rendered.
Add a diffuse material color to each of the Planes. We will make them -ed) 4reen
and Blue. The colors do not ha"e to be accurate.
Turn off the 4ra"ity setting from the Scene buttons and turn off the ! manipulator
Widget in the ! Window.
2lick in ! Window
'eader to turn Widget off
2lick to untick and remo"e 4ra"ity
At this time the three Plane objects ha"e been named by Blender as %esh) %esh.**+
and %esh.**, as seen in the lower left hand corner of the ! Window as each is
selected. This naming is not all that rele"ant to what we ha"e in the scene so we will
rename the objects.
$n the ! Window select the red plane. 4o to the Properties Window 5 #bject button.
At the top of the buttons window you will see '%esh' in the 6ni1ue !atablock $!
(ame panel. 2lick on the name to highlight it) hit delete and type in '-edPlane'. Press
&nter. Select the green plane in in the ! Window and rename it '4reenPlane' and
then similarly for the blue plane.
#bject (ame
2lick on the 2ross to
add a Particle System
Particles button
2hange 7ifetime from 8* to ,**
7ower 7eft 2orner of ! Window
We will now add particle systems to the planes. Select the red plane and in the
Properties Window click on the Particles button. 2lick on the white cross to add a
particle system. The particle system panel displays with all the Tabs and buttons for
controlling the settings and has been set up with default "alues. 7ea"e all the "alues
as set e3cept for the 7ifetime "alue in the &mission tab. 2hange this from the default
8* frames to ,** frames. This will gi"e us a better "iew of particles being generated.
!o the same for the other two planes and in addition change the Amount "alue in the
&missions tab to +** for the green plane and +* for the blue plane.
Shift select all three planes in the ! Window hit Alt 9 A to play the animation of
particles being generated. 2ycle through the animation in the Timeline Window to
about frame +:* and obser"e the particles. -ed plane +*** particles) green plane +**
particles blue plane +* particles. We ha"e three different planes with three different
particle systems.
(ow in the ! Window select each plane separately and note in the Properties
Window / Particles buttons / Assignment tab) the names that display in the (ame
panel and the Settings panel.
The number of particles emitted
from each plane object show the
different systems.
-ed Plane; (ame; ParticleSystem Settings; ParticleSettings
4reen Plane; (ame; ParticleSystem Settings; ParticleSettings.**+
Blue Plane; (ame; ParticleSystem Settings; ParticleSettings.**,
We pre"iously stated that we ha"e three separate particle systems but now we see
three names all being ParticleSystem but each one has a different settings name.
Probably a good idea to do some renaming. 2hange the names to the following.
-ed Plane; (ame; -edPSystem Settings; -edPSettings
4reen Plane; (ame; 4reenPSystem Settings; 4reenPSettings
Blue plane; (ame; BluePSystem Settings; BluePSettings
We should be able to see where we are now.
To continue) in the ! Window select the green plane. We are going to reassign some
settings. $n the Properties Window / Particles button / Assignment tab) ne3t to
Settings click on the button just in front of the name panel. The thing that looks like
four tiny stars in a bo3. The drop down that displays has the names of the three
Particle Settings !atablocks.
Whene"er a new group of particle settings are created Blender puts them into a cache
for reuse. <ou can see these datablocks in the #utliner Window in !atablock %ode.
The green plane is selected so in the datablock drop down click on BluePSettings. We
now ha"e the BluePSettings assigned to the 4reenPSystem. $f you replay the particle
generation animation the green and blue planes generate the same number of
particles. (ote that in the settings panel a number , has appeared. This tells us that
BluePSettings is being used by two systems. The color of the particles is controlled
by the color of the Plane object. The number of particles emitted is set by the
ParticleSystem Settings.
2lick to re"eal drop down
ParticleSettings names
2lick in name panel to highlight the name / 'it !elete / -etype the new name.
Suggestion; Shift select all three planes when replaying the animation to make the
particles "isible in the ! Window. $f a plane is not selected the particles appear as
tiny little dots.
We ha"e demonstrated that you can select any datablock of settings and assign it to
any particle system.
2ontinue by clicking on the number ,. This makes the datablock a single user.
Blender does this by lea"ing the original as it is and creating a new datablock. The
new datablock is howe"er identical to the original. <ou see that the settings name is
now BluePSettings.**+. 7ets change some data in this new datablock.
=ind the -ender tab in the Particle buttons window . Scroll down a bit 0. $n the bar
containing the render type selection) that is (one) 'alo) 7ine) Path) #bject) 4roup)
Billboard click on #bject.
$n the ! Window add a 6> Sphere to the scene and gi"e it a yellow color . or any
color 0. (ote Blender has named the sphere '%esh'. %ake sure it is off to one side in
the scene away from the planes.
-eselect the green plane in the ! Window and then go back to the Particles button
on the Properties Window. 2heck that you still ha"e 4reenPSystem and
BluePSettings.**+. (ow go back to the -ender tab for BluePSettings.**+ and where
it says !upli #bject; click on the little cube icon and then click on %esh in the drop
down. We are telling Blender to display and render the particles as spheres.
Scroll up to the Physics tab and slightly increase the Si?e "alue. <ou will see a sphere
appear on the green plane. Play the particle generation animation and you see yellow
spheres being generated.
2lick on #bject
Sphere object
named %esh
There is still more to play with.
With the green plane selected in the Properties Window / Particles buttons /
Assignment tab click on the Add Particle System cross. <ou will see a new particle
system highlighted in blue named ParticleSystem, with particle settings name
ParticleSettings. This has created a new particle system.
With the green plane selected in the ! Window play the animation again. The green
plane now emits yellow spheres and original particles together. The original particles
only display for a short while since on particle settings named ParticleSettings the
7ifetime "alue is 8* frames.
We ha"e two separate particle systems with separate settings datablocks assigned to
the same object.
The best way to get the hang of all this is play) play and more play.
Add Particle System
#riginal default ParticleSettings
8* frames
CH16- Child Parent Relationships
01-Child-Parent
02-Child of Constraint
Child Parent relationships
Child parent relationships are used where there are several parts connected together
which are required to move independently. Examples are a robot arm or a humanoid
limb. The components of the arm move but are connected to the body. An arm raises
and the hand waves in the process. The concept of a child parent relationship is where
a hand is a child of a forearm and the forearm is a child of biceps and the bicep is a
child of the body. They are all linked together but move separately in their own way.
We will demonstrate the application of this in lender by connecting several scaled
cubes together. !tart with the default lender scene". !cale the Cube as shown then
Tab to edit mode and shift the verticies positioning the center towards one end.
#uplicate the scaled Cube twice $!hift % # x &'.
(ote) *n the diagrams a separate Cube has been added to the !cene instead of
duplicating. This has allowed different +aterial colors to be applied. *f you duplicate
an ob,ect you also duplicate its +aterial and the ob,ects are all the same color.
!hift each Cube and overlap the ends.
-reen Center
Edit +ode .b,ect +ode
Create the Child /arent 0elationship by first selecting the red cube then shift select
the green cube then press Ctrl % / and select 1.b,ect1 in the 1!et /arent To1 panel that
displays. #eselect then repeat the process for the green and blue cubes. The first
ob,ect selected is always the child of the second ob,ect selected. Therefore in the
diagram red is the child of green which in turn is the child of blue.
To see the relationship in action select red and rotate. !elect green and rotate and red
will follow. !elect blue and rotate and both red and green will follow.
2ou can child parent any ob,ect to another in lender. A Camera can be parented to
another ob,ect so that when the ob,ect moves the Camera moves with it. 3or example
you could place a Camera inside a model of an aircraft cockpit and create simulation
of what the pilot would see. A useful technique it to parent a Camera to an Empty.
Child of Constraint
(ote) There is another method of creating a Child /arent relationship which is to add
a 1Child of1 constraint to the child ob,ect. This is discussed in the section on
Constraints.
0ed rotates alone about
this center point
-reen and 0ed rotate about
this center
lue" -reen and 0ed
rotate about the center
here
CH17- Constraints
01-Introduction
02-Constraint Stack
03-Transform
04-Tracking
05-Relationsi!s
0"-#u!licating on Cur$es
07-%&truding on Cur$es
Introduction
Constraints are object features that define spatial relationships between objects. They
are the standard method for controlling characters among all 3D animation packages
that still implement a more traditional approach to digital character animation. In
Blender, constraints can be associated with object. ote howe!er that not all
constraints work with all objects.
Constraints are associated with an object by selecting the object in the 3D "indow
then In the #roperties "indow $ Constraint buttons clicking on %&dd Constraint% and
selecting the constraint from the drop down menu that displays.
The following pages in this section contain a brief description of constraint
functions. 'ost constraints are self e(planatory therefore a detailed e(planation will
only be gi!en for a few common constraints or where it is not self e!ident.
The general method of application of constraints is to select the )bject in the 3D
"indow then in the #roperties "indow $ Constraint button * Click on %&dd
Constraint% and select the appropriate constraint. In many cases a control object will
be re+uired to make the constraint function. There are control !alues to be inserted to
regulate the function.
Click to select
Constraint
Constraint Stack
It should be noted that in some cases it is appropriate to apply more than one
Constraint to an object. "hen this is done the Constraints are placed in a stack in
order of priority. The priority can be changed by mo!ing a Constraint up or down in
the stack.
Track To and ,ocked Track
Constraints in a -tack.
Click to mo!e up or down in
the stack.
.nter Target
)bject
Click to remo!e
constraint
Transform Constraints
Copy Location
Forces the Object with the Constraint added to take up the location of the
Target Object.
Copy Rotation
Forces the Object with Constraint added to copy the rotation of the Target
Object. When the Target rotates the Object rotates.
Copy Scale.
Forces the object with the Constraint added to copy the Scale of the target
Object
Copy Transformation
Similar to Copy Location.
Limit Distance
Constrains the Object to remain within a set distance from the Target Object.
The distance is a spherical field surrounding the Target. The Object is
constrained within the spherical field or outside the field.
Limit Location
Constrains the Objects location between a minimum and maimum distance on
a specific ais. The distance is relati!e to either the World center or a "arented
Object.
Limit Rotation
Constrains an Objects rotation about a specific ais between limits.
Limit Scale
Constrains the scale of an object between limits on a specified ais.
Maintain Volume
Constrains the dimensions of a side on a specified ais.
eg. #efault Cube $ol% & #im ' () y ' () * ' (
Scale $ol to + with
ais y constrained #im ' +) y ' () * ' +
Transformation
To be ad!ised.
Tracking Constraints
Clamp To
Clamps or locks the position of the Object to a Target Curve.
Damped track
Constrains one local axis of the Object to always point towards the Target
Object.
Inverse Kinematics
Can only be applied to Bones. See rmatures section.
Locked track
Similar to damped track with more axis control.
Spline IK
can only be applied to Bones. See rmatures section.
Stretch To
Stretches the Object towards the Target Object or compresses the Object away
from the target Object.
Sphere Target
Cube ! axis
Cube ! axis constrained to always point towards the Sphere
! axis
Track To
Causes the Object to always point towards the Target Object no matter where
either the Object or the target is positioned.
"xample# Tracking a Camera to follow an Object that is animated to move.
Start with the default blender Scene in Top $iew %&um 'ad ( ) &um 'ad *+.
Select the Camera and press lt ) , to clear the rotation and align the Camera
axis with the -orld axis.
.o to the 'roperties -indow / Object Constraint button / Click 0dd
Constraint0 and select 0Track To0.
"nter the Cube as the Target Object.
Set xis To 1 23 and xis 4p 1 ! to orientate the camera in the -orld.
The Camera will now point at the Cube when the Camera or the Cube is
moved and during an animation playback.
Track To constraint added to Camera
Cube as Target Object
xis $alues
Camera Orientated to 'oint at Cube
Relationship Constraints
Action
To be advised
Child Of
see Child Parent Relationships
Floor
Allows the Target Object to obstruct the movement of the Object.
Example A sphere animated to descend in a scene will not pass through a
Plane that has been set as a target Object.
Follow Path
Causes the Object to be animated to follow a Curve Path nominated as the
Target. This constraint also has the feature to !ollow Curve which means that
the Object will rotate and ban" as it follows the Curve.
This constraint can also be emplo#ed to duplicate objects along a curve path.
$ee Constraints and Curves % !ollow Path.
Pivot
Causes the Object to leapfrog to the opposite side of the Target Object along an
axis between the Object and the target centers. The location can be offset either
side if the axis b# inserting offset values.
Rigid Body
to be advised.
Shrinkwrap
To be advised.
Duplicate Object Along Curve
The Follow Path constraint can be used to duplicate an Object along a Curve.
Example:
Start with the deault scene with the Cube Object selected. !dd a "e#ier
Curve to the scene and shape it in edit mode. Select the Cube and scale the
cube down $ ver% small&. 'n the Properties (indow ) Object Constraint
button) Press *!dd Constraint ) select *Follow Path*.
'n the Constraint panel set the Target Object as *Curve*.
'n the Properties (indow ) Object
button ) +elations tab ) Parent ) add
*Curve*.
'n the ,uplications tab select *Frames*.
-ntic. *Speed*.
Target Object
,eault Scene with Cube and "e#ier Curve
Target Object !dded in Constraint Panel
Curve added to Parent panel and *Frames* selected
in the ,uplication tab. /ou ma% have to scale and
reposition the Cube at this point. The view shows
the Cube duplicated at 01 Frames.
Cube duplicated at 21 rames
Extrude Along Curve
A shape can be extruded along a curve to produce a shape.
Example:
Start with the default Blender Scene and delete the Cube Object. Add a Beier Curve
and scale it up along the ! axis. "or simplicit# put the window into $op %iew &'um
(ad ) * 'um (ad +,. $he Curve ma# be scaled and shaped in Edit mode to produce a
shape for #our extrusion to follow.
-eselect the curve and add a Beier or 'urbs Circle. $he circle ma# be shaped in edit
mode to produce a cross section
shape for #our extrusion.
Scale the Circle wa# down.
-eselect the Circle and select the
Curve.
.otate the Circle standing it up perpendicular to the Curve &. /e# * # * 01 2 Enter,.
3n the (roperties 4indow 2 Object data button 2 5eometr# tab enter 6Curve Circle6 in
the Bevel Object data panel.
Adjust the scale as re7uired.
CH18- Armatures
01- Armatures
02-Manually Assign Verticies
03-How to Assign Verticies
04-Vertex Groups
0-A!!ing Armatures
0"-Armature #isplay
0$-%!iting &ones
08-Automatic 'ey(raming
0)-*n+erse 'inemetics

Armatures
My dictionary defines 'Armature' as being a protective covering but in Blender the
term appears to have a different meaning altogether. In Blender, 'Armature' refers to
an Object type which is used to deform a mesh. hin! of your finger and the s!in
covering it and the bones inside. he s!in would be the mesh and the bones are the
'Armature'. "hen the bone moves the s!in moves with it. Obviously the analogy is
not #uiet correct but it give you the idea.
o demonstrate the 'Armature' principal in Blender we will ma!e something a!in to a
finger and ma!e it deform with an 'Armature'.
$tart with the default Blender $cene and delete the %ube. Add a
Mesh %ircle. In the ool $helf &'anel at ()$ of *d "indow+
reduce the number of verticies from *, to -. ./trude the %ircle on
the 0 a/is to create a simple mesh as shown in the diagram. he
finger will only have two parts with a joint in the middle. he
verticies close together in the middle of the mesh are where the
joint will be. hey act li!e a part of a concertina hose on a vacuum
cleaner allowing the mesh to bend.
1ote2 "hen creating a mesh for use with
Armatures use as few verticies as possible. oo
many verticies will slow down the computer
considerably. his is the reason for reducing the
number of verticies in the %ircle.
$elect the mesh and go into Object
mode
'lace the *3 %ursor as shown
Add 'Armature' 4 $ingle Bone.
5o to the 'roperties "indow 4 Object button 4 display tab and tic! 6 7ay &Obj+ this
ma!es the Armature visible in Object mode 8$olid display. It actually ma!es the
Armature display on top of the Mesh.
"ith the Armature selected 4 ab to .dit mode.
.dit Mode
Object Mode
$elect the top end of the Bone and drag it up to the middle of the bend point.
'ress the . 9ey and e/trude the bone & %reates a second bone+ up to the top of the
mesh.
In the 'roperties window 4 Object data 4 3isplay tab 4 tic!
'1ames' to show the names of the bones in the *3 "indow. he
names will be 'Bone' and 'Bone.::;'.
'ress A 9ey to deselect the bones 4 7emain in Object mode.
"e will now set up a %hild 'arent relationship between the Mesh
and the Bones.
$hift select the Mesh object &%hild+ and then the Armature bone
&'arent+.
'ress %trl < ' and select 'Armature 3eform'.
o prove the relationship press A 9ey to deselect 4 7ight clic! on
the Armature &Mesh selects+ 4 7 %lic! again to select the armature.
In the *3 "indow header select ''ose Mode' &his is only
available when the Armature is selected+.
7 %lic! &$elect+ Bone.::; 4 7 9ey &7otate+ 4
7otate the bone.
he Mesh deforms as the Bone is rotated.
Blender has automatically assigned vertices to each bone.
'ose Mode
Bone.::; 7otated
Bone 7otated
Manually Assign Verticies.
%reate the mesh as before 4 (eave in Object mode.
'lace the *3 %ursor off to one side.
Add 4 Armature &$hift < A 4 Armature 4 $ingle Bone+.
As before ab to .dit mode select the top point of the bone and e/trude it up.
ab to Object mode 4 A 9ey &3eselect+.
%reate a %hild 'arent relationship as before.
o prove the relationship deselect all &A 9ey+
select the Armature 4 'ose mode 4 $elect top bone,
7 9ey &7otate+ 4 ). M.$) 3O.$ 1O
3.=O7M 4 1o verticies have been assigned
*3 %urser
Mesh in Object Mode Armature Added and ./truded
op Bone 7otated
How to Assign Vertices
'ut the armature in Object mode.
In the 'roperties "indow 4 Object data 4 3isplay
tab 4 tic! '1ames'. &$ee2 Bone and Bone.::;+
A 9ey &3eselect+ Armature 4 7 %lic! Mesh object to
select.
Assign Verticies to a Vertex Group
"ith the mesh selected ab to .dit modeling the 'roperties "indow 4 Object data
button 8 8 >erte/ group tab 4 %lic! < to add >erte/ 5roup.
In the 1ame panel 4 delete '5roup? and retype 'Bone.::;'.
In the *3 "indow select the verticies you wish to assign to the 5roup.
In the 'roperties window 4 Object data 4 >erte/ group tab 4 clic! 'Assign' &By
clic!ing on 3eselect and $elect you will see the verticies in the *3 "indow selected
and deselected.
$elect >ertices
%lic! to Add
>erte/ 5roup
%lic! $elect and 3eselect to $how
and )ide >erte/ 5roup in the *3
"indow
*3 "indow
3elete '5roup'
7etype 'Bone.::;'
ab to Object mode 4 A !ey to deselect all.
7 %lic! the armature &$elect+
In the *3 "indow header 4 %lic! 'ose mode.
"ith Bone.::; selected 4 7 9ey &7otate+ the bone.
he mesh deforms as the bone is rotated.
Adding Armatures.
o add an Armature press $hift < A !ey 4
Armature.
Note !ncorrect "e#ormation
Armature in 'ose Mode
he incorrect deformation noted above
has occurred since the '(imit $election
to >isible' button was in the wrong
mode.
(imit selection to >isible
*3 "indow )eader
1ot all vertices were selected
Meta 7ig Options
Armature "isplay
In the 'roperties "indow 4 object data
button 8 3isplay tab 4 the choices for
different displays are.
$diting %ones
Octahedral $tic! B8Bone .nvelope
B8Bone Armature in .dit Mode
%lic! on '$ubdivide' in the
ool $helf at the () $ide of
the *3 "indow to create
more Bones
Automatic &ey#raming
Automatic 9eyframing allows you to #uic!ly animate the movement of comple/
Armature arrangements,
"ith the Armature selected in
'ose mode 4 $elect the bone.
%lic! on the red button in the timeline "indow 4 Move frame < move bone.
9eyframe is automatically applied.
!nverse &inematics
Inverse 9inematics is used when you want to manipulate an Armature by simply
grabbing &5 9ey+ the end Bone of a chain and moving it with all the connected bones
following.

Armature Bone %hain with top Bone
selected in 'ose Mode
In the 'roperties "indow 4 Bone %onstraints button 4 %lic! 'Add
%onstraint' 4 $elect 'Inverse 9inematics
3rag the Bone to see the chain follow
CH19- Relative Shapes Keys
01-Shapes Keys and Action Editor
02-Shapes Key Editor
03-Action Editor
Shapes Keys and Action Editor
Shapes Keys and Action Editors provide an easy method of animating shapes and
objects. Both Editors are located in the Dope Sheet Window. The Shapes Key Editor
allows yo to control the animation of verticies or grops of verticies while the
Action Editor allows yo to set p an animation of an !bjects movement and scale.
To demonstrate both methods we will se a simple "lane !bject with only for
verticies.
Start with the defalt Blender scene# delete the $be and add a "lane. %o into Top
&iew '(m "ad ) * (m "ad +,. -oom in on the view '(m "ad *,.
Split the .D Window into two windows and change one to the Dope Sheet Window.
Shapes Key Editor
/n the Dope Sheet Window clic0 on the drop down mode selection and select 1Shapes
Key Editor1. With the Editor selected the window has now become an animation
timeline.
Select the "lane in the .D Widow.
/n the "roperties Window 2 !bject data bttons 2
Shapes Keys tab clic0 on the pls sign. The tab
e3pands showing a 1Basis Key1 inserted. $lic0 on
the pls sign again and 1Key45 will be added. (ote
that in the Dope Sheet Shapes Key Window 1Key41
is also displayed '6pper 78 side of window,.
Dope Sheet Shapes Key Window
Slider
Slider
With the crsor in the .D Window Tab to Edit mode. Deselect all verticies 'A Key,.
(ow select one of the verticies and drag it '% Key drag
mose,. Tab to !bject mode.
The plane reverts to its original shape.
/n the "roperties Window 2 Shapes Key tab 2 $hanging the 1&ale1 by moving the
slider changes the shape of the "lane in the .D Window. 9o can also change the
shape by moving the slider ne3t to 1Key41 in the Dope Sheet Shapes 0ey Editor.
/n the "roperties Window 2 Shapes Key
tab clic0 on the pls sign again to add
1Key:1.
/n the .D Window Tab to edit mode select another vertice and
move it somewhere. Tab bac0 to object mode. Key: has been
added to the Shapes Key Editor.
Edit ;ode with &ertice ;oved
!bject ;ode
!rigional Shape
Shape Key Editor 2 Key: Added
Edit ;ode
&ertice ;oved
/n the Shapes Key Editor
clic0 on Key4 then Shift
clic0 on Key:. This has
selected both 0eys as
indicate by the white
highlight of the names.
;ove each slider to see the "lane change shape in
the .D Window then retrn each slider to the <.<<<
position. ;oving the sliders has inserted 0ey
locations in the timeline of the Shapes Key Editor as
indicated by the orange diamond shapes. "ress 1/
Key1 and select 1!nly Selected $hannels1. This inserts
Keyframes in the animation timeline. Drag the green
line to a new frame# move the Key sliders and press
1/ Key1 again selecting 1!nly Selected $hannels1. (ew Keyframes are inserted. Scrb
the timeline 'Drag the green line, to see the animation. 9o can also press Alt * A
with the crsor in the .D Window to play the animation.
Action Editor
To demonstrate the Action Editor begin with the same set p as se for the Shapes
Editor e3cept this time select 1Action Editor1 mode in the Dope Sheet Window.
Select the "lane in the .D Window in !bject mode and insert a 0eyframe '/ Key,
type 17oc=otScale.
/n the Dope Sheet Action Editor yo will see the 0eyframe displayed in the pper
78S of the window. $lic0ing on the little triangle in front of the 7oc=otScale
e3pands the 0eyframe to show the individal components.
/n the Action Editor Window header clic0 on 1&iew1 and tic0 1Show Sliders1. There
will now be vale sliders in each component of the 0eyframe. By moving the sliders
yo can maniplate the "lane in the .D Window.
/nserting Keyframes '/ Key, with each change of frame prodces an animation. As
previosly yo can scrb the animation or Alt * A play the animation.
:.<<<
"lane ;oved :.<<< in .D Window
> 7ocation Slider set :.<<< in Action Editor
CH20- Fluid Simulation
01-Fluid Simulation
02-Basic Setup
03-Domain Object Setup
04-Fluid Object Setup
05-Inlo! Object Setup
0"-Obstacle Object Setup - #$ou%&
0'-Obstacle Object Setup ( Cup
0)-Outlo! Object Setup
0*-Fluid Simulation ( +a$ticles
10-Fluid Simulation - Cont$ol
Obstacle Object Setup
Reference: Process step 2 blender Wiki PDF Manual P1060
In this ea!ple the "bstacle to the fluid flo# #ill be the $up%
With the $up selected in the &D Windo# 'o to the Properties Windo# Ph(sics
button Fluids tab% $lick )*dd) and select +(pe "bstacle%
With all the ob,ects re-uired for the
si!ulation ha.in' settin's assi'ned the
Fluid /i!ulation /etup is no#
co!plete and read( to be 0*12D%
Baking
In the &D Windo# in #irefra!e !ode select the Do!ain cube% +he do!ain
properties tab #ill be displa(ed #ith the .alues that #ere pre.iousl( set%
Make note that 0akin' a si!ulation can take a lon' ti!e dependin' on the
co!pleit( of the si!ulation3 the resolution3 the len'th of the ani!ation and the
speed of the co!puter% For the purposes of this ea!ple3 #here the default
.alues ha.e been used3 set the len'th of the ani!ation to 40 fra!es in the
ani!ation +i!eline Windo#% *t a displa( rate of 24 fra!es per second this #ill
produce an ani!ation lastin' 2 seconds%
5o back to the Properties Windo# Ph(sics button Fluid tab%
With the Do!ain "b,ect selected 6+he $ube7 in the &D Windo# click on the
)0ake Fluid /i!ulation) button%
+he 0ake pro'ress can be obser.ed at the top of the &D Windo# in the Fluid
/i!ulation pro'ress bar% +he bar onl( appears #hen (ou bake and #ill be
located in the Infor!ation Windo# header ad,acent to )0lender Render)% If (ou
#ant to cancel a 0ake click on the cross net to the bar%
+he 0ake takes a considerable ti!e% It is akin to creatin' an i!a'e for each
fra!e of an ani!ation so be prepared to sit back and #ait a #hile
/ee 0lender Wiki PDF Manual P 1062
Fluid Simulation
Fluid Simulation Physics provides a means of simulating fluid flow. In this
discussion we will consider two scenarios.
The first scenario is animating a volume of fluid such as a droplet of water or
larger single volume which is initially suspended in space and allowed to drop
into a container or on to a surface.
The second scenario is animating a stream of fluid such as fluid running from a
tap or out of a container in a controlled flow. This scenario will recap on the first
scenario.
For detailed procedure see Blender Wiki PDF Pages !"# to !$ o%taina%le at
http&''www.letworyinteractive.com. ()ote& These pages refer to Blender *.+#,
Basic Setup fore Fluid Simulation ( First Scenario )
Blender -D Window scene.
This setup represents a %asic scene constructed for a fluid simulation. .s with all
%lender scenes there must %e a light to provide illumination and a camera %efore
anything can %e rendered.
The scene has %een constructed with&
Fluid /%0ect 1 Sphere 1 Default Sphere -* segments and 2ings.
Domain 3u%e 1 default 3u%e scaled up 4 +.
/%stacle /%0ect 1 3up 1 54truded from a 3ircle (See ne4t page,.
3amera
6ight
Fluid /%0ect Sphere
Domain /%0ect 3u%e
/%stacle /%0ect
In the scene a volume of liquid ( Fluid Object ) suspended in space, it will be released
and then dropped into a Cup ( Obstacle Object ). The fallin fluid ( Fluid !imulation )
ta"es place within the confines of the #omain. The domain is a sement of space
defined b$ a cubic volume ( The Cube ).
There must be a #omain for a simulation to ta"e place and all Objects participatin in
the simulation must be within the #omain. %n$ Object partiall$ outside of the
#omain will not function.
In this simulation the fluid is represented b$ a !phere positioned somewhere towards
the top of the #omain and immediatel$ above the Cup. The si&e of the !phere
relative to the #omain and to other objects within the #omain determines the volume
of the fluid. % lare sphere relative to the #omain and the Cup produces a lare fluid
volume.
The Cup is an obstacle which obstructs the movement of the Fluid. In this e'ample
the Fluid is simpl$ fallin in space until it is obstructed b$ the Cup. If the Cup did not
e'ist the Fluid would fall until it reached the bottom of the #omain and then come to
rest as if enclosed in a transparent rectanular container which is defined b$ the shape
of the #omain.
(ith the objects placed in the scene nothin will happen until all the Objects have
values assined. This sets up the simulation.
Domain Object Set Up
In this e'ample the #omain is a Cube which has been scaled to enclose the !phere
( Fluid Object ) and the Cup ( Obstacle Object ). To assin fluid simulation values to
the #omain first select the Cube in the 3D
View.
)o to the *roperties (indow +*h$sics
button , Fluid tab. Clic" -%dd .ew- to
displa$ the Fluid tab properties. !elect
-#omain- from the T$pe drop down
selection menu.
The Fluid #omain settins panel displa$s.
!electin the Cube in the /# (indow applies the #omain characteristics to the Cube
and displa$s #omain options. Three further tabs can be opened.
Three additional tabs
#omain !ettins *anel
In discussing this first example of fluid simulation default values will be used with
the exception that in the 'Time' settings the 'End' value will be changed to 0.03.
The default time settings are Start and End times default values. Start: 0.0 End: .0
!hanging the End value to 0.30 is done to reduce the "a#e time to something
reasonable for a demonstration.
"a#ing is similar to rendering images for an animated movie. "a#ing is the process of
simulating a fluid flow and can ta#e a considerable time depending on the complexit$
of the simulation set up .
%hen ba#ing "lender loo#s at the Start and End times set in the &luid tab' calculates
the time period' then computes how the volume of fluid would react to the
environment during that time. In our example the time period is 0.30 seconds
(Start:0.00 End:0.30).
The Start and End time values have nothing to do with how man$ frames will be
produced in the animation of the fluid flow but instead are concerned with the
ph$sical force and the fluid viscosit$. In other words how the fluid will react to its
environment in the given time period.
In the *roperties %indow+,ender button+-imensions tab the default animation length
is set at ./0 frames (&rame ,ange Start:0 End:./0) and will displa$ at . frames per
second. The animation &rame ,ange is also displa$ed in the Timeline %indow. These
values produces an animation of appx.00 seconds. The behavior of the volume of
water in this example over 0.30 seconds will be spread over the animation time of 00
seconds. Imagine dumping a cup of water and observing its action over 0.30 seconds
then stretching that behavior over 00 seconds. 1 slow motion effect will result.
1 0.30 second ba#e ta#es a considerable time a .00 second ba#e will ta#e forever.
1 0.30 second ba#e will suffice to demonstrate simulating a fluid flow even though it
does not produce a real time animation.
%hat is real time animation2 ,eal time animation with respect to fluid flow is an
animation which shows precisel$ how the fluid reacts in real time as apposed to our
slow motion effect. If $ou want real time' set the Time Start and End values in the
&luid tab to match the length of the animation. &or example with the default
animation of ./0 frames at . frames per second e3ualing approx 00 seconds $ou
would set the &luid tab Time values to give a 00 second period. "e warned: 4a#e the
"a#e process coincide with $our summer vacation. 5ou will have a long wait while
$ou "a#e $our ca#e. 5ou ma$ as well go on holida$s.
6ar$ing the Start and End time of the fluid action therefore affects how the behavior
of the fluid is seen in the final animation. &or now leave all the values in the standard
-omain tab set per the defaults except for the End Time setting.
7ne last point in the -omain settings for now. 8ote the director$ name at the bottom
of the &luid tab. This gives the location where the "a#e files will be saved. The
default location is 9tmp9: but $ou ma$ change this to whatever $ou wish. %e have
alread$ noted that "a#ing ta#es a long time and with that comes a terrible lot of files.
If a simulation is reba#ed the files are overwritten but after messing about with some
trial and error in the learning process $ou will still accumulate a whole swag of files.
The best wa$ to clean them out is to delete the 'tmp folder and replace it with a new
one. In %indows '%indows Explorer' is a good place to do this.
Fluid Object Setup -,eference: process Step .+ blender %i#i *-& *00;0.
In this example the fluid is represented b$ a Sphere which has been placed in the
-omain immediatel$ above the !up.
The si<e of the Sphere relative to the -omain and the !up determines the volume of
the fluid in the simulation. "ig Sphere big volume. Small Sphere small volume. &or
the demonstration ma#e sure the Sphere is smaller than the !up otherwise $ou will
have some mopping up to do.
Select the Sphere in the 3- %indow. =o to the *roperties %indow > *h$sics button >
&luid tab. !lic# '1dd' and in the selection dropdown select T$pe '&luid'.
5ou can leave the settings as the$ are but it is worth noting that the Initial 6elocit$
values will give $our fluid a #ic# start in whatever direction $ou set.
In this example the BAKE should take about 30 seconds.
Note what happens in the 3D Window. The Domain seems to disappea
chan!in! into a blob which attaches itsel" to the #phee $luid %b&ect.
The blob then descends' de"omin! as it !oes and splashes into the (up.
The po!ess o" the BAKE can be obse)ed
in the heade ba o" the In"omation
Window. I" the BAKE is not pe"omin! as
expected it can be teminated b* pessin! the
Esc Ke* o the cancel button +(oss, in the
heade and settin!s can be ad&usted to
coect the action. To ebake the simulation
select the Domain +Which is now the blob
attached to the sphee, and pess BAKE
a!ain in the Domain popeties tab.
When the BAKE is completed chan!e to
solid mode and pess Alt - A to )iew the
animation o" the simulation.
When a simulation is BAKED it is simila to endein! "iles "o an animation
se.uence. $iles ae ceated and sa)ed to a "olde on the computes had di)e.
Blende Wiki /D$ 0anual /1023 bie"l* descibes this opeation. The path to
the "olde whee the BAKED "iles ae sa)ed can be seen in the Domain $luid
tab. +4es I know I5m epeatin! m*sel",
Baked "iles located hee
(lick to open "ile bowse window to
chan!e Bake destination "olde
(han!e Time6 End6 to 0.300
The folder for the storage of BAKE files can be changed to any folder you wish by
clicking on the file browser icon and navigating to a folder in the file browser
window.
See the navigation section CH0!"avigate and Save.
#f the BAKE is e$ecuted without altering the %ath the BAKE will be saved in the
default t&' folder.
(hen a si&ulation is BAKE) without altering the destination folder any e$isting
BAKE is overwritten. To delete a BAKE* select the storage folder and delete the files
or shred the folder.
Basic Set Up for Fluid Simulation ( Scenario Two )
Blender 3D Window Scene
The setup in the view below is a basic scene configuration to demonstrate a fluid
simulation in accordance with scenario two. The camera and light are not shown
in the screenshot but they must exist in the scene.
In this scenario the fluid will flow in a stream from the Inflow b!ect Sphere
down the bstacle b!ect Trough into the bstacle b!ect "up. #ll b!ects
participating in the simulation must be within the confines of the Domain.
Inflow Sphere
bstacle Trough
Domain "ube
bstacle "up
Domain Object Setup
The Domain cube has been scaled to confine the
participating Objects in a restricted volume of
space. The procedure for assigning the Cube as
Domain and setting values is identical to that of
scenario one with the exception that the End Time
value has been changed to 8.00 in the tandard
settings and the !"eal #orld i$e! has been set as
0.%80 in the Domain #orld tab.

&n setting up a fluid simulation the length of the
final animation in real time and the ph'sical si$e of
the scene in real terms must be considered. The
(lender scene viewed on the computer screen is
seen in (lender units and an animation is measured
in the number of frames viewed at a set frame rate.
&n this simulation the animation will be )00 frames
long viewed at )* frames per second as seen in the
+roperties #indow,"ender button,Dimensions
tab.
)00 frames at )* frames per second produces an
animation of approx. 8 seconds duration.
etting tart at 0.00 and End at 8.00 in the -luid tab
computes the action of the fluid over an 8 second
time period i.e. over the length of the animation.
This produces a real time animation. &f for example
the End value was set at *.00 seconds then how the
fluid behaved in *.00 seconds would be spread over
the 8.00 seconds of animation.
In regard to the size of the scene consider that the diameter of the cup is
something like 8 or 9 centimeters and the horizontal length of the trough
extending past the edge of the cup is also 8 or 9 centimeters. Taking the
maximum we then require a Domain length of 18 centimeters. Thus the
Real!orld"ize is set at #.18# $ #.18# % & 18 cm ' which is the longest side of
the Domain.
Fluid Objects Setup
In this scenario there is no (luid )*+ect instead we use an Inflow )*+ect which
pro,ides a continuous flow of fluid.
Inflow Object Setup
%ake particular note of the scale of the Inflow o*+ect relati,e to the )*stacle
)*+ects. The scale of the Inflow )*+ect determines the ph-sical ,olume of the
fluid in the scene. If the Inflow )*+ect is too large the ,olume of fluid will spill
o,er the sides of the trough and cup.
!ith the Inflow )*+ect selected in the .D !indow go to
The /roperties !indow0/h-sics *utton0(luid ta* .
"ince the Domain )*+ect has *een pre,iousl- set the (luid
options in the (ield ta* should alread- *e a,aila*le. "elect
Inflow to displa- the Inflow options.
To gi,e the fluid a small amount of momentum set the 1 initial ,elocit- at #.2#
In doing this the fluid is mo,ing *efore the acceleration due to gra,it- take hold.
3ea,ing the 1 ,elocit- at zero produces a rather sluggish (luid flow.
"et 14 #.2#
Obstacle Object Trough Setup
Make particular note of the construction of the
Trough. It has been modeled by extruding and
scaling a cube into a rectangular U-shape and then
rotating to provide an incline and positioned below
the Inflow object and above the up. !fter
modeling a "ubserf Modifier has been applied.
#ithout the modifier the $luid tends to break
through the Trough surface.
#ith the Trough constructed select it in the %&
#indow then go to the $luid tab and select
'bstacle. "et the (olume init value to "hell and the
)oundary type to $ree. (olume init "hell initiali*es
a thin layer for all faces of the mesh preventing
fluid breakthrough. $oundry type $ree allows fluid
movement along the obstacle. $or other options see
)lender #iki +&$ +,-./.
Obstacle Object Cup Setup
The model of the up is identical to that used in the
first scenario.
"et the value options the same as for the Trough
'bstacle 'bject.
!ll objects included in the simulation have been assigned and the process can be
)!01&. $ollow the procedure as outlined in the first scenario.
$rame ,--
$rame 2--
Outflow Object
An Outflow object is used to limit the build up of fluid to a certain level within
the confines of the Domain.
Outflow Object settings tab.
The outflow would be used if it was
intended that the fluid overflowed from the
Cup and you only wanted the fluid level in
the Domain to reach a certain level.
Outflow object
Limit of fluid level
Fluid Simulation Particles
So far Domain, Obstacle, Inflow and Outflow Objects have been considered. Now
consider the application of Particle Objects.
Note : Blender i!i states that onl" #racer Particle Objects are supported at this time.
Start with the fluid s"stem as set up for the second scenario.
$dd a Sphere to the scene and position it within the confines of the Domain as
shown.
ith the Sphere selected in the %D indow &o to: Properties indow'Ph"sics
Button'select (luid ' select #"pe Particle ' #ic! )#racer)
New Sphere
In the %D indow select the Domain which is now the blob attached to the side of
the Inflow Sphere Object.
*o to the (luid tab. Set tracer Particles to %+++ and *enerate Particles to ,.+++.
Settin& these values instructs the s"stem to &enerate %+++ particles over the len&th of
the animation and turns the &eneration on to normal -+.off, ,.normal, /,.more0.
In the Domain Particle tab option window click on 'Bake Fluid Simulation
The system will now REB!E the simulation takin" as lon" as it did the #irst
time$ %otice that as well as the #luid bein" "enerated there are black dots
distributed randomly amon"st the #luid$ These dots are the particles and when
rendered will show as halos$
&hen the scene is rendered the particles display as halos$ In the #ollowin" 'iew
material color has been added and also a spotli"ht$
%ote( The Domain has been
le#t on le'el ) there#ore only
the particle halos render$
Particles show as black dots
Particles can be better
seen with the Domain
mo'ed to le'el )
*o'e Domain to le'el )$ Select Domain in +D
&indow, *,!ey ,click le'el ) then -!
Fluid Simulation Control
Besides Domain, Fluid, Obstacle, Inflow and Particle Objects there is also the
Control Object. Control Objects are placed in the scene within the Domain to
influence the flow of Fluid.
Scene at Frame 11 without Control
Scene at Frame 11 with Control
Control Cone
!he Scene contains"
Domain Cube scaled # and $ times %
Inflow Cube
Outflow &#truded Circle
Control Cone
Settin's shown at ()S
Fluid attracted to
Cone
Nodes
The Blender node system allows the creation of materials and textures for application
to objects and the output of data effecting the rendered image or movie.
In Blender every button, value slider, pop-up menue, tick box etc. provides the user a
means of entering data which effects the programs output display. odes do exactly
the same thing. They are graphical displays where data can be entered. The displays
can be arranged and linked togeather in combinations providing an array of options.
odes are accesed using the
ode !ditor "indow
#tart a new Blender scene and
leave the default $ube object
selected. $hange the %&
"indow to the ode !ditor
"indow. The window will
display as a blank window.
Blender odes are arranged in three catagories. 'aterial odes, Texture odes and
$omposite odes. !ach category can be selected in the windows header.
'aterial odes allow the creation of materials, Texture odes allow the creation of
Textures while $omposite odes provide a means of assembling and enhancing
images or movies.
Before attempting to use odes for any specific task it is esential to know how to
add, arrange and link nodes. The first step is to open the ode !ditor "indow.
By default the 'aterial ode category is selected, so to demonstrate the process of
using odes we will start with this category. 'ake sure an object is selected in the
%& "indow and that a 'aterial has been assigned. If you use the default Blender
scene the default $ube object is selected and in the (roperties "indow ) 'aterial
buttons the (review panel shows a grey sphere. The sphere is showing the default
color of the default materaial named *'aterial* which is applied to the $ube.
ode !ditor
'aterial odes Texture odes $omposite odes
ode !ditor "indow
odes
The Node Editor can not be activated unless a material has been applied to the
selected object in the 3D Window.
In the ode !ditor "indow header tick the *+se odes* box. Two odes will display
in the window. The nodes are *'aterial* and *,utput*.
&efault 'aterial $olor
'aterial named *'aterial*
selected
'aterial in #lot applied to
$ube object
(roperties "indow
ote that the sphere in the 'aterials button -(review panel is now a black circle
which what is showing on the ,utput ode. -our ,utput ode is probably showing
*,utp* in its header.
Resize a Node
$lick and hold on the little cross hatched triangle in the lower ./ corner of the node
and drag your mouse to resi0e the node panel. -ou shold now see *,utput* in the
header.
Expand and Collapse Nodes
Besides changing the si0e of a node they can also be expanded and collapsed to save
space on the screen. 1ook at the *'aterial* node header. There is a pluss sign in a
circle, an icon like the (roperties "indow icon and a sphere like the 'aterials button
icon. $licking on either of these icons will toggle expand and collapse of the node in
different ways. $lick and experiment to determin the difference. ode systems can
become very complex so it is very handy to be able to minimi0e the si0e of the nodes.
To toggle expand2collapse node entirely click on the white triangle at the 1/# of the
header.
&efault 'aterial ode
ew $licked
(lus #ign $licked
Bars $licked
#phere $licked
"hite Triangle $licked
ovin! and "rran!in! Nodes
$lick and hold anywhere in the node panel and drag the mouse will move the node .
#oom Window
#crolling the mouse wheeel or pressing the um (ad (lus2'inus 3eys will 0oom in
and out in the ode editor "indow. $lick and hold ''B will pan the window.
Connectin! and $nconnectin! Nodes
-ou will see that the *'aterial* node is
connected to the *,utput* node by a
curved line between the two yellow
*$olor* sockets. $lick and hold on the
*,utput* node yellow socket and drag
your mouse away from the socket.
.elease the hold and you will have
disconnected the nodes. The connecting
line dissapears. $lick and hold on the
*'aterial* node yellow socket and drag
the mouse to the *,utput* node yellow
socket realease hold to connect the
nodes.
In general sockets should be connected
yellow to yellow, grey to grey and blue
to blue.
Node %roups
#everal nodes amy be grouped together. 4gain this is a way of saving space on the
screen since the group is able to be expanded and collapsed.
To group nodes press B 3ey and drag a rectangle around the nodes you wish to group
then press $trl 5 6 . #electing the group and pressing 4lt 5 6 ungroups the selection.
(ressing *Tab* toggles !xpand2$ollapse of the group.
6rouping nodes provides a means of saving a particular node combination and thus
the means of creating an effect and then appending this for use in other Blender files.
In this way you can build a library of node combinations for reuse.
,nce a node group is created you can select it and then add, remove, link and unlink
and move nodes around within the group. In other words you can edit the group.
"hen you have finished editing a group press *Tab* to collapse it the *4 3ey* to
deselect it. -ou can now add more nodes to the screen.
Namin! Node %roups
Its all very well having a library of node groups but if they are all named
*ode6roup*, *ode6roup.778*, *ode6roup.779* etc. which is the names Blender
applies then it would be difficult to destinguish their use in the future. -ou may wish
to change the names to something more meaningfull.
-ou change the node group name in the ,utliner "indow. Blenders default scene
opens with an ,utliner "indow in the upper ./ side of the screen but this is an
abriddged version of the full window. &ivide one of your larger windows in two and
change one part to the ,utliner "indow. It should display in &atablock mode
showing entries for everything in your scene.
#crole down and find *ode 6roups*. If you have just created a node group you will
find it as a sub entry. !xpand the sub entry and you can change the name of the group
in the *ame* panel. 4 namechange here will be reflected in the ode editor "indow.
%ettin! &tarted
"ay back before all the diversion about adding, naming, moving and linking nodes
we made the statement that by default Blender opens the ode !ditor "indow with
the 'aterial ode mode selected. "e will therfore continue with a discussion on
'aterial odes.
aterial Nodes
'aterial odes allow the creation of 'aterials and just like adding any material once
it is created in Blender it is saved for future use in the Blender file. -ou use an object
which is selected in the %& "indow in conjunction with the ode !ditor when
dealing with 'aterial odes.
"e will work through a simple exercise and create a material using nodes.
#tart with the default Blender scene with the default $ube object selected. The cube
will have the default material applied as seen in the (roperties "indow ) material
buttons. The material displays the default grey color.
4t this point it is worth having a look at what we have in terms of material.
1ook at the (roperties "indow ) 'aterial
buttons. The (review tab shows a sphere
with the grey color, a material named
*'aterial* is selected and assigned to the
'aterial #lot. The 'aterial #lot is linked
to the selected $ube object in the %&
"indow which renders as the grey color.
$licking on the *Browse I& data: button
shows the material cache with only the
material named *'aterial* stored.
What is a aterial'
4 material in Blender is a bunch of data which tells the program to display the
surface of an object in a certain way, i.e. grey in color ; &iffuse color <, reflecting a
certain color under a light source ; #pecular color <, having bumps, spots etc. etc.
The data is grouped together in a block, a &ata Block.
Databloc(s
If you change the %& "indow to the ,utliner "indow in &atablocks mode you will
see the 'aterials &atablock as one of the entries. $lick on the pluss sign next to
*'aterials* to see the &atablock for the material named *'aterial*. $lick on the pluss
sign next to *'aterial* to expand the datablock and see all the materail data .
ote that Blenders default screen arrangement has an ,utliner "indow in the upper
./ side of the screen. This window is an abridged version of the full ,utliner
"indow.
Its worth mentioning here that you can change the name of the material in the name
slot in the datablock. =ust click in the slot, delete and retype a new name. The name
change will be reflected in the (roperties "indow 'aterials buttons. This is very
usefull when creating multiple materials. Blender starts with a default name which is
*'aterial* then adds *'aterial.778*, *'aterial.779*, *'aterial.77%* etc.etc. which are not
very meaningfull or descriptive.
,3> we know what a material is and where the data for the material can be found.
$hange the ,utliner "indow to the %& "indow to get us back to s?uare one. 'ake
sure the $ube is selected and make note that Blender has assigned the material named
*'aterial* to the $ube. 'aterial nodes will not work unless a material has been
assigned to the selected object.
$hange the %& "indow to the ode !ditor "indow. -ou will get a blank window.
4t the start of this section we said that odes were accesed through the ode !ditor
"indow. By default 'aterial odes mode is selected but to activate the odes you
must tick the *+se odes* box in the window header.
Ticking *+se odes* introduces two 'aterial odes to the window, *'aterial* and
*,utput*. The nodes are connected together via the $olor sockets, yellow to yellow.
The 'aterial node shows a blank checkerboard preview panel, the ,utput node
shows a black circle and in the (roperties "indow ) 'aterial buttons (review tab
you see the same black circle.
If you click on the *Browse I& data* button you will see that the default material
named *'aterial* is still the only thing in the cache and note that *'aterial is still
shown selected and in the 'aterial #lot. If you render an image ;@89< however all
you get is a black profile of the $ube.
4ctivating *+se odes* has taken over the render process and at this stage we have
not created any new material.
In the 'aterial ode click on *ew*. The 'aterial ode expands and the $olor and
#pec color selection bars show white. If you click on the *$olor* bar you will see
.6B values 7.A77 ; grey < and the *#pec* bar shows .6B 8.777 ; white <. This is why
you see grey spheres in all the preview windows. .ender an image ;@89< and you see
a grey cube. The $ube is selected in the %& "indow.
ote that in the 'aterials buttons *'aterial* is still showing as selected and in the
material #lot. $lick on the *Browse I& data* button and you will see two materials,
*'aterial* and *'aterial.778*. $licking on *ew* in the material ode has created a
new material but as allways Blender creates a new material identical to the last
material selected which in this case was our old friend *'aterial*. #ince *'aterial* and
*material.778* are identical you can only render a grey $ube.
$lick on the the color selection bar in the 'aterial node and pick a new color. 4ll the
previews display the new color. In the %& "indow the $ube is still grey.
ote that in the 'aterial ode the name of the material is showing *'aterial.778*.
This shows that the node is editing *'aterial.778. +ntick *+se odes* in the header.
6o to the 'aterial buttons in the (roperties "indow and in the *Browse I& data*
button drop down select 'aterial.778. This places 'aterial.778 in the material slot
and assignes it to the $ube in the %& "indow. The $ube will display the color you
chose.
TipB +ntick *+se odes* before selecting the new material in the *Browse I& data*
dropdown.
There you have it, the very basics of using 'aterial odes but of corse there is much
much more.
$licking on *4dd* in the ode editor "indow header reveals a pop up selection
menue with seven categories of node types. !ach category has indavidual ode type
options. It is not possible to demonstrate all of the possible node combinations but the
following examples should give you the idea. .emember when you have created a
node arrangement which produces a desired result, create a ode 6roup and save
the .blend file for future use. The ode 6roup can be appended to any new Blender
scene and applied to any object in the scene. It is therefore possible to create a
single .blend file containing many ode 6roups for future appending.
Example ).
!xample 8 shows 'aterial $olor mixed with Texture which has 'ap settings applied.
The new material has been applied to a sphere which has been scaled down along the
C axis to create a disk.
Example *
!xample 9 shows another variation on example 8
.endered Image
.endered Image
Example 3
This example shows two .6B inputs mixed to a $olor and then having a $olor
.amp applied
ote that the three examples shown so far simply create a material and apply it to a
selected object in the %& "indow. The default settings for the 1amp and $amera are
used with no other influence.
.endered Image
Example +
!xample D demonstrates the use of 'aterial odes in combination with other objects
in the scene.
The objective here is to create a simple graduated 'aterial.
@irst we have to set up the scene as shown.
The default $ube has been elongated into a vertical
column. 4 simple (lane object has been added to the
scene, scaled up and positioned behind the elongated
cube forming a backdrop in the camera view.
ImportantB 'ake sure the 1amp is positioned on the
camera side of the (lane.
#elect the (lane in the %& "indow and assign the
default material to it in the (roperties "indow )
'aterial buttons. 4dd a marble texture.
&eselect the (lane then select the elongated $ube.
(lane
!longated $ube
1amp
$amera
#ide Eiew on #cene
In the (roperties "indow ) 'aterial buttons ) &iffuse tab pick a diffuse color and in
the #pecular tab pick a specular color. In the transparency tab tick transparency,turn
the 4lpha value to 7.777 and set the I,. value to 8.9. still in the transparency tab
click *.aytrace*.
In the (roperties "indow ) .ender buttons #hading tab untick *#hadows*.
The &iffuse and #pecular colors can be anything you want. ,bviously Transparency
makes the $ube transparent with 4lpha at 7.777 it is fully transparent. The I,. value
is an angular index of refraction for raytraced refraction. Ealue 8.977 is something
like glass. .aytracing clicks you up a knotch when it comes to rendering an image.
,nly by experimenting with different values will you understand how to achieve the
outcome you want.
'ake sure the $ube is selected in the %d "indow and then in the ode !ditor
"indow ) 'aterial odes mode, tick *+se odes* and set up the following
arrangement.
oteB The *#epar* node in the diagram is actually *#eparate .6B*, the *!xtend* is
*!xtended material* and *,u* is *,utput*. Increase the si0e of the nodes to see the full
names.
ote also all the unconnected sockets on the !xtended material node. The rule here is
that an uconnected input socket will relay the value in it*s adjacent panel to the
output. If an input node is connected then that node overides the value. @ore example
.efl 7.A77 is the value used since there is no input connected to the socket.
Its worth remembering that in any scene the 1amp or number of 1amps, the type of
1amp and the enrgy settings and color of 1amp light can have a dramatic effect on
the rendered image.
#omething else to note in this example is that the rule of connecting like colored
sockets has been broken. The blue 6lobal socket on the 6eometry node is connected
to the yellow Image socket on the #eparate .6B node.
*#eparate .6B* means saparate the red, green, and blue values. 6eometry ) 6lobal
would suggest that it is intended to do the saparation using global coordinates but the
6lobal output coordinate value is connected to an Image inputF>F>
"hat is happeningF
*6eometry* ) *6lobal* is saying use global coordinates. *#aparate .6B* is being used
to saparate the coordinates which are vector values. .6B in this case represents G-C
coordinate values which are fed to the 4lpha value in the *!xtended 'aterial* node.
B corisponds to the C value, the vertical coordinate. "e are applying the material to a
vertical cube column. The value is fed into the 4lpha socket on the *!xtended
'aterial* node which is the value that controls transparency so the combination is
telling Blender to apply the &iffuse color and the transparency to the elongated cube
on the C axis.
"e have raytracing applied and we have given the
elongated cube the charisteristics of glass. The cube is
therefore refracting the light reflected from the bckdrop
in the scene ; The (lane <
The rendered image shows the application.
This example shows how you can mix and match nodes
, lamp settings and objects in the scene to produce
stunning efects.
Texture Nodes
Texture Nodes allow you to create textures and apply them to a selected object in the
3D Window
As far as adding nodes to the Node Editor and manipulating them and connecting the
process is the same as for Material Nodes howeer actiating the Node Editor in
Texture mode is slightly different!
"tart a new #lender scene and delete the default $ube object! Add a simple %lane
object and scale it up a bit! A %lane will proide a nice flat surface on which to place
the texture! &n the %roperties Window ' Material buttons clic( )New) to add the
default Material! As with Material Nodes* Texture Nodes can not be actiated unless
a material has been applied to the selected object!
$hange the 3D Window to Node editor! Note that the Material Node option in the
header is selected by default! $hange this to Texture Node mode! $lic( on )New)!
This is the same as clic(ing on )New) in the %roperties Window ' Texture buttons!
Now tic( )+se Nodes)!
Two nodes appear in the Editor Window* $hec(er and ,utput! &n all Texture node
arrangements there must be an ,utput node!
&f you render an image -./01 you will see the $hec(er texture applied to the %lane
object which is selected in the 3D Window!
&n the %roperties Window ' Texture buttons you will see that a texture named
)Texture) is selected and placed in the Texture "lot! $lic( on the )#rowse &D data)
button and see that there are two textures in the cache! )Tex) and )Texture)! )Texture) is
the new texture you hae just created using Nodes and )Tex) is #lenders hidden
default texture databloc(! As with eerything else in blender entering data for a new
material or texture is in fact modifying something that pre exists!
At this stage you hae )+se Nodes) actie so the Node editor is applying the new
texture to the object! &f you untic( )+se Nodes) a render will only show the %lane
object as haing the default grey Material color!
&n the %roperties Window ' Texture buttons clic( on the ).) next to )Texture) to sae
the texture databloc(! A 0 appears indicating that there are two users of the data!
$lic( on the 0 to ma(e single user! The 0 dissapears and if you loo( in the cache
- $lic( #rowse &D data 1 you will see Tex* Tex!22/ and Texture! Tex and Tex!22/ just
render a grey %lane while Texture displays the nodes in the Node Editor! 3ou still
hae to tic( )+se Nodes) to render the chec(er texture to the object!
The foregoing is an obseration and at this point no explanation can be offered for the
the procedure!
This has demonstrated the basic application of texture Nodes! There are many
combinations of node arrangements which will produce many many textures! The
following examples will show simple arrangements!
Note that complicated node arrangements consume computer power and unless you
are wor(ing on a powerfull machine rendering an image will ta(e foreer or just
neer happen!
Example 1
&n this example an image has been loaded into the &mage Node andmixed with a
Wood Texture Node! The scale node resi4es the image! The texture created is mapped
on to a "phere object selected in the 3D Window

&mage loaded into the &mage
Node
5endered &mage
Example 2
6ere the $ompose 57# node created a color! The Mix node combines the color with
an image from the &mage node to produce a texture as seen in the ,utput node! The
texture is applied to a %lane object selected in the 3D Window!
&mage loaded into the &mage
Node
5endered &mage
Compositing Nodes
Compositing nodes or composit for short allow you to create and enhance an image.
The contents of the Blender scene can be the basis for the image or an image already
saved on the hard drive can be used. A presaved image can be combined with other
images or the Blender scene to create a new image.
Unlike Marterial and Texture odes it is not necessary to have an ob!ect selected in
the "d #indow or to have a material applied to an ob!ect. $f corse by default any
ob!ect added to a scene has the default material even though this does not display in
the %roperties #indow until the &ew& button is pressed. To demonstrate the
activation of the Compositing ode 'ditor start with a new blender scene and delete
the default Cube. Add a Monkey ob!ect ( Any ob!ect will do ). *eselect the ob!ect in
the "* #indow.
Change the "* #indow to ode editor and select the Compositing mode in the
window header. Tick &Use odes&.
Two nodes display in the window. &+ender ,ayer& and &Comp&. -ncreasing the si.e of
the &Comp& node will recveal that it is actually &Composite&.
The Monkey only displays after an
image has been rendered.
+ender an image (/01) to create a picture of the Camera 2iew with the Monkey.
+emember the Monkey is not selected in the "* #indow and no material has been
applie. Through the 3+ender ,ayer& and &Composit& nodes Blender is rendering an
image of the Camera view in the scene.
ote for Blender to render an image there must be a &Composit& node in the ode
'ditor.
The following are two examples of simple Compositing ode arrangements.
Example 1

The image to the right has been loaded into the
&-mage& node& then using a &Mix& node has been
combined with the Blender scene containing a
Monkey ob!ect to produce the rendered image
below.
Example 2
The image above has been loaded into an &-mage& node then enhanced using a &Color
Balance& node to produce the render of the image below.
The combination of nodes is endless and re4uires experimentation5 studying tutorials
and recording of results to a4uire an understanding of what can be achieved using the
node systems.
CH21- Nodes
01-Nodes
02-Resize Node
03-Expand & Collapse Nodes
04-Moving & Arranging
05-Zoo !indo"
0#-Conne$%ing & &n$onne$%ing
0'-Node (ro)ps
0*-Naing gro)ps
0+-(e%%ing ,%ar%ed
10-Ma%erial Nodes
11--ex%)re Nodes
12-Coposi%ing Nodes
CH22- Game Engine
01-Game Engine
Game Engine
Blender has the functionality to create interactive video games. The program
integrates real-time motion with physics and logic blocks allowing you to turn objects
into actors and move them around. This process also incorporates character animation
and allows interactive walkthroughs to be created where doors open and close.
The Game Engine is extensive in its application and it is not possible to cover all of
its intricacies in this document. ou will have to research and experiment beyond the
scope of this very brief introduction to become proficient.
To get you started and wet your appetite for Gaming follow this very basic example.
!t least it will show you how to open the door to the Game Engine.
Begin with the default Blender scene" delete the #ube and add a $% &phere. Gaming
is a form of animation therefore as with all animation it is best to keep animated
objects with a low vertex count. To keep things simple the default $% &phere will
suffice.
'n the () *indow Tab into edit mode with the &phere
selected and grab ons single vertice on the side and make a
pointer as shown in the diagram. This will give an indicator
showing which direction you are pointing when moving
around. The &phere with the pointer will be our !ctor.
Go to the 'nformation *indow header and change the screen
arrangement from the )efault screen to the Game +ogic screen.
This arrangement has the +ogic Editor *indow" () *indow"
,roperties *indow and the -utliner *indow displayed. The
'nformation *indow header is across the top of the &creen.
The screen is configured for setting up the
Game Engine but Blender is not ready yet. 'n
the 'nformation *indow header change
Blender .ender to Blender Game.
%ertices Grabbed and /oved
To form a ,ointer
*ith the &phere selected in the () *indow go to the ,roperties *indow-,hysics
button- ,hysics tab and set the ,hysics Type 0 )ynamic. 1ote that in doing this the
2!ctor2 box is ticked indicating that the &phere is an !ctor. 'f it is not ticked" tick it.
- check if the &phere is behaving itself and is going to cooperate as an !ctor in this
little drama" set the () *indow to front %iew 31um ,ad 45 and with the curser in the
() *indow press the , 6ey. This puts the () *indow into ,lay mode 3,lay the
Game5. The &phere should be seen to descend in the window and disappear out of
sight. ,ress Esc to return the &phere to center stage in the window.
ou have proved that the &phere actor is behaving itself. Gravity has taken hold of
the &phere and caused it to fall. &ince there is nothing below the &phere to obstruct its
motion it falls to infinity. *e had better do something to correct this.
,ut the () *indow into Top view and add a ,lane to the scene. &cale the ,lane up
six times. Go back to front %iew and move the &phere up above the ,lane. /ove to
$ser ,erspective %iew 31um ,ad 7 for #amera %iew then 1um ,ad 8 for #amera
,erspective then 1um ,ad 8 again for $ser ,erspective5.
,ress the , 6ey to see the &phere descend and sit on the ,lane.
,ress Esc to go back to -bject mode.
!bove the ,lane
() %iew
&itting on the ,lane
Game ,lay %iew
't is time to tell Blender when and how we want our !ctor to move.
'n the +ogic Editor *indow you see the +ogic Blocks" 2&ensors2" 2#ontrollers2 and
2!ctuators2.
The &ensor is what will trigger an action.
#lick on the 2!dd &ensor2 dropdown to see the options.
The #ontroller is what will control the action
click on 2!dd #ontroller2 to see options.
They probably are meaningless.
The !ctuator tells the !ctor what to do.
#lick on 2!dd !ctuator2
!gain meaningless.

*e will make some settings and make something happen to give you an idea how this
all works.
'n the &ensors +ogic Block click 2!dd &ensor2 and select 2/ouse2. -ur mouse will be
the device we use to trigger the action. 'f you want to change your mind about this
click on the drop down where it says 2/ouse2 and you can select something else. +et2s
stick with /ouse.
This is assuming that you
haven2t done this before.
*here it says 2/ouse Event2 in the &ensor panel you select what part of the mouse
will be responsible for the trigger. #lick 2+eft Button2 to see options but stick with
2+eft button2.
'n the #ontroller +ogic Block click 2!dd #ontroller2 and select 2!nd2. *hy9 will have
to be explained later.
'n the !ctuator +ogic Block click 2!dd !ctuator2 and select 2/otion2. /otion because
we want our !ctor to do some moving about. +eave the /otion type as 2&imple
/otion2. 'ts not time to go complicated.
'n the /otion type there are two slots0 +oc 3+ocation5 and .ot 3.otation5 with x" y
and : values. x" y and : are the axis and the value will give the speed of the action.
Enter 2+oc2 y07.;7 which means move along the y axis at speed 7.;7. 1ote this is in
the positive y direction. To move in the opposite direction enter -7.;7.
The last step for now is to connect the +ogic Blocks. #lick on the little black dot at
the .<& of 2&ensor and drag over to the little circle on 2#ontroller. )o the same
between 2#ontroller2 and 2!ctuator2.
Time for a test run. ,ut your mouse in the () *indow and press 2, 6ey2 3,lay the
game5. Give your mouse +/B a click. =ust a click. ou will see the &phere in play
mode move. 't may not be in the direction of the pointy bit on the &phere but that can
be adjusted. 'f you hold +/B down the &phere will continue moving and fall off the
side of the ,lane and disappear into infinity. ,ress 2Esc2 to end the game.
*e will add a few more controls.
!dding controls 3 +ogic Blocks 5 soon fills up the +ogic Editor *indow so to save
space you can click on the little triangles at the upper +<& of the panels and collapse
them. #lick again to expand
#onnections
!dd more &ensor"s #ontrollers and !ctuators as shown below taking particular
attention to the values in th /otion !ctuators. )o not forget to connect them
together.
*ith the controls set as show above you can drive the !ctor around the ,lane. ,lay
with the /ouse buttons and you will soon get the hang of it. 1ote the &phere only
rotates in one direction. ou can add another set of controls to rotate in the opposite
direction. /aybe change the /ouse sensor to 6eyboard and use the ! an & keys for
rotation. ou could change all the &ensor controls to 6eyboard and use a pattern of
keys.
The foregoing is about as simple as it gets so its over to you to research and
experiment.
/otion !ctuator #ollapsed
+eft button
.ight Button
/iddle Button
7.;7
7.48
CH23- Video Sequence Editing
01-Making a Movie
02-The Video Editing Screen
Video Sequence Editor
Making a Movie
Movies are made by piecing together video clips. A video clip is the short segment of
video you produce when you render an animation. It follows that you can only make
a movie when you have video clips saved on your computer. How to render
animation to video has been covered in a previous section and we will assume that
you have some clips saved. Make a note of where you have saved your clips and
make suer you are conversant with the File Browser Window.
he first step in the movie making process is to set the video output format you want
your movie to be in and to set the file path to the folder where you want to save the
movie file.
!tart Blender and in the "efault !creen Arrangement go to the #roperties Window$
%ender button. In the &utput tab set your file path by clicking on the Browse Folder
button.
In the File Browser navigate to your folder.
'e(t set you Movie )ideo file type. he default
output setting is *#'+*. ,hange *#'+* to *A)I ,odec*.
A)I ,odec will give you a file you can
burn to ")" and play in a video player.
Having set the above options open the )ideo -diting !creen.
Browse Folder Button
File #ath
,lick to select File
&utput Format
&utput
In the Information Window
header click here to display
the !creen options
!elect. )ideo -diting
The Video Editing Screen
In the )ideo !e/uence -ditor click on *Add* in the header and select *Movie*
he File Browser window displays. 'avigate to the folder containing your video
clips. &n my computer my clips are in *,.0!ubAnim0*. 1ou can see that I have five
clips which form a movie when spliced together.
+raph -ditor Window #review Window
)ideo !e/uence -ditor Window
imeline Window
File !elected )ideo ,lips
,lick on your first clip to highlight 2,lip shown in orange3 then click on *Add Movie
!trip* in the upper %H corner of the File Browser.
he video clip is is entered into the )ideo !e/uence -ditor as a blue strip with a
white border. he white border indicates that it is selected.
If you press the - 4ey you can drag the clip % or 5 along the screen. he vertical
green line is a cursor and as shown is located at position 6768 which is the beginning
of the timeline. "rag the clip until the start of the clip is at position 6.66.
After positioning the clip at the start of the timeline move the green cursor to the
right. At position 6.66 you will see thin vertical black line. his is the marker for
position 6.66. "ragging the green cursor allows you to scrub through your video clip
which you will observe in the #review Window. With your normal cursor in the
#review Window pressing Alt 7 A plays the clip.
he graduations across the bottom of the )ideo se/uence editor are seconds 2ime
values3.
)ideo ,lip
ime )alues $ !econds
In the imeline Window at the bottom of the screen change the *-nd* value to 896.
1ou will see a another thin black line move in from the %H! of the window and
locate at position :.66 seconds. his line will represent the end of the render in the
final movie output.
%emember that in the render set up in the #roperties Window the frame rate for the
animation was 9; frames per second. 896 frames played at 9; frames per second
e/uates to : seconds.
#lace the cursor in the )ideo !e/uence -ditor Window and <oom in 2'um #ad #lus 3.
,lick on the time graduation bar and drag to the right to move the -ditor Window to
the left.
,lick on *Add* again and select your second video clip. he second clip is placed on
the same line as the first clip. he lines are called *,hannels*. At the %H! of the
window is an *-dit !trip= tab. ,hange the channel number in the *-dit !trip* from 8 to
9 and you see your second clip move up a line 2,hannel3. Another way to do this is to
% ,lick on the clip and drag it up.
Beginning of ,lip at 6.66
Beginning of Movie 6.66
,lick and "rag
1ou have to line up the end of ,lip 8 with the start of ,lip 9. % ,lick on !trip 9 and
drag it. 'umeric values showing the end and start frames of the clips display allowing
you to accurately align the ends. For e(ample end of ,lip 8 frame 9:6 and start of
,lip 9 frame 9:9.
1ou can align the clips on the same frame number or a slight gap is tolerated or you
can overlap the clips slightly.
After aligning all your clips 2I*m only using two clips for this demo.3 go to the
imeline Window at the bottom of the screen and change the *-nd* frame so that the
thin vertical black line in the )ideo !e/uence -ditor Window line up with the end of
your last clip. his sets the end frame for the movie file render.
Before you render the movie you can add a sound file. 2M#> or Wave3
!econd ,lip
Before rendering you can play a preview by putting the cursor in the #review
Window and pressing Alt7A.
Its time to render.
In the Information Window header click on *%ender* and select *%ender Animation*.
Wait for the render to complete. he render plays as it proceeds in the editor Window.
After completion find the movie file in the output folder you set and give it a test run
in a media player.
his has been a brief introduction to the )ideo !e/uence -ditor to get you started.
#review #laying
Movie File in &utput Folder
CH24- Appendix
01-Commands
Basic Blender Commands
This is just a partial list of Blender commands. Please visit the Blender.org website
for more details.
TAB key Toggles between edit mode (vertex editing) and object select mode.

Ctrl+ Z The global UN! command. "ith each press# one step will be undone
(up to $% steps possible b& default). 'f in edit mode# it will onl& undo
editing steps on the selected object.
Z key Toggles view from wireframe to solid
Alt Z key Toggles a texture(shaded view.
R key Press ) *e& and drag mouse to rotates an object or selected verticies.
S key Press + *e& and drag mouse to scales a selected object or verticies.
G key Press , *e& and drag mouse to move the object or selected verticies.
A key "hile in edit mode selects all verticies for commands li*e remove
doubles and subdivide. - *e& twice will clear selected and reselect.
Alt +A Pla&s animation in selected window. .our cursor must be in that window
for it to pla&.
Ctrl +A -fter an object has been resi/ed and(or rotated# brings up the -ppl&
menu# this can reset the object0s data to 1 and 2.
W key Brings up a 3 +pecials 4 menu while in edit mode of specific edit mode
options
Shift+D uplicates or copies selected objects or selected vertices.
Shift+RMB5ultiple select objects or verticies
Shift+A ispla&s the -dd menu. -dd objects to scene.
Shift+S ispla&s the +nap 5enu eg. +nap object to cursor.
Shift+Space Toggles multiple windows to full screen window.
key "hile in edit mode# selected verticies can be extruded .
! key The 3!4 *e& (not /ero) will put &ou into proportional vertex editing
while in edit mode.
B key ,ives &ou a box (window drag) to select multiple objects 'n edit mode.
C key 6ircle select gives &ou a circle to select multiple verticies# that can be
si/ed b& scrolling the mouse wheel. Press 7sc to cancel.
Alt + A Brings up the tools menu where &ou can add meshes# cameras# lights#
etc.
"#m $ad Number Pad controls &our views.
384 top# 314 front# 3$4 side# 324 camera# 394 perspective# 3.4 :ooms on
selected object# 3; and <3 /oom in and out. The ; = buttons also control
affected verticies si/e in proportional vertex editing.
%MB >eft mouse Button clic* to manipulate using the $ 5anipulator
"idget. 6lic* in the $ "indow to locate the $ 6ursor. 6lic* in the
Tools Panel to activate functions. 6lic* in panels to enter values etc.
RMB )ight 5ouse Button clic* to select.
MMB 5iddle 5ouse "heel Button clic* to manipulate specified options.
+croll wheel to /oom in and out.
+croll to expand=contract selection options.
Shift key ?old down the shift *e& while clic*ing )5B to ma*e multiple
selections.
Arro& keysUsed to advance frames in an animation. >eft and )ight 1 frame
increments. Up and own 12 frame increments.
$ key 'n edit mode# separate selected verticies. 'n !bject mode ,ame 7ngine
enters Pla& mode.
' key 'n !bject mode brings up 5a*e +ingle Users menu.
M key Brings up 5ove to >a&er option.
" key Toggles numeric data displa& for the selected object.
Ctrl+( @oins two selected objects.
) key and Delete key elete.
*#nction A1 < !pens Aile Browser "indow.
A% < +ave Aile.
A$ < +ave rendered image.
A1%=)ender.
+ key 'nsert animation *e&.
Ctrl+T ispla&s 5a*e trac* menu.
Ctrl+S !pens Aile Browser to save file.
Alt+C !pens convert menu. 6onvert 5esh(6urve.
Ctrl+Ta, Barious functions depending on "indow mode t&pe.
References
The following web sites are recommended as sources of information for Blender 3D.
The Blender Site
http://www.blender.org
Wiki Users anual
http://wiki.blender.org/inde!.php/Doc:anual
Blender "ation
http://www.blendernation.com
Below are a few e!amples of the man# free graphics programs a$ailable on the
internet. %ou ma# find them usefull or &ust interesting.
FastStone Image Viewer ' usefull tool for organising #our image files.
http://www.faststone.org/download.html
Make Human (reates the )uman *igure.
http://sites.google.com/site/makehumandocs/)ome
Pov Ray ' wa# of creating graphics.
http://www.po$ra#.org
Serif Draw Plus +raphics drawing programs.
http://www.freeserifsoftware.com
Lohmuller 'n interesting graphics site.
http://www.f,lohmueller.de/
Ivy Generator +row -$# on e$er#thing.
http://graphics.uni,konstan..de//luft/i$#0generator/