So in order to learn Blender properly I’ve been doing some bonehead tutorials so I can wrap my head around 2.63 in its default settings as it was intended. At first I had the user interface set to the Maya emulation but thought better of that since I didn’t want to have to “retranslate” Blender tutorials in the future that were using the default Blender setup. I will say this, if you have a Wacom tablet like I do, it is worth learning how to set up for Blender when you’re in sculpt mode. You basically change one thing, and that is the input in user prefs. You want to select “emulate 3 button mouse.” That’s it! I love my tablet so that’s nice to see how seamlessly it integrates.
So sculpting in Blender reminds me of sculpting in Zbrush. The major difference is how I am approaching it. I don’t usually box model but in Blender, because of the tutorials and assignments, I’m discovering I like to start box modelling the basic shapes before refining in the higher subdivisions. Starting this way, for some reason, is helping me to create better uniformed geometry…and after a couple of days of ramming the tutorials over and over, I can finally create with my music blasting in my ears. It’s starting to feel very natural and a digital extension of my mind again. Like playing piano by ear again instead of reading the music…which is how I play the piano in RL. LOL
So, just to share where I am in my progress towards the Sanctuary project, I am sharing my bonehead screencaps of the test character. This isn’t anything I’ll be releasing. It’s just an assignment I’m finishing to concentrate on shape without worrying about joining, etc etc. It may not look like it, but this character is created entirely out of spheres and cylinders created from boxes. The first day was spent creating all of the basic shapes over and over and over and fucking over tens of thousands of times…from a box. What a pain eh? But I’m glad I spent a day exploding my brain because it will just make me a more solid modeler.
Cannot wait to get to get to UVs and texturing, I still consider myself a texture artist at heart over a modeler or animator.
One thing I’m thinking about doing once I finish all of these test projects, is releasing the finished creature in the pictures below free to anyone that wants to try rigging or texturing on the UVs. I’ll release it as a full blender file as well as the objs. Just take them and run. I just ask, if you remember, to tell me or show me what you did. No big deal if you don’t. Just curious to see what anyone comes up with. I’ll try to release it when I’m sure it mirrors the skeleton of the SL avatar. So there will be a few things I have to fiddle with. I may rig it because one of the future assignments I’ve got lined up is to rig…we’ll see.
Anyways….this is where I am. Next is a tree that will teach me quite a few of the modifiers. After the tree, I think I’m on to a test vehicle, then the requisite human skull. Everyone does a skull I think when they start out. Just want everyone to know I haven’t forgotten about the project, I’m just leaning more towards building the entire thing in mesh from the start and I’m taking my time teaching myself the right habits from the start. : )