Blender 3d animation keep object at relative screen position
In essence what this means is that before any polygons are split or faces moved, the relationship between 'model' and 'scene' may need to be changed relative to what the mesh is to being made for and where it's going to be used. This is generally done through the use of two primary settings the scenes " Scale", which defaults to " 1.000" and its " Unit" of measurement, which defaults to " None". This latter aspect is especially important because it's used to determine a 'global' relationship between Blender and environments outside the application (other game development tools). And 2) a number of essential " Properties" which relate to the scene and objects contained therein ideally need to be 'reset' to defaults. The reason for doing this is two-fold, 1) from a practical point of view it simply prevents old data being trapped in the new project when the file is saved. So either restart or reload Blender, or with the application open, from the " File" menu click " New" to wipe the current file, replacing it with a brand new workspace. It's not entirely necessary that a concept be a form of 'high art' so long as the general ' intent' is clear then a few scribbles (doodle) in a notebook are more than adequate, as is the case here Scene scale and Unit size ^īefore making a start on the modelling process, be sure to be using a 'clean' scene. Very simple 'concept' of the Snowman character to be modelled. Overview of the project upon completion a simple textured mesh, a basic 'rig' (Armature) and two simple animation sequences (only one shown) Additionally, so long as concepts are in a form which is readily available they can be in or on any medium - it is not necessary they be high-resolution digital paintings.
The doodle below is a case in point, scribbled as it was in a notepad, the basic shapes and forms provide a general overview of the characters 'look' without necessarily binding the artist to the details. It's important to note that although concepts are not an absolute necessity, it's usually a good idea, and good practice, to have something of this nature to hand as they tend to make the entire process less nebulous and more directed (prevents the artist being side-tracked too easily by ideas that offshoot during production).ĭesign note: be mindful that more complex concepts may result in there being less latitude for interpretation, so long as a basic idea is clearly described visually, even a basic sketch should be sufficient. This can be as simple as a sketch drawn on a piece of paper or doodle on a napkin, to paintings, photographs or movies, anything in fact which provides a starting point for inspiration, and/or/both, can be used in a way that guides the development of a meshes general characteristics. The first step is to find a 'concept' image(s). For the 'Snowman' character belonging to this tutorial this means first it will be built, then rigged, and finally two simple animation sequences made.
Blender 3d animation keep object at relative screen position series#
The actual process of making an animated game character (or any type of animated object) can broken down into three main stages 1) the mesh is constructed, UVW mapped and textured 2) the resulting model is given an skeleton and 'rigged' for use as an animated object and finally 3) using the skeleton and rigging, the mesh is deformed and articulated through a series of 'poses' which constitute an animated sequence.
Note: the following tutorial is 'agnostic' in that the principles and techniques explained throughout are core to most versions of Blender post 2.50, up to and including the latest release.
From initial scene set-up to modelling and material assignments, on to UVW mapping and texture baking, then finally to ' rigging' the mesh for articulation through the use of an Armature, and creation of two simple animation sequences.Īlthough not an absolute necessity, it is recommended the ' making a simple chair' and/or ' making a simple sword' tutorials be done beforehand, or at the very least a basic understanding of using Blender be had. In the following seven part tutorial the process of building a simple low-poly 'game' character, a 'Snowman', will be shown along side a number of important but infrequently discussed general considerations that need to be kept in mind whilst doing so.