Awesome Video: "Deserted" - 3D Camera Mapping Still Images

The video "Deserted" follows this commentary on the techniques it employs. 

---------------------------

Hello,

I'm completely inspired recently by my rediscovery of Blender 3D.  http://www.blender.org/

In the years since I first used it...both the software and the innovation in the 3D field have been exploding...and what you can accomplish with this FREE program is astounding.



Blender 3D Splash Screen

Today I watched a video tutorial by Andrew Price of Blender Guru, showing how to take a photograph...a still image...and by using camera mapping in Blender you can make it appear as though it is video footage with a camera moving through and around it.

If you're familiar with this technique then you already know the power that it can give animators and film-makers...virtually allowing "HUGE BUDGET" looking scenes to be created with only a measure of patience and a lot of creative elbow grease.

It's exciting for me to consider the possibilities of using this for my own video projects.

Here's a link to Andrew's camera mapping tutorial if you are interested in learning more about how it is done:  http://www.blenderguru.com/videos/camera-mapping-tutorial-v2/

Andrew mentions a video he said was a great example of this camera mapping technique...and when I saw it I was truly impressed

"Deserted" was created by Bernd and Frank Montag using Cinema 4D software...but the principles and techniques are the same used in Blender.

 

I hope it will inspire you too:

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Blender: Realistic Chain Tutorial By tutor4u - Jephyr's Image

Hello again,

In The "Way-Back Machine"

Back in 2005 when I was struggling to master Maya 3D it was a very different world.  While the internet was already roaring...google was only 7 years old and YouTube had just been founded that year!!!!!!

So it was so much harder to find information and tutorials etc...but now you can find them on almost any subject imaginable.

Gnomon was putting out a number of Maya tutorial videos back then but they were very expensive...and so friends and I would share copies of them when we got our hands on one...and shared Maya teaching books etc...and we'd try to learn any way we could.

In fact I'm reminded now that a buddy and I would trek on down to a local electronics store and buy copies of Maya Press tutorial books with DVDs....and exchange them back and forth with each other.

I still have those books...but the computer I had Maya on is long gone...so as I wrote in a post before...I thought my days as a 3D guy were long over!!

Cue The Angel Choir!

But thankfully I rediscovered Blender 3D freeware (blender.org) and I'm having a blast with it.

And best of all...now the internet is bursting with all kinds of FREE tutorials for it.

tutor4u's video lessons are some of my favorites!  His teaching style is so concise, clear and easy to follow.

My Chain Image ^^^

Today's image was made after watching another one of tutor4u's video tutorials (embedded below).

In the video he covers some really cool functions like animating using Blender's rigid body tools, adding materials, textures and displacements, using various screen layouts, image and uv mapping, loop cuts, scaling, rotating, moving, duplicating, lighting, environment textures, and nodes.  Whew!

It was a really interesting tutorial!

tutor4u's website is http://www.littlewebhut.com/ where he has resources for open-source software Blender, Gimp, and Inkscape.

As well as code and instruction for html, css and java.

----------------------------

There is another young guy, Andrew Price, who calls himself Blender Guru....he's only 23 years old but also has a number of really excellent tutorial videos for Blender too.

I plan on taking this chain and animating as he demonstrates in one of his vids:  Wrecking Ball

So look for that soon! 

Oh...and have I mentioned I'm having a blast!!

----------------------------

And finally...here's the video:




Thanks as always for stoppin' by!

Excellent Blender 3D Soccer Ball Tutorial

Hello!

So I'm still playing around with Blender 3D.  I finished another tutor4u (http://www.LittleWebHut.com) tutorial on animating the alarm clock I posted recently (4-28-14)...and am working on creating and posting a video that will show that as well as some animations I've done with several other 3D images I've made following his excellent tutorials!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Today I decided to try some more 3D modeling and followed tutor4u's excellent beginner to intermediate tutorial video on how to create and render a soccer ball (video posted below).



Tutor4u always covers so many Blender functions and short-cuts etc that would take me forever to discover on my own...and his soccer ball tutorial is no exception. 

For example, he shows how to create add-on mesh archimeadean truncated icosahedrons : ), and how to add several mixed shader materials, the use of various shortcut keys, how to easily select and remove all edges within the pentagonal and hexagonal faces of the soccer ball, and how you can easily select "like" faces, extrude and expand faces, and how to add the stitching for the ball using an ingenious method of subdividing edges.

It sounds complicated but tutor4u explains it all clearly...and when I got lost or confused all I had to do was rewind the video.

(But I must add:  If you don't have much experience with Blender I suggest starting with tutor4u's coffee cup tutorial as seen in my 4-15-14 post)



Blender 3D:  Creating add-on mesh archimeadean truncated icosahedrons.

Anyway...it's a fun project!  I highly recommend trying Blender and tutor4u tutorials!

Here's the video:




Thanks as always for stopping by!

Ciao fer now

----------------------------

Bonus Fun Fact:  If you have  no debts and $10 in your pocket, you have more wealth than 25% of Americans.

(source:  http://factfully.com/5/)

Blender 3D: Alarm Clock Tutorial by tutor4u

Hi again,

Everyday recently, I've been picking away at mastering Blender 3D.

I've been given a huge edge by watching YouTube tutorials...especially those by tutor4u.

This time I followed his tutorial on making/modeling an alarm clock.  (see the embedded video below)

I'm excited about the next tutorial video he has on animating this little clock....which will be my first animation in Blender 2.70!

Here's the 3D alarm clock image I just finished:

And here's part one of the tutorial:



tutor4u's website is http://www.littlewebhut.com/ where he has resources for open-source software Blender, Gimp, and Inkscape. 

As well as code and instruction for html, css and java.

---------------------------

As always...thanks for stopping by!!

Blender Tutorial: Jephyr Makes 3D Pool Balls

An image from today's Blender efforts

Hello again,

2D With Toon Boom

I spent some time earlier today working in my trial copy of Toon Boom Animate Pro 3.

It's the same company that shows like Family Guy use to produce their 2D animations....although they use a MUCH more expensive version.

My 3D "Coffee-Break"

Anywho...after working with the Blender over the last week or so...I was finding my efforts in Toon Boom to be very slow going and decided to take a break and try another tutor4u YouTube - Blender tutorial.

His website is:  http://www.LittleWebHut.com

Man...that guy really knows how to teach!!

This time the lesson was on how to create pool balls. 

It was very interesting because he covered creating text, and Boolean intersections to set those numbers into the pool balls.

Here's a link to the video:

http://youtu.be/csro_0eV0BQ

After a very short time I had finished the lesson and rendered some images from it.

3D Verses A Camera

As I looked at them I thought about how long it would take to set a shot up like this , and then take a high quality photograph of it.

First of all you'd have to have a great camera and lens, then you'd want access to a brand new table and balls, you'd have to know a lot about lighting, then you'd have to set up your camera looking for the best angles, and THEN try to capture a great shot.

With 3D...you create perfect images of the table and balls, you can easily set up different lights, move them and your scene around to get the best lighting and angles, and you can set your image resolution very high to get a crystal clear picture....all while sitting in front of your computer with a tasty beverage on ice right beside you.

:)

It is really is amazing technology!!

-------------------------------

Here's another look at today's efforts:

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Blender 3D: Jephyr Makes Wine Glasses

Image:  Public Domain

Hello!

So I've been slowed a bit by some 'puter issues....spending the last coupla days on help forums and on the phone.

Some day this era of computers will be in the same category with intrepid early automobile owners...who always needed to take tool boxes and parts with them...knowing they might have to make roadside repairs at any time along the way.

: )

--------------------------




My work with Blender 3D continues, this time by following a'nudder tutorial by tutor4u on how to make and render wine glasses.

http://youtu.be/HfCDAIIR2Gc

This tutorial was a bit more involved and since he used an older version of Blender I needed to keep my eye on his video descriptions and annotations...but on my third try I finally had success with it.

If you are at all interested in learning 3D, I highly recommend getting Blender.  It's free to download and use (even for commercial purposes) and YouTube has a large number of beginner tutorial videos for it...that will fast-track you to mastering it!

Anywho...here are the wine glasses I made recently:

Thanks for stopping by!

Ciao fer now

Jephyr's Blender Frenzy: "Fuzzy Stuffed Bear" Tutorial

Hello,

Lost In A 3D Trance??

Back in 2005, when I was taking Maya 3D classes at MCC I remember spending days and weeks hunched over my computer...modeling and animating for hours on end.

One cool December day I remember "coming back to my senses" after I'd been working non-stop since the early afternoon.  

When I finally decided to take a break I discovered that the sun had gone down hours earlier...and by the time I finally looked up...the house was freezing cold and pitch dark except for the light from my computer screen.

Only then did I realize that I'd been sitting barefoot on a hard floor...and my feet felt like they were blocks of ice!!

: P

I'd been completely lost in what I was doing for hours!

--------------------

I'm feeling that same rush now as I'm learning Blender 3D. 

(Please see my posts and Blender images from 4-15-14 and 4-21-14)

--------------------

Tackling Another Blender Tutorial

Tonight I decided to tackle another tutorial video from tutor4u's YouTube channel...on how to model and render a cute little, "fuzzy stuffed bear".

This tutorial was a much bigger challenge than the other two because its 3D modeling was MUCH more involved...and it covered the use of particle emissions to simulate hair.

I was tired and almost gave up about a third of the way in...but I saw comments by others who'd finished the tutorial...and  so I decided to persevere!

I'm really glad I did!

Anywho...here's a link to the tutorial video and a look at the image I created while watching it tonight:

http://youtu.be/LCghBIUZyuM



Click this image to see a larger version of it.

Thanks as always for stopping by!!

Blender Boy: Jephyr Makes A "Wood" Cup

Hello,

Getting Back Into 3D With Blender

I'm having a blast working in Blender 3D. 

Alternative View Below
Click Images To See Them Larger

As I wrote in my last post about Blender (4-15-14), it is an awesome 3D program that is free to download and use. 

And best of all...there is no restriction on how you use whatever you create in it...and that includes commercial use!!  (which means A LOT to us starving artists :P )


And I'm discovering that Blender rivals the versions of Maya I've used in the past!

http://www.blender.org/

(Please see the note at the bottom of this post about 3D Printing * )

-------------------

Blender Tutorials

YouTube has a LARGE community of Blender users who've uploaded excellent tutorials about various ways to use the software...from modeling to animation and even game design.

tutor4u has a number of really awesome tutorials and in my last "Blender" post I shared a cup that I'd made from following a video of his.

He goes pretty fast...but since you're able to stop and rewind and go back and forth it works really well.

He is also very precise and clear with his instructions and I really recommend him if you're interested in learning Blender.

 -------------------

Jephyr Makes A "Wood Cup" - Tutorial Info And Image

I just finished working through another one of tutor4u's videos...this time on how to make a wood cup. 

He also covers how to light the scene...select, lock and move a camera...add a wood image/texture to the cup...UV wrap and map it...give that texture a displacement using the node editor to give depth to the wood grain....and finally render the image you just created.

It's a really excellent video!

Here's the link if you want to watch the video on YouTube:  http://youtu.be/9PJL0eAuZ_E

 -------------------

And here's a rendered image of the "wood" cup I just made in Blender while watching that video:

* 3D Printing: 

Recently I saw a program on TV about 3D printing.  

According to that show 3D printing has been around for 15 years but the people who are developing it now are planning to make it as widely used as cell phones or computers. 

In other words EVERY home will have a 3D printer which will be able to "print" objects that are made in software programs like Blender.

So in the future when Christmas rolls around...instead of going to a toy store to buy the kids something...you might go on-line and find a 3D template...and then print their toy out at home.

Or instead of going to a home improvement store or an auto parts store...you could go on line and get a 3D copy of the part you need and then print it at home.

It sounds too amazing to be real...but on the other hand...think about how the computer and cell phones etc have changed our world in just 15 to 20 years!

------------------------

As always...thanks for stoppin' by!  : )

Blender Boy! Jephyr Gets Back Into 3D!

 

Hello again!

The Halcyon Days of Jephyr the 3D Dood

In 2005, MCC the college I attend had greatly expanded their 3D Animation and Design classes and were offering several degree tracks in that area.

 

I took a number of those courses, including Maya Animation, 3 Dimensional Computer Design, 3D Modeling, Compositing, and Digital Film-Making, a class on video editing, screen-writing and storyboarding, etc.

In my last semester of those classes I created a 7 minute long video that combined what I'd learned in those classes:  my original 3D modeling and animation, with photos and live action, green screen composites of my instructors and fellow students:

 http://www.artistjeffcurtis.wgd-entertainment.com/Visitation.htm

You'll find other Maya images animations of mine on my video and Art 170/Maya3D pages on my website...And animations/videos on my YouTube channel:  JephyrX.

Here's a composite of some of the projects I worked on in 2005.  You can click this image to see a larger view of it:


Various 2005 Maya Projects:  Copyright 2014, Jephyr

----------------------

It's All Over For Jephyr The 3D Guy!  (Or Is it??)

Sadly MCC's Maya / Digital Film-Making program was discontinued...but I'd purchased a student license and had Maya on my laptop and have always been intending to get back to it. 

BUT unfortunately had gotten so busy with other Fine Art classes and other things that with each passing year I'd open Maya less and less often, until I was literally never using it.

Then last fall the reliable computer I had the software on crashed and was unsalvageable.

Since then I spent a little time looking into installing Maya on my newer desktop.  I downloaded a free student copy that was supposed to be good for 3 years...but could not get it to install correctly...and so I just got back into other things.

I'd really begun to think that my days as a 3D guy were probably behind me.

The following video was made for my Maya Animation and Modeling classes.  I took a 3D character I'd designed and created, then rigged it (put animation controls on it), and did some animation with it...a little movement and a walk cycle....then set it in a background and put some original music I'd written and recorded under it: 



----------------------

The Birth Of Blender Boy...And Other Tales!

Recently I stumbled across some beautiful images and animations made in Blender 3D...which fired up my interest in looking into it.

Blender was originally developed to be sold like any software...but then was given over to the "internet community" as an open source model (FREE to use for ANY purpose), and interested developers have been constantly updating the code to keep it up with changing technology.  http://www.blender.org/

Sometime around 2005 when I'd been taking all those 3D classes I'd tried Blender but it seemed like it was cumbersome and difficult to use...especially after I'd been using sleek software like Maya and Shake, and had become so familiar with their use.

But I was in for a surprise when I tried Blender again in the last few days!!



The download and install on my computer were a BREEZE and it opens VERY quickly. 

The interface, while quite different from Maya, has definitely been improved.  So far I've found all of the "bells and whistles" I'd come to rely on in Maya.  And its functionality has been radically improved.

Following a tutorial for "beginners" on YouTube *, I had an image output in a very short time...the image of the cup posted above  ^^^.

I KNOW I still have a LONG way to go...but I'm looking forward to getting back into 3D...and eventually creating full scenes and animations again!!

----------------------

Thanks as always for stopping by!!

----------------------

* Blender Tutorial For Beginners: Coffee Cup - 2 Videos
Made by tutor4u - www. LittleWebHut.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y__uzGKmxt8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChPle-aiJuA

These videos demonstrate how to make an image of a cup with a handle using the cycles render engine.

Blender version 2.64 was used for this tutorial.

------------------------

And lastly as a reward if you've read to the bottom of this post:  :)

The eminent linguistic philosopher J. L. Austin of Oxford once gave a lecture in which he asserted that there are many languages in which a double negative makes a positive, but none in which a double positive makes a negative — to which the Columbia philosopher Sidney Morgenbesser, sitting in the audience, sarcastically replied, “Yeah right.”

Found on StumbleUpon from the following site:

http://colonp.in/post/1137072722/yeah-right