[Freddy]

I'm wondering if anyone uses Blender, I downloaded the new version last month and have been making the odd object.? It's more powerful than you might think and apparently is at the moment the fastest developing program of it's type.? Thats largely due to the fact that it's opensource and free.

Anyways, I've been making a head and wondered if anyone else had tried this sort of thing?

[Art]

Freddy,

I experimented with Blender several years ago but the interface was fairly jumbled and tended to turn a lot of people off.

I've done several 3D heads using polygon (Nendo (or Wings3D = free)) and nurbs (Rhino3D). Mine never quite turned out
the way I wanted so I pretty much put the idea on the back burner for a while. (Self criticism is one of my better traits!)<G>

Check out www.renderosity.com and 3Dcommune.com for some talented 3D folks. 3Dcafe also has some nice free models.

Blender is a great program for the reasons you've mentioned. I'll have to check out their latest release as a lot can change
in a few years.

Thanks!

[FuzzieDice]

I like using POVRay and KPOV in linux. But I don't do much 3D rendering. I also have the Windows POVRay and Simply 3D v3.

[Freddy]

Well, on the surface it doesn't look much different, but underneath it is a whole new animal.? I too had blender from way back but left it out in the cold a bit.? Recently I have returned to it and had to relearn it a bit.? I don't think it is any more difficult to understand than other renderers, it's just the interface, but having said that once you get used to it, I found it is okay in general use.? I can put a head together quite quickly now.? I'm experimenting with textures at the moment.

At some point I'd like to get an interactive character developed along the lines of Haptek's.

[HeatherValentine]

freddy
can t he heads you made with blender be used for hal?

[Freddy]

Well, not directly, someone would need to convert them to htr format.

[Freddy]

I thought I'd give everyone a laugh and show you my head so far, he's still needs another eye, but maybe I'll make a pirate instead! :huh1:

[doc]

 

Tell me, Roger, I am also busy with faces these days. I am trying to figure out how much polygons you need to allow convincing facial expressions. What do you think?

[Freddy]

Not sure Doc, but I found the facial area needs a lot more in the way of parts, whatever shape they may be to bring across the realistic shape of the mouth (not that I'm saying the mouth on mine is realistic!).  I haven't got so far as giving the face expressions, but I think to show things like smiles and frowns then you would need to have enough polygons to allow variation in the shape, but not so many that it becomes impossible to pose.

That doesn't really answer the question but it's the best I can do at the moment.

[doc]

Do you use illustrations of the anatomy of the head to build yours?
I especially wonder how important it is that the points (that form the polygons) precisely follow the direction of the facial muscles. I noticed that People Putty heads are divided in morph-regions that are probably based upon the main facial muscles.

Don't forget that section in People Putty where you can change the shape of the head by first highlighting one of the morph-regions and then you can use the ctrl, alt, or shift (I always forget which!). These keys are only mentioned in the manual and can be overlooked quite easily.  :worried:

[Freddy]

I can't really describe it in words, but I found a really helpful tutorial on the blender home site.? I can't get the link at the moment, their server seems to be down/busy.? Check back here, and I'll post the link.? It involves using pictures of the front of the face and side, to help position the vertices in your 3d mesh.? Not as complicated as it sounds...but yes, when building the face in blender I found you have to pay attention to features, but sometimes I found you have to pull vertices into positions you wouldn't expect, to be able to get the right overall effect/shape.

I thought about anatomical drawings, but haven't used any as i'm only molding the exterior of the face, so tend to look more for the lumps, bumps and curves, to postion the mesh so it forms the shape.? I think the real fun will start when I get to the bones!

[Freddy]

Heres that link I was on about:

Modelling a Head