Results tagged “Blender” from Cordinc Blog

In previous tutorials we created a walking mech model in Blender. Astute readers may remember I said the aim was to create a model that could be used in a simple game. Now that the model is complete, it is time to use it in a simple 3D program. The aim is to write a program where the mech is controlled by the player and can walk around the screen using its walkcycle animation. Writing everything from scratch is not realistic in any reasonable time frame. Thus the Ogre3D library is used to help with the graphics. I chose Ogre3D because it is free, seems well regarded, is actively developed and, has exporters for Blender models. Below is an image of the resulting program. Read on for the steps in its creation.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.

Once the mech model is rigged as in the previous tutorial, the bones can be used to help animate the mech. Here we will create a simple walk cycle for the rigged mech. This is the last tutorial in this series on using Blender to create a mech model. The final result of this tutorial, and thus the entire series, is shown in the video below.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.

After creating and texturing a mech model, the next step towards animating it is rigging. This is the process of setting up bones in the model such that when the bone is moved, the mech mesh deforms in an expected manner. The final set of bones to animate a walk cycle is shown in the image below. Once this step is complete, the model will be ready to animate.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.

Having crated a basic low-poly mecha model in a previous tutorial, it is now time to liven up the model by texturing it. The application of materials and textures is the hardest part of modelling for me, and I'm not entirely happy with the result. My artistic abilities need some work. However, the general technique is still worth noting. The tutorial will show how the mech model was made to look as below. Later tutorials will show how to rig the model and animate a walk cycle.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.

I decided to move away from historical models for this tutorial. I chose a mecha, a walking robot, as an exercise in texturing, rigging and animation. The idea is to first create a low-poly model so that most of the visual detail is in the textures applied. Then a walk cycle will be animated using bone rigging to aid further animations. The result will be the sort of model that could be used in a simple game. As there are quite a few steps in achieving all of this, the tutorial has been split into four parts. This first part creates the base model. Following posts will cover texturing, rigging and animating.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.

Time for my third simple historical model (my first was a sculpture in Tozeur, the second an amphora). I decided to make a Roman Stand. The model is based on a stand I saw at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, shown alongside my resulting model below.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.

Having read a few more chapters of my blender book, it is time to try another historical model (my first was a sculpture in Tozeur). Most Roman archaeological sites include a few amphora displayed behind glass. At Pompeii they just stack them up all over the place. This tutorial details the steps I used in modelling an amphora based on photos from Pompeii. Below is one of these photos next to the results of my modelling.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.

I've previously stated that I intend to learn 3D modelling well enough to recreate simple ancient historical architectural scenes after being inspired by my trips to Pompeii and Dougga. To this aim I downloaded Blender, an opensource 3D modelling program, and bought The Essential Blender. After having read the first 3 chapters of that book and a few online tutorials (mainly around materials and textures), I was ready to try creating my first model. I decided upon a sculpture found in the market square of Tozeur, Tunisia - it seemed simple enough, but it wasn't immediately clear to me how it should be done. Below you can see images of the original and my model.

The continuation of this post is a set by step tutorial detailing my methodology.