Modelling with Outlinesabstract: We show you, how you can start with an empty mesh, draw an outline of an object and eventually create the full 3D-model. In the final step the object will be turned into a Sculptie using some primstar magic.
24 comments to Modelling with Outlines |
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I used this tutorial to make different items, and when uploaded into SL they were all crap! How do I get away from the tiny tiny sculpt maps I end up with? When they’re only 4 pixels by 24 pixels the detail is right out the window
Your sculptmap is calculated from the number of vertices
you used in the outline and from the number of faces yu used
in the spin tool. SL can not import small sculptmaps
with viewer-1. With viewer-2 there are less problems.
In order to workaround this limitation of Second LIfe, you
can do this:
- go to edit mode.
- select all images
- then go to the UV image editor
- image new -> set for width/hight one of:
64*64, 64*128, 32*128, 16*128, 8*256, 16*256
note: you can also interchange width and hight.
e.g. 128*32 is also legal combination
- bake
- done
Hello! I just discover your blog, and your fantastic tutorials, before, i would never have dreamed to make things like this with success! i say a big THANKS to you!
((sorry for my bad english
))
Emelsea
I understand how to how to make the prim with spin.
How do I make a prim that can’t be made by lathing?
Trying to duplicate a support leg by outlining the image from blue prints set as a back ground image.
you can use all techniques provided by blender to create your objects.
You only must ensure that the objects conform to the mesh topology
of sculpted prims:
- They MUST be unwrappable to either:
– a simple rectangular plane
– a simple cylinder with one seam
– a simple sphere with one seam and
one pole at the top and/or one pole at the bottom
– a simple torus with 2 seams.
- They must only use Quads
If the objects topology derives just a tiny bit from these constraints,
the UV-map resulting from sculptify Objects gets borked.
Sometimes it helps to predefine the seams before you do the sculptify
objects. But honestly this is not a simple task. Often the deviations
from the constraints can only be seen by close and intense insepction.
Hmmm, I think I got it… But I am beginner and dont understand a few things. 1. How could I get the glass transparent? Should I do it in Blender or in Second Life? 2. Why should I do anything with texture map in UV window only to correct shape in 3D window? Are such a difficult and confusing (in my opinion) steps really necessary? 3. Is there any difference between “import as sculptie” and “classical” way “bake – save image – SL upload”? I have uploaded the same object by both ways…
I apologize for a little bit rude behaviour of mine – but I begin with Blender and, in fact, I am not very clever and inteligent. So I dont very much when anyone makes a things difficult without any reason…
Hi, Jergon. Sorry for the late response.
Sculpting is not an easy task. And sculpting with blender is
combined with understanding the tool first. And blender 2.4
is known to be a challenge for many people. We have tried
to lower the entrance barrier with this blog.
But if you just started, then you might want to first go over
the “beginners” tutorials.
You will see then that the technique shown in this tutorial
here is not soo complicated. But it is addressed to more
advanced users.
1. How could I get the glass transparent?
You make the glas transparent by either applying a transparent texture
or set transparency in Second life. You can create transparent
textures with blender or Photoshop or any other 2D tool.
2. Why should I do anything with texture map in UV window only to correct shape in 3D window?
You actually do not modify the UV map here. You just use one very neat feature of
the UV-map editor which allows you to find the seam in the object easily. Of course you could
also try to find the vertices before you actually sculptify. But using the UV map is just easier.
3. Is there any difference between “import as sculptie” and “classical” way “bake – save image – SL upload”?
– “Import as sculptie” takes the current sculptie-map in the UV image editor and creates a 3D- model from it.
– “Bake” takes the current model in the 3D viewer and creates a sculptie-map from it.
Oh my God, this is too dificult and complicated way for me! Isnt there any easier way to create it?
Hi Gaia!
First of all: Awesome work and one of my favorite sites ever! Perfect!
But i have some problem with the technique in this tutorial. It`s easy to create the wineglas. But I tryed to draw some other things than the glas. My actual project is the wheel of a Segway. I have drawn the tire but after using the script “sculptify objects” I got an image with just 18 vertices on it. I imported the image as a sculpty and the result was just a naily undefinable object.
What went wrong? Is there a max of vertices to use with this script? I can`t comprehend what the problem is. I love this method because I am free in my designs (I hate deforming the premodeled or imported sculptys
I hope someone can help me with that…
Sorry for my bad english!
Best regards,
Feivl
Maybe you forgot to bake your object and you just used the default image which is just an LOD-helper image… Indeed this image will result in an hedge hog when imported into SL
If this was not the problem, then can you please provide the corresponding .blend file? Or at least an image of your mesh ? If you register to this site, you can attach files right into your comments. Otherwise you can send the data to gaia.clary@machinimatrix.org if you prefer.
cheers,
Gaia
ok, i have send the blendfile to your emailadress on last saturday. I hope you help me with that
thanks for your effort!
Feivl
Hi, Feivl
Sorry for the late answer, I have been on vacance for a few days and then i was completely sucked up with releasing the first 2 tutorials of the new series. I have taken a very quick look into your blend file and:
1.) It is not 100% rotational symmetric, so you will probably have no big advantage from using the outline technique here.
2.) You try to achieve something that can not be done like you try to do it. The main problem is, that your object topology is massively diverging from the topology needed by sculpted prims.
3.) However there is one possible option how you can get away with your wheel:
- create an oblong cylinder.
- cut it into 9 pieces using the separation technique by collapsing vertices to a thin (invisible) line
- Arrange the 8 inner spokes
- Use the nineth subelement to create the rim.
I hope that helps you a bit ?
Thanks a lot! Problem solved^^
Now I only have to check the LODproblem.
Anyway, thanks for your help and keep on with the great tutorials!
Cheers,
Feivl
when i reach the stage of object/scripts/sculptify object, i am getting “phython script error, check console” msg.
i am using a Macbook pro, OS 10.05.08
Blender v 2.49a
i added the primstar files to a folder i placed in my Blender application folder, and set the path to find them as shown in your tutorial on that (they are set to default as suggested)
did this perhaps somehow result in whatever phython scripts came ready to use with blender from being found now?
am so confused *L*
help?
Sorry to see, that MAC is a problematic issue. I can not give instant help here, but please check the thread about blender and IMac in the Second Life forums:
https://blogs.secondlife.com/message/117104
That may contain some solutions for your problem.
Thanks for your tutorial.
It works fine for me, till I try to bake the sculpt mesh. Then I get this error:
File “”, line 1, in
File D:\Program Files\Jass-2.0.0\.blender\scripts\primstar\render_sculptie.py
“, line 50 in
import tkFileDialog
ImportError: No module named tkFileDialog
What do you see in the first 2 lines of the console window ? It should read:
Compiled with Python version 2.6.2.
Checking for installed Python... got it!
Possibly the initial 2 lines are followed by more outputs. All information here is interesting to understand the cause of the error.
Are you using the out of the box installation of Jass. And if yes,which version of jass are you using (RC1, RC2, or RC3) ? At the moment you can only see that on the name of the installer file.
Thanks Gaya,
Python version was the problem indeed.
How did you do the draw thing? All I get is a funny line and it wont do the whole glass.
At some point in the video you have to use the “spin tool” which takes the line and duplicates it several times while rotating around the cursor. The result of this step is the wineglas. Therefore you must be in top view when you start the spin tool and the end points of the line should have the same x,y coordinates and the cursor should be positioned at the same x,y positions too. Otherwise the rotation goes wrong and you end up with unexpected results (like holes at the top/bottom or completely messed structure when the rotaytion is not exactly around the z axis…) The details are explained at 1:20 in the video.
When I press Sculpity Object. It does nothing
But thanks for this tutorial! it def will help me out if I get to know how to fix the sculpity object script.
This sounds like you have got an installation problem. Further information is needed to understand what’s going up.
- The first source of information is the console window. What does it say ?
- What operating system are you running ?
- Which version of the scripts are you using ?
- Are you with blender or with Jass ?
If you are using Jass, then please ensure that you are using the newest RC (as of today it is RC3).
Thanks so much for the tutorials. Could not even imagine figuring this out without them. Very Noob, and trying to find my way. In modeling with outlines how/where do I get the Empty Mesh that is used, it shows on the tutorial with a python icon on the menu? I have the latest version of Primstar & Blender installed, and its not there. I’m assuming the empty mesh with the python icon on the menu bar is different from the Blender empty mesh? Thanks again for your patience with us noobies.
The “Empty Mesh” with the Python Icon is exactly what you need. It is part of the standard Blender distribution so you should have it. The Blender “Empty” is just an empty object. You could start with that too. But then you would have to add an empty mesh to that object manually and i must admit that i do not know how i can add an empty mesh to an empty object… So your best option is just to use
add -> Mesh -> Empty Meshas explained in the video.