Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Know What You're Doing
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Knowing what you're doing in Blender may seem like an implied rule. In Blender, you have to know quite a lot just to start working! But you need to recognize that Blender is a complex program, with so many great features and applications. Unfortunately this results in a proportionately large chance of running into problems when you try to use Blender - especially when you are first starting out.
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[edit] If you are still going through tutorials, keep the defaults at the defaults!
This is one of the most important tips. When you learn how to change the initial settings like what the left or right mouse button does, or the default 3D View settings, you shouldn't go nuts and change everything. If you are still learning the majority of Blender's basics, you should keep all these defaults as they are, because if you customize them too heavily you may very well confuse yourself. For example, a tutorial tells you to right-click on an object, snap 3 units over, add 2 meshes 1 unit above, duplicate all, rotate and transfer to layer 2, and explains how to do it very well and with great detail with the defaults. Now imagine you have changed your set-up a lot; you have to transcribe everything in the tutorial to your settings and try to learn. There are simply too many things to keep track of and a custom configuration wouldn't be very helpful, would it? Wait until you have learned at least all the basics before you start fiddling with the settings.
[edit] Organize early, organize thoroughly!
This tip refers to the modeling of a mesh and to all objects in the scene as well. When it comes to a mesh, things you have to keep in mind are (especially true for meshes with armatures and key points) the vertex loops of a smooth object and the spacing of vertices at both rigid points and bending joints, as well as the weight painting of the mesh. Don't put off fixing all these aspects; do them as soon as the object is modeled before moving onto a new task in the scene. When it comes to all objects on the scene, make sure to name all the objects and materials early on and as they are created, to ease your workload. Name it as it's made or you'll end up with generic and uninformative names like Cube and Material all over the place.
[edit] Don't bite off more than you can chew!
One of the greatest problems overzealous modelers run into is their own imagination. While it is encouraged to be creative and imaginative, remember that you need to pace yourself or you may model yourself into a problem too big to fix and might have to start all over! Here are some examples:
- You create a character that you want to be possible, and you spent much of your time modeling the character to look incredibly detailed and awesome. However, once you add the skeleton (armature), you just can't get the arms or legs or head to move right because there are many vertices to work with and many vertices move in the wrong way or a way in which they weren't even intended to move.
- You model a great scene, very detailed and complex, with ray shadowing and SSS and ambient occlusion and motion blur, but can't render at all because your computer constantly crashes. Also, you can't change anything because every time you try to move something your computer takes 10 seconds to respond to your mouse's movements.
- You try to make a cool-looking game and think you work out all the boundaries and actions and inputs, but wait until you have set all the keys and properties before your first test-play. Then, when you run the game, something flies out the screen, spins in crazy ways, falls, or just glitches out or even crashes, and no matter how hard and long you check and work you can't possibly find the problem.
These problems arise by not saving and checking things often enough, or by detailing one component too fast before making another component. The solutions:
- Make a very simple version of everything first, before you start detailing things. That way, problems come out lightly and are much easier to fix, as well as there are fewer issues to sift through when working with process of elimination.
- For everything, be aware of your workload and how detailed your project is getting. Remember that your computer has its limits, and be aware of how much "lag" there is when you are detailing and testing your project. Also remember: learn to cheat the 3D!
- If making an animation or game, test it out frequently when implementing a new section or element, to make sure it works before moving onto a new element.
These tips should help keep your project running smoothly, and while you may be tempted to go wild, keeping a level head while swimming in your imagination will give you a much more satisfying result, with many fewer headaches as well.
