Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
In Review
Over the course of this topic, we have progressed
from the initial inspiration for our projects to final
images and beyond. After introducing Blender and
GIMP in Chapters 1 and 2, we looked at how to
gather, create, and use reference and concept art in
Chapter 3, and moved on to blocking in the funda-
mentals of our scenes in the form of rough geom-
etry and base meshes in Chapter 4. In Chapters 5,
6, and 7, we expanded upon these rough forms with
further geometry and with Blender's sculpting and
retopology tools. In Chapter 8, we unwrapped the
models for texturing.
With the models laid out, we added further
details with particle systems in Chapter 9 and tex-
tures in Chapters 10 and 11. In Chapters 12 and
13, we began turning our collection of models and
textures into a renderable scene with materials and
lighting, and in Chapter 14, we turned our
.blend
files into finished renders.
I hope that this chapter has given you a few
ideas for ways you can enhance the finished proj-
ects in this topic or your own projects. I've covered
adding extra details to scenes and producing extra
renders with different scenery or moods. I've also
touched on the idea of animating and rigging proj-
ects, moving from the realm of still images into mov-
ing pictures.
Throughout this topic, I've used my three
projects to illustrate what powerful tools Blender
and GIMP are and how their diverse range of func-
tions can be used. Each tool has tremendous depth
and can be daunting at first, but once you get to
know the tools, they're fantastic for bringing your
ideas to life. I hope you'll enjoy using the skills
you've learned in this topic to do just that.
Figure 15-8: Working with armatures. Top: The armature for
the Spider Bot seen on its own from above, in B-Bone view
(one of the display options for armatures). Middle: Posing the
Spider Bot using the rig. Bottom: The posed Spider Bot shown
on its own.
Once your model is rigged, you can begin ani-
mating your creation. By keying the transformations
of the bones in your rigs, or storing their poses, and
then moving through Blender's timeline, changing
the rig's pose, and keying it again, you can build
up a sequence of positions and poses for your rig to
move through. When played back, your model will
then perform the sequence of movements defined
by the poses you created.
