Figuring some details out

[Spinell]

Need a helping hand in figuring out a few details for my next mesh creation. I'm using blender 2.6 and I can't figure out how to do two things:

The first one goes like this: I have a mesh that I managed, after many hours, to mold into the exact weird shape I want. Now I want to add to the scene a plane and I want to put that plane almost touching the surfice of the mother mesh; for that I need to make the plane fit the exact shape of the surfice of the mesh it's touching. I'm sure there's a modifier that can help do this, but I have no idea what it is or how to work with it.

 

The second one might be easier to explain: I made a preatty skirt using the cloth modifier so I could get those wavy, cloth-like features. Now, when I move my camera, I notice that the mesh itself (in object mode) has some sort of shadows: the parts of the folds that are down are darker and the part that is up has gloss. I thought these were "shadows" so I went to render and clicked to bake shadows, but... the UV map I got was black and white, with no shadows at all. I want to learn how to get those nuances onto a UV that I can then save as an image and play around with it in GIMP or Photoshop. Also, I know nothing about lighting or lighting effects: the scene I'm working with has no light sorces (I had deleted them right in the beggining).

 

It would be wonderful if you could explain to me how to solve those little problems. ;)

Thank you so very much!

[Dilbert Dilweg]

To answer your fist question. You would want to use the shrinkwrap modifier. shrinkwrap the plane to the object you want to form it to..

To answer the second part. s something I am still learning and working on so may not be able to answer very well.

but you can also include influence for ambient shadows in the texture panel under where you set the uv map. but not sure how well it does.

Something I am torchering my self with this month lol

 

 

 

I know SL has some limitations of what it can show. Like normal maps are useless.

 

[Dilbert Dilweg]

I came across this tutorial in my own quest for answers.

[Ashasekayi Ra]

First issue: You could tackle that a number of ways depending on the mesh you are working with. It would help to have a picture. But, in general, you could try using the shrinkwrap modifier, face snapping with projection turned on or the cloth modifier if the plane will drape over the top of this form.

Second issue: I really need to see a picture to understand what problem you are having here. However, if you just want to bake out an ambient occlusion shadow map, you don't even need a litght in the scene. 

Steps:

1. Go to the World tab and check "Ambient Occlusion". Check "multiply".
2. Go down to the "Gather" section and make sure "Raytrace" is active. Then, change samples to "16".
3. Swith to the Render tab. Go down to "Bake". Change the mode to "Ambient Occlusion".
4. Check "Normalized" if you prefer a map with a white base instead of grey that ignores the color you've assigned to the model.
5. Then, click "bake".

 

If you want to bake a "Full Render" instead, you'll have to learn a little about lights. Here is a good tutorial on the subject: http://cgcookie.com/blender/2009/07/07/learning-3pt-lighting/

 

[Da5id Weatherwax]

That's an awesome tutorial - explains why in lighting a stage you use so many "steel" and "straw" gels, thats for sure!

(as an aside - it's a lot easier to think in terms of stage lighting when lighting your rendered models,  you wnt a hard edge you use a hot fresnel or a profile (blender spots),  softer edges parcans or floods.. (hemis, suns and areas) and never EVER use a "naked lamp" without color correcting it to the effect you want)

[Spinell]

I agree: Ash, that was an awsome tutorial.

As for the first question, here's what I'm tring to do: I want to place strings of beads, like pearls, along an odly-shaped corset I made for a specific dress I'm working o. I wanted to get the superficial shape of the corset so that I could then make the beading to match that shape.

[Nalates Urriah]

Take a look at: Second Life Advanced Modeling Blender 2.6 Tutorial 2012. It covers several tools used to make surfaces fit to other surface.

[Luc Starsider]

Regarding your first question.

The others have given good advice. However, I didn't see anybody mentioning the solidify modifier to you. This modifier lets you add 'thickness' to a model. For instance to add the inside of a cup when you have created the outside of it. From your explanation, it sounds as this is what you want, but you may want to chech that the normals of this added surface is pointing in the direction you want.

ETA: Reading your last reply makes me wonder if shrinkwrap is what you want...

- Luc -

[Ashasekayi Ra]

So, here is the method I'd use to get something like you described.

1) ALT right click select the edge loop you want to have your beads follow. (Or, just select the edges if they aren't a continuous edge loop)

 

 

2) SHIFT + D to duplicate the loop. Don't move the cursor, just left click (or press Enter) to confirm.
3) With the selection still active, use the hotkey P to seperate it. Pick "Selection".

 

 

4) Go to Object mode, then select the new object containing just the edge,
5) Go to the bottom header bar in the 3D View and go Object -> Convert To -> Curve From Mesh.

 

 

6) Optional: Go into Edit mode to adjust curve if you need to do so.
7) In Edit mode, select a point on the curve. Then, go SHIFT + S -> Cursor to Selected. This moves the 3D cursor to that point.

 

 

8) Go back to Object mode. With the curve object still selected, click the "Origin" button in the Toolshelf. Change it to "Origin to 3D Cursor". Now, the origin for that curve is shifted to the point you had selected.

 

9) Go back to Object mode, don't move the 3D cursor. SHIFT + A and add an 8 x 8 (or smaller) UV sphere that will be the pearl.

 

10) Enter Edit mode and scale it down small.

 

 

11) Back in Object mode, add an Array modifier and Curve modifier. (The Curve modifier needs to follow the Array in the stack.)

12) Under "Object" in the Curve Modifier, pick the name of your curve object in the dropdown. Now, the object and its array clone will snap to the curve.

13) Increase the "Count" option in the Array modifier until it is as long as you need.

Now, your pearls follow the contour perfectly. At any time, you can adjust the curve or array as needed to get the look you want.

Tip: Make sure to UV Unwrap the model you are using in an array before applying the modifier. That way, all the models will be unwrapped at once.

[Spinell]

Oh...my...god...

Ash, that just... blew my mind. Those are some amazing tips condenced into one awsome tutorial: I can't thank you enough. I'm going to try it right after I get up (off to bed now ).

Thank you so much, and also thanks for ncluding pics!

[Nacy Nightfire]

Terrific job on that tutorial Asha, as always!

Yet another solution is to use snapping in object mode.   These mushrooms were aligned to the sphere using snapping. each mushroom is a duplicate of the original one and for randomness they are scaled and then repositioned with snapping. Re: snapping - for this example - be sure to select the button that looks like a circle with a stick (it's a normal) sticking out.  In edit mode, manipulate the mesh you will be moving to snap so that it's median point is where you want to snap (the bottom of the object that will connect with the target mesh). Return to object mode.* Set up snapping to align to faces/snap target = center.  And if it isn't orienting itself correctly set your transform orientation to "local"

   *Edit for clarity

[Ashasekayi Ra]

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Spinell wrote:

Thank you so much, and also thanks for ncluding pics!

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Welcome Spinell

 

Thanks Nacy And that is a good point you bring up about snapping. You can use that in conjunction with the technique I described earlier to move an item to the curve that you had already pre-built in the scene in a different location.