Learning Blender: A Hands-On Guide to Creating 3D Animated Characters (Addison-Wesley Learning) - Softcover

Villar, Oliver

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0133886174 ISBN 13: 9780133886177

Publisher: Addison Wesley, 2014

Synopsis

Create Amazing 3D Characters with Blender: From Design and Modeling to Video Compositing

 

Learning Blender walks you through every step of creating an outstanding animated character with the free, open source, 3D software Blender, and then compositing it in a real video using a professional workflow. This is the only Blender tutorial to take you from preproduction to final result, and it’s perfect for both 3D novices and those who’ve used other 3D Software.

 

Focusing on Blender 2.71 and above, 3D-professional Oliver Villar explains all the basics, including Blender’s interface, controls, and how to manipulate objects. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you’ll follow a realistic 3D workflow through a complete project.

 

You’ll find chapters on every aspect of the character creation: design, modeling, unwrapping, texturing, shading, rigging, and animation. Once your character is ready and animated, you’ll learn how to integrate it into a real video using camera tracking techniques, lighting, and compositing. Each skillset is taught hands on, and available online video tutorials (more than 5 hours) will guide you through Blender’s trickier tasks.

 

By the time you’re done, you’ll understand how the whole process fits together, and how to use Blender to create outstanding characters for all media. You’ll also build strong Blender skills you can apply in any 3D project, whether it involves characters or not.

 

Learn How To

• Master Blender’s innovative user interface, navigation, and selection techniques
• Create your first scene with Blender and get comfortable with its core tools
• Prepare for projects so they’ll go as smoothly as possible
• Use modeling tools to create a 3D character
• Bring your character to life with color, textures, and materials
• Create your character’s skeleton and make it walk
• Make the most of Blender’s Camera Tracking tools
• Add lights to your 3D scene
• Render with Blender Internal or the powerful new Cycles render engine
• Composite your 3D character into a real video
• Switch to Blender from 3ds Max, Maya, or XSI

 

Register your book at informit.com/register to access all of this book’s production files, plus bonus video tutorials, and a useful Blender keyboard shortcut reference.

 

About this title

Review

“Villar has captured the excitement of Blender as a 3D modeling, animation, and motion graphics tool in one straightforward, easy-to-follow textbook. The Blender software is growing in popularity and now more than ever is considered one of the must-have tools in the tool shed for 3D.”

–Dr. Tim J. Harrington, Solution Manager, Academic IT

 

“Learning Blender is a great introduction for anyone wanting to learn how to create and edit in 3D using Blender, the free open-source application. Learning to work in 3D can be tough, and Villar uses characters to teach many different techniques, including modeling, lighting, shading, rigging, and animation. The book is filled with great tips and tricks, and can help anyone learn how to work in 3D.”

–Mike Kaltschnee, Danbury Hackerspace Inc.

 

“Learning Blender: A Hands-On Guide to Creating 3D Animated Characters by Oliver Villar is definitely a valuable addition to your library of golden resources! It doesn’t simply show you the hows and whats, but the whys.

  The emphasis on fundamentals is something this book is very strong at. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about the modernized Blender and character creation in general.

  Simple, intuitive, and very refreshing!”

–Reynante M. Martinez, Blender Guru

About the Author

Oliver Villar has been drawing since he was a kid. His interest in art led him to 3D, which he’s been studying since 2004. He used commercial 3D software before discovering Blender in 2008. Since then, he has used Blender professionally as a 3D designer and tutor. In 2010 he founded blendtuts.com, a Blender tutorials site. He is currently co-directing Luke’s Escape, a short, 3D-animated film made with Blender.

Edition details

• Publisher: Addison Wesley
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0133886174
• ISBN 13: 9780133886177
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352