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Illustrators Corner - Microstock Illustrators Forum => Illustration - General => Topic started by: mtkang on August 27, 2012, 02:41

Title: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 27, 2012, 02:41
hi guys,

anyone is using blender? i am trying out.. i had made a object as a file..and I had made a studio backdrop as another file.

I want to put the object on the studio backdrop, but I can't find the way to do it, google it suggesting to use 'append'..and i browse to the mesh object and click..but it is not showing in the environment of the backdrop file..

if anyone is learning to use blender..maybe can discuss here as a learning thread..

Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: Anita Potter on August 27, 2012, 02:47
I use Blender.  I was having the same issues with it the other week where I couldn't get a previously created object into my new file.  I was trying to import the mesh which was leading to nothing.

This is where you want to go.

File > Append - locate the file you want and click on it.  Go to the Object folder and click on it.  It'll show you all the objects you have in your file.  select it then click on the Link/Append from library button in the top right hand corner.  You should then have your object imported into your scene.

Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: PinnacleAnimates on August 27, 2012, 02:48
hi guys,

anyone is using blender? i am trying out.. i had made a object as a file..and I had made a studio backdrop as another file.

I want to put the object on the studio backdrop, but I can't find the way to do it, google it suggesting to use 'append'..and i browse to the mesh object and click..but it is not showing in the environment of the backdrop file..

if anyone is learning to use blender..maybe can discuss here as a learning thread..



I have however not used blender, but I have worked in many 3d programs.
I would suggest you to export one file in .obj format and then again import it in the another file which you have created. I hope this should work.

Also there would surely be any option to import blender file in anther blender file. Would recommend you to read the help file of the blender for more info.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 27, 2012, 04:38
yeah, i figure out it is under 'object' not 'mesh'.. Thank you!

here is the results
(http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/7884/soccera.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/soccera.jpg/)

what you guys thing of the rendering? i want to improve the lighting, i want to make the ball brighter especially the lower part, but if i add light..it will have some burn out on surface..

I notice a lot of 3d render will leave some shadow for realistic looking, but isn't some buyer prefer isolated?

what kind of backdrop should we create for 3d images?

I use Blender.  I was having the same issues with it the other week where I couldn't get a previously created object into my new file.  I was trying to import the mesh which was leading to nothing.

This is where you want to go.

File > Append - locate the file you want and click on it.  Go to the Object folder and click on it.  It'll show you all the objects you have in your file.  select it then click on the Link/Append from library button in the top right hand corner.  You should then have your object imported into your scene.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: heywoody on August 27, 2012, 04:43
Downloaded but never got around to using it and understand the interface is not that intuitive. I found Wings ok but Hexagon from Daz is now free and seems to have a hell of a lot more to offer
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 27, 2012, 09:11
anyone can give me some opinion on the render? i found the lower part of the ball is not well lit, i try to add a point light just in front of it..but it burn the floor.. and i think it may not be good since in real studio..there is no light source in that way..



yeah, i figure out it is under 'object' not 'mesh'.. Thank you!

here is the results
([url]http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/7884/soccera.th.jpg[/url]) ([url]http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/soccera.jpg/[/url])

what you guys thing of the rendering? i want to improve the lighting, i want to make the ball brighter especially the lower part, but if i add light..it will have some burn out on surface..

I notice a lot of 3d render will leave some shadow for realistic looking, but isn't some buyer prefer isolated?

what kind of backdrop should we create for 3d images?

I use Blender.  I was having the same issues with it the other week where I couldn't get a previously created object into my new file.  I was trying to import the mesh which was leading to nothing.

This is where you want to go.

File > Append - locate the file you want and click on it.  Go to the Object folder and click on it.  It'll show you all the objects you have in your file.  select it then click on the Link/Append from library button in the top right hand corner.  You should then have your object imported into your scene.

Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 27, 2012, 11:18
(http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8031/soccer6a.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/443/soccer6a.jpg/)

had tried to add front light.. it seems many features to play around
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: Anita Potter on August 27, 2012, 17:53
In the world settings turn on enviornment lighting.  Also if you want things isolated on white it's best to not have a backdrop that your object(s) sit on.  In the world setting make the horizon color pure white.  I usually end up doing some post processing in PS but not a lot of it.

Blender has changed a lot from version 2.49 which had a really terrible interface.  Versions 2.5 and up the interface makes a lot more sense and if I can find where everything is anyone can ;)
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: Shaycobs on August 28, 2012, 14:16
I suggest using Blender 2.6x and rendering using Cycles instead of the internal renderer. Cycles is much more realistic and calculates light bounces correctly so you can make a lighting setup as you would on a real life photography scene.

For example, my basketball render:

(http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/1014782/106459196/stock-photo--d-basketball-d-image-isolated-white-background-106459196.jpg)

I used semi-reflective white floor, world color set to white, and two planes set as emission that work the same as a softbox.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: Anita Potter on August 28, 2012, 14:29
I wish I could render in Cycles but my graphics card isn't compatible with GPU rendering.  I wish it was cause I would be using it all the time.  Having planes set to emission is a lot better than fumbling around with the BI lights which takes me forever to get set up to look right.  Until they get OpenCL working properly or get Cycles to recognize more graphics cards I'll always be stuck using the BI.

All the stuff I've done has been with the blender internal.  Cycles would take too long on my machine because I have to use CPU rendering.  I really wish someone would make a proper tutorial about how to get things set up right for Cycles using the CPU option.

Mtkang you should try cycles and see how it works for you.  Blender Cookie has quite a few tutorials about setting up and rendering with Cycles.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 28, 2012, 23:12
i didn't know there is option to render with another software..will check out cycles..

any limitation of blender? the model created by blender will be compatible to other software right?

I will try on more tutorials..maybe try the 3ds max or sth else..
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: heywoody on August 29, 2012, 02:14
I don't know what the native format is for blender but if you save as obj you can use it in pretty much anything.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: fujiko on August 29, 2012, 02:29
I wish I could render in Cycles but my graphics card isn't compatible with GPU rendering.  I wish it was cause I would be using it all the time.  Having planes set to emission is a lot better than fumbling around with the BI lights which takes me forever to get set up to look right.  Until they get OpenCL working properly or get Cycles to recognize more graphics cards I'll always be stuck using the BI.

All the stuff I've done has been with the blender internal.  Cycles would take too long on my machine because I have to use CPU rendering.  I really wish someone would make a proper tutorial about how to get things set up right for Cycles using the CPU option.

Mtkang you should try cycles and see how it works for you.  Blender Cookie has quite a few tutorials about setting up and rendering with Cycles.


Have you tried one of those versions of blender compiled with mingw? It runs faster on CPU.
http://graphicall.org/101 (http://graphicall.org/101) 32 bit
http://graphicall.org/100 (http://graphicall.org/100) 64 bit


i didn't know there is option to render with another software..will check out cycles..

any limitation of blender? the model created by blender will be compatible to other software right?

I will try on more tutorials..maybe try the 3ds max or sth else..


Cycles looks promising considering it is a recent addition to blender and it's still missing some important features. You can also check one of the external renderers like luxrender, yafaray, 3delight.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 29, 2012, 03:58
try cycles as render..but i got grainy results..i tried to change the user setting from CPU to graphics card..but same results. Maybe due to the laptop i am using..

Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: Shaycobs on August 29, 2012, 07:15
try cycles as render..but i got grainy results..i tried to change the user setting from CPU to graphics card..but same results. Maybe due to the laptop i am using..

Cycles renders a scene using samples, the same as Luxrender. Each sample calculates the light bounces more accurately. The more samples you use in your render, the less grainy the result.

Look under Render Tab -> Integrator -> Samples:
There's "Render" and "Preview".
Preview represents the number of samples when rendering the view port and Render is for the actual render. The default is 10 and you should probably set it to at least 500 to get a clear render. I usually set it to 2000 samples.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: Anita Potter on August 29, 2012, 12:19
@fujiko I tried that graphicall build but everytime I'd hit F12 it'd crash :(

I'm planning on building my own computer one of these days.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: fujiko on August 30, 2012, 03:12
@fujiko I tried that graphicall build but everytime I'd hit F12 it'd crash :(

I'm planning on building my own computer one of these days.

Sorry to hear.
I tried both on my laptop and rendered fine.

Are you trying to render a specific file? Have you tried to delete old preferences before running this version?
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 30, 2012, 13:04
hi all,

I made a kind of surface using the liquid simulation..and I would like to 'adjust' the surface to what i want..what should i do? using the sculpt tool? all i got is the cursor turning to a circle..but nothing happen when i click on the surface.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: Anita Potter on August 30, 2012, 14:18
@fujiko I tried that graphicall build but everytime I'd hit F12 it'd crash :(

I'm planning on building my own computer one of these days.

Sorry to hear.
I tried both on my laptop and rendered fine.

Are you trying to render a specific file? Have you tried to delete old preferences before running this version?

Yep I deleted every version of Blender I had plus all the blender folders aside from my files and it still crashed.  Oh well.  Hopefully they'll make Cycles more accessible to more cards and processors sooner rather than later.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 31, 2012, 12:21
hi all, i have a question using different render engine..like when i set up the light under 'blender render', if i switch to 'cycles render' the light setting seems is all wrong.

I will assume all the lighting has to customise it according to different render engine?
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 31, 2012, 12:30
i found the setting under integrator, it helps when i set higher samples, is the effect takes on the render preview? or also final image?

try cycles as render..but i got grainy results..i tried to change the user setting from CPU to graphics card..but same results. Maybe due to the laptop i am using..

Cycles renders a scene using samples, the same as Luxrender. Each sample calculates the light bounces more accurately. The more samples you use in your render, the less grainy the result.

Look under Render Tab -> Integrator -> Samples:
There's "Render" and "Preview".
Preview represents the number of samples when rendering the view port and Render is for the actual render. The default is 10 and you should probably set it to at least 500 to get a clear render. I usually set it to 2000 samples.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: fujiko on August 31, 2012, 17:21
hi all, i have a question using different render engine..like when i set up the light under 'blender render', if i switch to 'cycles render' the light setting seems is all wrong.

I will assume all the lighting has to customise it according to different render engine?

Cycles uses meshes with the emission material as light sources. It can also use HDR image as world light. Other light sources (sun, point,...) work, but not all and not in the exact same way as blender internal render. It's usual to have to tweak or create new materials and/or lights when using different renderers like blender internal, cycles, luxrender, yafaray and so on.

There are two boxes for setting samples, one for preview (render preview) and another for render (final image).
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on August 31, 2012, 22:30
i try to change number of samples in 'render' and 'preview', it seems when i press f12, it will follow the 'render'..which will be slow if i put it too much.. what should i do? thanks.

hi all, i have a question using different render engine..like when i set up the light under 'blender render', if i switch to 'cycles render' the light setting seems is all wrong.

I will assume all the lighting has to customise it according to different render engine?

Cycles uses meshes with the emission material as light sources. It can also use HDR image as world light. Other light sources (sun, point,...) work, but not all and not in the exact same way as blender internal render. It's usual to have to tweak or create new materials and/or lights when using different renderers like blender internal, cycles, luxrender, yafaray and so on.

There are two boxes for setting samples, one for preview (render preview) and another for render (final image).
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: fujiko on September 01, 2012, 03:35
i try to change number of samples in 'render' and 'preview', it seems when i press f12, it will follow the 'render'..which will be slow if i put it too much.. what should i do? thanks.

You should wait.  ;)
Using 2000 samples is usually enough to get a beautiful render.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on September 01, 2012, 11:53
thanks, i figure out the number in render is for final render image, and the preview render is for rendering if want to see the as real time while working on it..


i try to change number of samples in 'render' and 'preview', it seems when i press f12, it will follow the 'render'..which will be slow if i put it too much.. what should i do? thanks.

You should wait.  ;)
Using 2000 samples is usually enough to get a beautiful render.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on September 05, 2012, 01:05
try to render with cycles and it takes long time.. anyway i found out that it will resume after i close my laptop to put in sleep and open up to use again.

But is there a way to use it to model something, while blender is rendering?
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: fujiko on September 05, 2012, 02:34
Never tried to model while rendering but you can have more than one blender instance running at the same time.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on September 05, 2012, 04:42
possible to explain more? does it mean i can 'pull' out another view to model same time? I just want to do sth else in blender while rendering.

I also notice if i press f3 during rendering..i can save as jpg too? so there is option i can save half way? and it will continue rendering?



Never tried to model while rendering but you can have more than one blender instance running at the same time.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: heywoody on September 05, 2012, 16:50
Unless you have a pretty chunky machine it would be tough - rendering can take a lot of RAM / CPU and modelling is not exactly light either  :o
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on September 06, 2012, 06:38
i render something with uneven surface..maybe that's why it takes few hours.. so while rendering, i can't play around blender at all..

so are you guys render at other machine? just learn about 3d, didn't know render takes a lot of time.
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: fujiko on September 06, 2012, 08:10
I don't know if you can model and render at the same time in the same blender instance, sounds dangerous to me. I remember I once did something like this and the result was a corrupt render because changes were applied to final render while I was editing. That's the reason I told you could launch more than one blender instance, meaning you can open blender twice and render in one and do something else in the other.
As has been said you need a powerful machine to do this or multiple computers. If using a single computer you have to share resources between tasks (CPU, GPU, Memory, HD I/O). Cycles uses a lot of CPU or GPU to render, if you use GPU you can use CPU for modeling on another window if you use CPU you have to limit the number of threads used by cycles. And be sure to have a lot of memory.

I usually leave the computer rendering at night all alone or use one of my other smaller computers while rendering. Render is very fast in today's computers, I remember when I started using computers simple renders could take two or three days to complete. ::)
Title: Re: 3d software, blender questions
Post by: mtkang on September 06, 2012, 11:10
oic..so i can open 2 blenders..i didn't understand what u said at first. thanks!

anyway, i just put the render going on..and it continuous render when i just sleep my laptop and open again.. i seldom shut down laptop.

I don't know if you can model and render at the same time in the same blender instance, sounds dangerous to me. I remember I once did something like this and the result was a corrupt render because changes were applied to final render while I was editing. That's the reason I told you could launch more than one blender instance, meaning you can open blender twice and render in one and do something else in the other.
As has been said you need a powerful machine to do this or multiple computers. If using a single computer you have to share resources between tasks (CPU, GPU, Memory, HD I/O). Cycles uses a lot of CPU or GPU to render, if you use GPU you can use CPU for modeling on another window if you use CPU you have to limit the number of threads used by cycles. And be sure to have a lot of memory.

I usually leave the computer rendering at night all alone or use one of my other smaller computers while rendering. Render is very fast in today's computers, I remember when I started using computers simple renders could take two or three days to complete. ::)