In this article we will cover vertex editing tips that ever 3D modeler should know. Everything from simply toggling to vertex selection(that is a simple one) to merging, snapping and connecting vertices. Here is the complete list of tips. Toggle between vertex, edge and face selection. Hide/unhide vertices. Bevel vertices. Connect or join vertices. Snap […]
Curves are a type of object in Blender that can be used in order to create a surface along a curve expressed by a mathematical function, which can be easier to alter and modify compared to an ordinary mesh. Converting a curve into a mesh is very simple and there are many reasons that you […]
Sometimes when we're modeling in Blender we may want to create a much more complex scene or object such as a castle. Modeling every individual element is very time consuming for such a large an intricate object. With kit bashing we can cut a lot of the modeling out and get straight to designing the […]
In Blender, modifiers are great automatic operations used to modify an object’s geometry non-destructively. In particular we will be discussing the Solidify modifier, a common and versatile modifier used to add thickness to an object, which can become very valuable for your workflow. To use a solidify modifier, select your object. Next, click on the […]
When creating meshes in Blender we will often need to consider poly flow and best practices for creating geometry, it commonly recommended to keep our meshes quad based, but why is this? Quads are preferred to triangles because they're easier to work with and in general have more consistent results such as smoother and more […]
One of the newer features in Blender is a built-in Asset Browser that helps us organize and manage our assets. The asset browser makes it much easier to access premade models, materials, worlds and animations. Making the process of adding assets to our scene as simple as dragging and dropping them in. Here is how […]
When we are sculpting it can be very helpful to isolate parts of our mesh to organize our work. Face sets is a great feature that allow us to do just that. To use face sets follow these steps. In sculpt mode, select the draw face set brush. Draw an area on your object with […]
For many beginner Blender artists, normals can be hard to understand. What effect do they have on our 3D models? How do we control them and what kinds of normals are there that we need to worry about? A normal is a perpendicular vector of an object. In Blender, the object is usually a vertex […]
In Blender you can mark edges, which can be used for several reasons, allowing you to give special treatment to these edges in various ways. These are the edge markings available in Blender: Seams Crease Bevel weight Sharp Freestyle To mark an edge, enter edit mode, select an edge. Then click Ctrl+E to open the […]
N-gons can be a very useful tool when creating a model, they can speed up the process of creating our topology quite a bit and can help us resolve the details of our model, but at some point we'll likely want to fix them as they can cause problems for our topology and may not […]
The poly build tool in Blender helps the artist with polygon modeling and retopology. We can use it on its own or combine it with other tools in Blender to get the most out of it. Poly build is an edit mode tool. We primarily use it with snapping when doing retopology. Enable it in […]
When I first started out using Blender, empties were a completely foreign topic to me. I had no idea why they would be useful. Today, I can't remember when I last did a project that didn't involve empties. An empty object is often just called an empty in Blender or empties for multiple empty objects. […]
When we start to learn modeling in Blender, we will come across multiple problems with our mesh. Anything from inverted normals, making our shading look off to lose geometry and gaping holes in the mesh. Here is a list of the most common problems that you may come across. Let's explore these mesh problems in […]
When you 3D model in Blender, you will soon realize that your edges are very sharp. To round them of, we can use a bevel. A bevel will add more geometry on the edges, giving us an angled area where light can interact more naturally. In most cases this improves the look and realism of […]
Sometimes we need a way to group objects so that they can work as a single unit when we transform them. In those cases, parenting can be a great option. You can parent one object to another by following these steps: Select multiple objects. The last selected object will be the active object. Press Ctrl+P […]
Selections is an essential topic to master for any 3D artist. It can speed up your modeling workflow tremendously if you learn how to select properly with the right tools. But that is only the second-best part, the best part is that with selections out of the way you will enjoy 3D modeling so much […]
Metaballs are one of those subjects that are often overlooked as an obscure and niche part of Blender. However, they do have some interesting use cases and can help us quickly create shapes and formations that are otherwise hard to produce or takes a lot of time. To add a metaball, press Shift+A, go to […]
The simple deform modifier is not as simple as it wants to make you think. But there are definitely some situations it can help. As you learn how it works you are likely to find yourself coming across more than one happy little accident. To use a simple, deform modifier, select your object, go to […]
When modeling in Blender or any other 3D software, you are highly likely to use the loop cut tool. In fact, I can't recall a single modeling session when I did not use it. The loop cut tool creates a loop of one or more edges along a ring of quad faces. Press Ctrl+R, hover […]
Occasionally we need to deal with objects that has a completely unworkable mesh in Blender. It can be anything from a sculpt made with dynamic topology to a photo scanned object. In those cases, remeshing can be a quick way to help ease up or even solve the problem. Especially if the manual way of […]