30 Min.
Blender Canvas 008 — Are You Using References? blendercanvas.com » Podcast
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- Technologie
When I first started with Blender, I had trouble with a number of areas. Like most people, I started out not using references very often. We think we "know" what something looks like, but when we try to recreate it, it comes off flat and we can't figure out why.
Then, almost 2 years ago, I took the Mastering Modeling in Blender course. That was where I first started understanding the power of using references. It was some time before it really sunk in, though.
Why References are important
As I mentioned, we often think we know what something looks like. But when we study it for doing 3D work, we begin to notice many things we may not have even noticed before. For example, you might have a table sitting in your living room that you have looked at for years. But if you start looking at it as a reference and making measurements, you might notice that the legs are not square, but really taper on the inside but remains straight. You might look at a glass and see that it is transparent, letting light through it, but you might never notice the minute little warble in it that affects the way light passes through it. You might work with a marble table top every day, but until you start using it for a reference, you might never notice the streaks that run through it or the little variations in the glossiness from where it has been wiped down.
References are important because we are trying to recreate real objects. Even if we are "making something up", it is based, in some way, on something we have seen before. References help us to catch the nuances that we might otherwise miss if we rely solely on our remembering.
Today, we're going to look at the 4 main types of references and the 4 stages where references can really improve your results.
Types of References
References fall into 4 main categories. Photos and Videos, modeling sheets, mirrors, and in person references each have their advantages and disadvantages. When using references, using as many of these as you can will help you make a more realistic image.
Photos/Videos
This would seem obvious. After all, we are trying to "mimic" what we see in real life. What better way to do so than to observe what we see in pictures and videos. However, judging from the many pictures I see on a daily basis and my own experiences with my own projects, I can tell you that many of us, particularly those of us who are newer to the 3D world or are finding our works lacking. While in some cases, it's a matter of learning what works well artistically, more often than not, the biggest failures are in not getting the details of an object right. By studying photographs and videos, we can begin to match these details more closely.
Modeling Sheet
I never really discovered or heard about modeling sheets until I took the Mastering Modeling in Blender course at CG Cookie. But in that course, I learned just how valuable they can be. A modeling sheet is a "sketch" of the character, creature, or object that you want to model. These usually have 3 to 5 pictures on them. There are almost always one shot from the front and one from the side. A top and/or a bottom view may also be provided. Each of these is typically done in a more "orthographic" view. The last type of shot that might be included is a "beauty" shot, which is what the character, creature, or object might look like from an "off angle" perspective mode shot. The biggest difference between a modeling sheet and a photo is that this is a "drawn" version instead of a picture of something taken with a camera.
When a humanoid character is modeled, they are usually modeled in one of 2 poses for all but the beauty shot. The A pose is with the arms down, but slightly away from the side, like the angle in the letter A. This is considered a more relax pose to model from. The other common pose is the T pose, where the arms of the character stick straight out to the side like the letter T. Both po
When I first started with Blender, I had trouble with a number of areas. Like most people, I started out not using references very often. We think we "know" what something looks like, but when we try to recreate it, it comes off flat and we can't figure out why.
Then, almost 2 years ago, I took the Mastering Modeling in Blender course. That was where I first started understanding the power of using references. It was some time before it really sunk in, though.
Why References are important
As I mentioned, we often think we know what something looks like. But when we study it for doing 3D work, we begin to notice many things we may not have even noticed before. For example, you might have a table sitting in your living room that you have looked at for years. But if you start looking at it as a reference and making measurements, you might notice that the legs are not square, but really taper on the inside but remains straight. You might look at a glass and see that it is transparent, letting light through it, but you might never notice the minute little warble in it that affects the way light passes through it. You might work with a marble table top every day, but until you start using it for a reference, you might never notice the streaks that run through it or the little variations in the glossiness from where it has been wiped down.
References are important because we are trying to recreate real objects. Even if we are "making something up", it is based, in some way, on something we have seen before. References help us to catch the nuances that we might otherwise miss if we rely solely on our remembering.
Today, we're going to look at the 4 main types of references and the 4 stages where references can really improve your results.
Types of References
References fall into 4 main categories. Photos and Videos, modeling sheets, mirrors, and in person references each have their advantages and disadvantages. When using references, using as many of these as you can will help you make a more realistic image.
Photos/Videos
This would seem obvious. After all, we are trying to "mimic" what we see in real life. What better way to do so than to observe what we see in pictures and videos. However, judging from the many pictures I see on a daily basis and my own experiences with my own projects, I can tell you that many of us, particularly those of us who are newer to the 3D world or are finding our works lacking. While in some cases, it's a matter of learning what works well artistically, more often than not, the biggest failures are in not getting the details of an object right. By studying photographs and videos, we can begin to match these details more closely.
Modeling Sheet
I never really discovered or heard about modeling sheets until I took the Mastering Modeling in Blender course at CG Cookie. But in that course, I learned just how valuable they can be. A modeling sheet is a "sketch" of the character, creature, or object that you want to model. These usually have 3 to 5 pictures on them. There are almost always one shot from the front and one from the side. A top and/or a bottom view may also be provided. Each of these is typically done in a more "orthographic" view. The last type of shot that might be included is a "beauty" shot, which is what the character, creature, or object might look like from an "off angle" perspective mode shot. The biggest difference between a modeling sheet and a photo is that this is a "drawn" version instead of a picture of something taken with a camera.
When a humanoid character is modeled, they are usually modeled in one of 2 poses for all but the beauty shot. The A pose is with the arms down, but slightly away from the side, like the angle in the letter A. This is considered a more relax pose to model from. The other common pose is the T pose, where the arms of the character stick straight out to the side like the letter T. Both po
30 Min.