Learning 3D Modeling, mostly polygon modeling, mostly with Blender 3D Part 3.
by 'Sidikian' · 02/24/2009 (7:06 pm) · 14 comments
Hey all once again and welcome to the 3rd step in our adventure of learning 3D Modeling, Mostly Polygon modeling, Mostly with Blender 3D. If you missed the first part of my study you can find it here and the second step of the study here.
So now where were we *scratches head*. Ah yes, that's it we were going to take a look at a few modeling methods that I was most comfortable with / saw potential in.
The two methods we will be taking a look at are: Face by Face modeling, otherwise known as point by point modeling, and Box Modeling, or as I like to consider it primitive modeling.
For a brief overview of these 2 methods lets watch David Hickson's Modeling Technique video, but before we do note that he also talks about spline modeling which I won't be covering and that his video isn't totally finished yet, but I thought it covered enough for our purposes. With that being said let's watch Modelling Technique.
Face by Face modeling, or point by point, is simply just as it sounds. You literally model the entire model by adding on one verticle at a time or by extruding the faces.
Box modeling, or as I like to consider it primitive modeling, is a method where you use primitive shapes to quickly block out the basic shape of your model, then fine tune the shapes, and then blend them all together smoothly. So that you understand better what primitives are and how this method works lets watch Andrew Silke's video tutorial Primitives.
So I bet you might be asking the same question that Hickson asked in his video tutorial, "so which technique is the best?" and I'd have to agree with Hickson. It depends on what you find you like the best.
Both have pros and cons and that's why I agree with Hickson.
So lets talk about the pro's and cons of both methods and then I'll tell you what I use in case you're wondering.
Face by Face Modeling:
Pros- very controlled modeling right from the get go since you place just about every point yourself.
Cons- tedious at first. Takes longer to feel like you've gotten anything done.
Box Modeling:
Pros- you can quickly block out the shape of the model feeling like quick results fast. Helps you visualize the end product.
Cons- you have to be a little creative to make all the parts fit well and it'll seem like the tedious amount of work is towards the end since you'll have the basic shape right away.
Personally I've used a combination of the 2. I like the accuracy of face by face for certain areas and I can definitely see the potential and speed of Box Modeling as much of the model as you can.
Moving on...
Now that you have a decent understanding of the fundamentals of 3D Polygon Modeling (hopefully) and a introduction to a few modeling methods I feel as though it's time to start applying this to using Blender.
In order to do that we need to get an understanding of Blender and it's tools. Let's start by checking out Glen Moyes's video tutorial
The Blender Interface.
And since Glen does such a good job getting us started lets check out his next 4 video tutorials also: The Blender Viewport , Manipulating Objects in Blender, Blender's Datablocks, and Blender's Edit Mode.
Once you've got Glen's video tutorials under your belt it's time for your first character tutorial in Blender 3D.
For this tutorial lets go to the Blender Manual and our tut. is going to be Your First Animation in 30 plus Minutes Part 1 and Part 2 and you'll find them here (well technically you'll find the second part of the tut. at the bottom of the first page =p). I'm not sure who contributed this tut. to the Blender Manual but it's there none the less.
NOTE: I've mentioned this tutorial in order to get you used to using Blender and some of it's tools however it's not going to cover good low poly topology or problem areas as we'll cover those later.
Also this tut is a little old and Blender 3D has been updated since, if any of the buttons it tells you to use don't work you can use the button help inside of blender, post a reply here and I'll find the button change for you or you can search for the new button for the action you wish to do by say searching extrude button for Blender 3D in yahoo or something.
To use the button help panel inside blender just open up blender go to the Help at the top of the screen then click on HotKey and MouseAction Reference. It should be self explanatory after that, but here's a screen shot to better explain the first part.
Since that info should keep you busy for awhile, I think we've found a good time to take a break. Thanks all again for reading and see you in our next step of our journey.
And as always feedback is welcome.
NOTE: If in any way I've linked to something that the authors of the works wouldn't want linked to and if you are one of those authors just ask and I'll remove the link.
So now where were we *scratches head*. Ah yes, that's it we were going to take a look at a few modeling methods that I was most comfortable with / saw potential in.
The two methods we will be taking a look at are: Face by Face modeling, otherwise known as point by point modeling, and Box Modeling, or as I like to consider it primitive modeling.
For a brief overview of these 2 methods lets watch David Hickson's Modeling Technique video, but before we do note that he also talks about spline modeling which I won't be covering and that his video isn't totally finished yet, but I thought it covered enough for our purposes. With that being said let's watch Modelling Technique.
Face by Face modeling, or point by point, is simply just as it sounds. You literally model the entire model by adding on one verticle at a time or by extruding the faces.
Box modeling, or as I like to consider it primitive modeling, is a method where you use primitive shapes to quickly block out the basic shape of your model, then fine tune the shapes, and then blend them all together smoothly. So that you understand better what primitives are and how this method works lets watch Andrew Silke's video tutorial Primitives.
So I bet you might be asking the same question that Hickson asked in his video tutorial, "so which technique is the best?" and I'd have to agree with Hickson. It depends on what you find you like the best.
Both have pros and cons and that's why I agree with Hickson.
So lets talk about the pro's and cons of both methods and then I'll tell you what I use in case you're wondering.
Face by Face Modeling:
Pros- very controlled modeling right from the get go since you place just about every point yourself.
Cons- tedious at first. Takes longer to feel like you've gotten anything done.
Box Modeling:
Pros- you can quickly block out the shape of the model feeling like quick results fast. Helps you visualize the end product.
Cons- you have to be a little creative to make all the parts fit well and it'll seem like the tedious amount of work is towards the end since you'll have the basic shape right away.
Personally I've used a combination of the 2. I like the accuracy of face by face for certain areas and I can definitely see the potential and speed of Box Modeling as much of the model as you can.
Moving on...
Now that you have a decent understanding of the fundamentals of 3D Polygon Modeling (hopefully) and a introduction to a few modeling methods I feel as though it's time to start applying this to using Blender.
In order to do that we need to get an understanding of Blender and it's tools. Let's start by checking out Glen Moyes's video tutorial
The Blender Interface.
And since Glen does such a good job getting us started lets check out his next 4 video tutorials also: The Blender Viewport , Manipulating Objects in Blender, Blender's Datablocks, and Blender's Edit Mode.
Once you've got Glen's video tutorials under your belt it's time for your first character tutorial in Blender 3D.
For this tutorial lets go to the Blender Manual and our tut. is going to be Your First Animation in 30 plus Minutes Part 1 and Part 2 and you'll find them here (well technically you'll find the second part of the tut. at the bottom of the first page =p). I'm not sure who contributed this tut. to the Blender Manual but it's there none the less.
NOTE: I've mentioned this tutorial in order to get you used to using Blender and some of it's tools however it's not going to cover good low poly topology or problem areas as we'll cover those later.
Also this tut is a little old and Blender 3D has been updated since, if any of the buttons it tells you to use don't work you can use the button help inside of blender, post a reply here and I'll find the button change for you or you can search for the new button for the action you wish to do by say searching extrude button for Blender 3D in yahoo or something.
To use the button help panel inside blender just open up blender go to the Help at the top of the screen then click on HotKey and MouseAction Reference. It should be self explanatory after that, but here's a screen shot to better explain the first part.
Since that info should keep you busy for awhile, I think we've found a good time to take a break. Thanks all again for reading and see you in our next step of our journey.
And as always feedback is welcome.
NOTE: If in any way I've linked to something that the authors of the works wouldn't want linked to and if you are one of those authors just ask and I'll remove the link.
About the author
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#2
02/25/2009 (9:54 am)
Edited this study to add in the button reference help inside of blender. 
#3
Great blog series, Scott!
BTW, an alternative approach to the two methods above that I found to be much faster and easier at least for organic models, is to first create a "volume model" (some mesh that can be arbitrarily messy but captures the volume/shape of the model) and then retopologize on top of that.
The most elegant way to create the volume model is probably with ZSpheres in ZBrush and then exporting back into the modeling app for retopologizing (or using ZB's topo tools). By using ZB's unified skin feature, the ZSphere model can be arbitrarily messy and can be flexibly used to just fill the volume of the model.
With box modeling and poly-by-poly, you'll always have to concentrate on both form and topology. With the two-step process above, you can concentrate on form first, then entirely focus on topology, and finally just do a cleanup/tweaking pass for the final model.
02/25/2009 (10:39 am)
Great blog series, Scott!
BTW, an alternative approach to the two methods above that I found to be much faster and easier at least for organic models, is to first create a "volume model" (some mesh that can be arbitrarily messy but captures the volume/shape of the model) and then retopologize on top of that.
The most elegant way to create the volume model is probably with ZSpheres in ZBrush and then exporting back into the modeling app for retopologizing (or using ZB's topo tools). By using ZB's unified skin feature, the ZSphere model can be arbitrarily messy and can be flexibly used to just fill the volume of the model.
With box modeling and poly-by-poly, you'll always have to concentrate on both form and topology. With the two-step process above, you can concentrate on form first, then entirely focus on topology, and finally just do a cleanup/tweaking pass for the final model.
#4
You can sculpt in Blender 3D then convert the sculpt to polys then retop it, but there's been debate about if that's a good work flow, and still haven't decided for myself yet.
The problem with retoping is just that it's double work, though it def. cleans up a mesh and I can see the freedom in not being worried about edge flow until you retop.
Like I said I'm still undecided, either way this study will help get an understanding of modeling with blender 3D.
02/25/2009 (10:48 am)
Thanks for the comment Rene, only one main problem. ZBrush isn't free ($595.00 not free see here), thus why I'm using blender which is totally free.You can sculpt in Blender 3D then convert the sculpt to polys then retop it, but there's been debate about if that's a good work flow, and still haven't decided for myself yet.
The problem with retoping is just that it's double work, though it def. cleans up a mesh and I can see the freedom in not being worried about edge flow until you retop.
Like I said I'm still undecided, either way this study will help get an understanding of modeling with blender 3D.
#5
Sculpting polys in Blender wouldn't quite compare to building a model out of ZSpheres. Without ZB, I think I would rather build the volume model completely out of sphere meshes in the modeling app and retopo on top of that, i.e. just create many spheres and arrange them so they represent the volume of your model. That's not quite the flexibility of ZSpheres but it's better than having to create any sort of continuous mesh up front.
Then, when creating topology, you have all the forms fleshed out so that you're free to focus entirely on edge flow and poly count.
But well, maybe it's just because I'm too stupid for box modeling and too impatient for poly-by-poly.
//EDIT
BTW, by parenting the spheres properly, you would even be able to pose and otherwise transform body parts. Very useful if you haven't nailed the design 100% up front.
02/25/2009 (11:03 am)
Yep, ZBrush isn't free but worth every single penny.Sculpting polys in Blender wouldn't quite compare to building a model out of ZSpheres. Without ZB, I think I would rather build the volume model completely out of sphere meshes in the modeling app and retopo on top of that, i.e. just create many spheres and arrange them so they represent the volume of your model. That's not quite the flexibility of ZSpheres but it's better than having to create any sort of continuous mesh up front.
Then, when creating topology, you have all the forms fleshed out so that you're free to focus entirely on edge flow and poly count.
But well, maybe it's just because I'm too stupid for box modeling and too impatient for poly-by-poly.
//EDIT
BTW, by parenting the spheres properly, you would even be able to pose and otherwise transform body parts. Very useful if you haven't nailed the design 100% up front.
#6
I'm just trying give others with budgets like mine a free alternative that gives decent results that's why I'm trying to stay with Blender on this.
02/25/2009 (11:14 am)
Thanks again Rene, I'll have to check and see if it's possible to retop several objects as if they were one mesh, I'm not sure if Blender's Retopology tools are capable of that. Probably be able to figure out some work around.I'm just trying give others with budgets like mine a free alternative that gives decent results that's why I'm trying to stay with Blender on this.
#7
Just merge all the spheres into a single mesh before retopologizing (is that even a word?).
As for Blender, it's a great and astonishingly capable package. Have fun and looking forward to further blog posts.
02/25/2009 (11:24 am)
Just merge all the spheres into a single mesh before retopologizing (is that even a word?).
As for Blender, it's a great and astonishingly capable package. Have fun and looking forward to further blog posts.
#8
Again there's debate over which work flow is best to use, but like I've said I see the pros in it.
If nothing else my study will help would be Blender users understand the tools, which will be helpfull in retoping and actually I was going to bring something like you suggested up but a little later in the study.
02/25/2009 (11:30 am)
Just tested it and yes Blender's Retopo tool can retop several objects as if they were one mesh, so Blender users can go about the sphere method you were talking about.Again there's debate over which work flow is best to use, but like I've said I see the pros in it.
If nothing else my study will help would be Blender users understand the tools, which will be helpfull in retoping and actually I was going to bring something like you suggested up but a little later in the study.
#9
02/25/2009 (11:33 am)
Thanks again =). 
#10
02/27/2009 (4:53 am)
Looking forward to a good retopo tutorial. I could not understand all that Rene was saying about spheres, but I like to get around modelling with tools that are faster and less tasking ways than the above mentioned. (or am I the only one that starts frequently, but suddenly become tired of building a model using the face-to-face or the box model?) 
#12
So basically you could grab one of the ends and stretch it to a position far away from the other end sphere and automatically the space in between would be filled with scaled spheres.
As far as I can tell there is nothing like this in blender. You'd either have to create several different sized spheres and duplicate them over and over again several times and place each individual one as you go to get the same effect or use meta objects.
Meta objects give the same kind of unified skin as the zspheres and meta objects mesh together as they get close, and you can scale them, but again no ease like that of zspheres.
Hmm, I'm leaning towards box modeling/face by face modeling a base mesh then subdividing it, then throwing it in sculpt mode for detailing/happy accidents, then retoping it for the low poly version. Which seems like a lot of work, but thing is the base mesh would be used as a start point for most of the models and thus would only have to be made once.
But again still trying to determine best work flow and what's best for one person may not feel the best for another, so all anyone can do is throw out some choices and let you find your niche.
And again remember I'm trying to stick with Blender 3D for my modeling since it's free where these other programs such as 3D Studio Max, MudBox, Zbrush, etc. cost anywhere from $500.00+ to $4000.00+.
03/05/2009 (3:03 am)
From what I can tell zspheres would be pretty helpful because of how they work. If I have it figured out right from Rene's screen shots, it looks as though there is a start sphere and an end sphere to each chain of spheres. So basically you could grab one of the ends and stretch it to a position far away from the other end sphere and automatically the space in between would be filled with scaled spheres.
As far as I can tell there is nothing like this in blender. You'd either have to create several different sized spheres and duplicate them over and over again several times and place each individual one as you go to get the same effect or use meta objects.
Meta objects give the same kind of unified skin as the zspheres and meta objects mesh together as they get close, and you can scale them, but again no ease like that of zspheres.
Hmm, I'm leaning towards box modeling/face by face modeling a base mesh then subdividing it, then throwing it in sculpt mode for detailing/happy accidents, then retoping it for the low poly version. Which seems like a lot of work, but thing is the base mesh would be used as a start point for most of the models and thus would only have to be made once.
But again still trying to determine best work flow and what's best for one person may not feel the best for another, so all anyone can do is throw out some choices and let you find your niche.
And again remember I'm trying to stick with Blender 3D for my modeling since it's free where these other programs such as 3D Studio Max, MudBox, Zbrush, etc. cost anywhere from $500.00+ to $4000.00+.
#13
As for the "sphere thing", to demonstrate that you can do the same in any modeling application, here is a *very rough and very quick* start of a mesh for retopo. It is just a few spheres and cylinders and a quick pass with a sculpting brush. It's bad and really just meant as a proof-of-concept.
BTW, good observation about ZSpheres. In fact, they are even far more powerful.
Have fun and looking forward to see what you're coming up with.
03/05/2009 (7:51 am)
As for the "sphere thing", to demonstrate that you can do the same in any modeling application, here is a *very rough and very quick* start of a mesh for retopo. It is just a few spheres and cylinders and a quick pass with a sculpting brush. It's bad and really just meant as a proof-of-concept.
BTW, good observation about ZSpheres. In fact, they are even far more powerful.
Have fun and looking forward to see what you're coming up with.
#14
03/12/2009 (1:21 pm)
Thanks again Rene for providing info and another option for people to look into. 
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