Skywalker plays with Blender... (56k BEWARE)

[Skywalker_T-65]

Yeah, title sucks I know.

But it does get the point across. I've recently started to play around with 3D modeling in Blender, and got a couple models already under my belt. They certainly aren't complex or detailed, but I am a complete noob at this, so what do you expect?

Here is one of them...a lightsaber I designed myself. Blade gave me some major headaches though, since the node coloring system in Blender is HILARIOUSLY convoluted...



That's the whole saber. Here is just the pommel:



Thoughts? Comments? Should I just not bother with 3D modeling?

[salm]

Nice for a start.

You´ve got a Mesh error in the yellow part. I guess you want the yellow thing to be faceted but on one of the riffle thingies, the things that give the wielder a better grip you can see a couple of triangles. Wrong smoothing groups?

There´s a problem with the glow as well. The green part is cut off by the purple part of the grip. But the white bright part of the glow is not.
Also, the glow is too rectangular. In the front it looks like the gradient ends in a rectangular shape.

On the grip: It looks like the red button has chamfered corners, which is fine. But it ´s strange that the yellow part is not chamfered and has these really hard edges.

Might be a perspective thing but in these renderings the red button looks like it´s not centered on the dark gray thing which is the base of the button.

Also, it allways helps, even if you haven´t done the shaders yet to give the objects halfways decent colors. These ones are horrible.
If there´s nothing else, different shades of gray is allways an option.

If you keep working on it it will turn out to be pretty cool.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Yeah, the glow was by FAR the most difficult part. It didn't want to cooperate at all, so we ended up with a more or less good looking glow, with the flaws you mentioned. Its most likely that way since I'm still new, and wasn't able to make the blade quite the correct shape before adding the glow. As for the pommel...I think I fixed the triangle part. I also changed the colors to a dull silver, and blue. I tried to get gold the first time, and it didn't quite come out right.

As for the button and the grip looking different...I don't know how to do the more complex things yet. At the moment I'm just playing around with cylinders, so its to be expected they won't look quite the same. When I say I'm new at this I'm not joking...this is only my fifth day working with Blender. And yeah, I noticed it wasn't quite centered...I think I got that fixed too.

Here is the new pommel (sans blade):



And here is the pommel and blade, sans glow to show what I think is the problem with the glow:



You'll notice it is rectangular at the front? That is because I haven't figured out how to round corners yet. And the same problem with the part of the blade inside the emitter...not rounded, and rather big. Working on figuring that problem out.

[Psawhn]

I assume you just used a cylinder for the blade? Rounding the tip off is pretty easy.

Assuming you start with this:


Just select the front vertices and press E to extrude:


Click to save the location, then press S to scale it down. After a couple more iterations you get this:


If you want even smoother, you can use subsurf subdivision to make it even smoother with fewer polygons:


And, in case you want it to actually look smooth on top of that, apply smoothing!


Do you mind posting your node setup for the glow?

[Skywalker_T-65]

I can try and post the nodes. Not sure how though, since the render doesn't include them and I don't know how to post something other than a render.

Even if I did though, it would just look like a bunch of gibberish

(namely since I followed a tutorial, and everything is scattered all over the place)

EDIT: And yes, I did just use a cylinder for the blade.

As for the tutorial I used (since it gives an idea of my node set-up while I try to get a pic)

http://cgcookie.com/blender/2010/03/09/ ... ght-saber/

[Psawhn]

I've just been taking a straight screenshot . If it's a spaghettified mess, you can fullscreen the current view by pressing CTRL-UPARROW. Apply CTRL-UPARROW again to go back.

Anyway, what I suspect is happening is that you have the Blur node set to flat, rather than to something like tent or quad. This is the difference that makes:


vs.


I'll watch the tutorial to see what he does.

Edit: After watching the tutorial, I suspect that the wrong blur mode on the Blur Node is your problem.

[Skywalker_T-65]

I'll go ahead and fix that when I get the chance. Hopefully that is the only problem.

EDIT: Haven't fixed the old saber yet, but I was making a new one today anyway, and finished it first...I think it came out better too:

[FaxModem1]

It looks rather good for some initial tests. Can you make an arched lightsaber, like the one Dooku has, or would that not be possible with the program you're using?

[salm]

Jo, a bit more detail on the new pommel does it well.

As for the triangle errors in the mesh. I think it´s still there in the second version of the old pommel.
How did you create the ripples?
I assume you used a boolean operation for them. If that is true this might be the solution to the problem. Boolean operations often give you a crappy result. It´s usually better to model it by hand than booling stuff out of your model and cleaning it up later.

But for that i guess you´ll have to dig in a bit deeper.

Your approach is good, though in my oppinion. Don´t worry too much about the errors in the old one. Just make a new one and apply your new knowlege. That way you learn stuff and it doesn´t get boring so fast.

You might also want to post shaded wireframe images. It´s easier to tell something about the mesh that way.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Actually, I extrude to get the ripples. I make more vertices in edit mode, and then get as many faces/vertices selected as needed, before extruding down. Then its a matter of selecting the vertices that are left sticking up, and then extruding to the side, to get the 'arch' effect. I have to go to class soon, but I'll get some screen shots of what I mean when I get the chance.

(I use 'control-R' to get the new vertices by the way...don't remember what the formal term was)

As for an arched saber Fax...already had someone on TFN request I make them a matching set. I don't think they came out all that well, since I am still new at this, but such is life:




(the nodes were acting odd...if you look at the part near the emitter, you see purple...that is what the color was in the node editor. But when I rendered it, I got the green that the rest of the blade is. Not quite sure why, but the person I made them for doesn't care, so I'm not bothering to fix it)

EDIT: And thanks for all the advice guys. And I think I agree that my second one is still the best of the bunch. The black-saber just came out really well somehow.

[Psawhn]

I noticed that the tutorial advocate layering multiple nodes together. Just guessing without seeing your nodes, what I'm guessing is that you have multiple hue/saturation/value nodes to tweak the colour. The first hue shift will colour the blade purple, but applying a hue shift again probably colours it green.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Here are the screenshots of how I get the ridges:



First we have setting up more vertices^

Then we get selecting the part to extrude:



Then extruding the resulting ridge (once you have two 'valley's')



And finally, extruding those vertices, to get the completed ridge:



And that is how I get the ridges.

[salm]

Ah, I see where the Problem lies.
You see, in that last image after you did the final extrusion the extruded edge loop is not connected to the rest of the mesh and you get two overlapping polygons. This causes problems and is probably the reason why you get the visible triangles.

But it´s really easy to avoid.
Instead of extruding two rings of polygons next to each other simply extrude two rings with one ring in between. Like in this image:

[Skywalker_T-65]

*bops head*

Darn that is so simple...why didn't I think of that at first...

I feel like an idiot now

[Psawhn]

Also, you can try playing around with smoothing: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2 ... /Smoothing
I'm noticing some banding that's caused by flat-shading. On the other hand, if that's the effect you're aiming for then go for it!

[Skywalker_T-65]

New Saber...an attempt at fixing the first one, while adding more detail and features...I think it came out much better too:





The only problem that comes to mind right away is the blade length. I'm well aware that's too long. Working on fixing it, just too tired to bother tonight

Plus I can always say its a variable length saber and that's the longer blade

[Skywalker_T-65]

One of my friends on TFN requested I make them a protosaber, and this is the result: (and by proto, I mean the ones with the corded power-packs)

[Skywalker_T-65]

Remember the curved hilt sabers? I went back and redid them, and its probably my best work so far now:

[Skywalker_T-65]

And here we go with my first real large-scale model. This is one of my ships in SDNW5, and its nowhere near as detailed as most models on this site. But since its something I did in a couple hours with still very limited experience...I'm satisfied with it



The engines.



Side view with some VERY rudimentary engine flare.



And a front view. Like I said, very basic here, but I am still new at Blender period (and very new at ships).

[salm]

That´s well done for a start.

Every beginner wants to start with gigantic projects. I usually tell them not to do it because it´s frustrating. I did that, too, of course. And it was frustrating.
Very few beginners listen to me and get frustrated.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Oh heck no...the lightsaber was enough of a pain to start on

That being said, this is more of a 'WIP' than a complete one. The turrets being just cubes for instance...I'm leaving it for now, but as I learn more and get better I'll add more detail where its needed.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Revisited the second saber and gave it a better blade:




(a little...pointy...at the tip, but is that better?)

[Skywalker_T-65]

Heh...been awhile since I posted anything. Anyway, I took a bit of a break from the modeling, and just got back into it yesterday. Found out how to add different colors to one mesh (the curved hilt sabers? Notice the gold inlays? Those are indention's covered by a golden plane mesh ), so I revisited a couple sabers.

For now, I'll just post the old black one, with some modifications:

[Skywalker_T-65]

And now for something a bit different. A fighter based off the X-Wing and Z-95, with my own input.

[Skywalker_T-65]

While my ideas have stalled on the space station, I present, an actual X-Wing. Probably the single most detailed model I've done so far too.











(the friend I made it for likes the color purple. Hence the purple stripes instead of red. And I realize I messed up on the S-Foils (the coloring on the top of the bottom pair...still feel like an idiot looking at that )