3D and Blender 2020 review

Over the summer I tackled 3D and started to learn the free BLENDER art software  After downloading version 2.82a for free, I found lots of YouTube tutorials that made Blender easy to learn.

Blender allowed me to realize my drawing

in spinning objects

• Download and rework the Blender File of the above spinning figure: Orange_reclining_spin.blend (1.77 MB)

• Blender Manual
• Blender Nation

• YouTube tutorials:  Blender 2.8 for Complete Beginners

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*3D PIPELINE*

I developed a 5 step process for making 3D animated GIFs:
  ~RemoveBG~PhotoAmin~Mixamo~Blender~EZGif

Animated GIF of my drawing

created in Blender

following the 4 steps below

(1) 2D drawing into 3D file

I began by cookie-cutting my drawing out of the background, either with RemoveBG online, or Photoshop Elements -- and saved the result as a PNG file with transparent background.

RemoveBG

This PNG figure

with a transparent background

developed into the animated GIF above

Note the "T" shape

(2) Then I uploaded the PNG figure into PhotoAnim (Windows software) and followed this tutorial to export a 3D figure in OBJ format.

PhotoAnim

My drawing in 3D

posted on 3D This

 

More in depth explanation

of using PhotoAnim

 ALTERNATIVES

One could also transform PNG images from 2D into 3D online with:

• Vectorizer
• Image to STL

However these programs only create flat STL files, not so ideal.  Import into SculptGL online, or Blender, in order to export a flat OBJ file.  

Or:

YouTube Tutorial:  Blender Convert Image to 3d Object 

 

(3)  ANIMATING the OBJ file

Mixamo will animate the figure, but it only accepts OBJ and FBX files (or ZIP file with the OBJ and MTL files inside). The 3D figure has to be a frontal figure with the arms stretched out, in a shape like the letter "T."  Then you can tell the software where the wrists, ankles, etc. are, and it can "rig" the figure for movement.

"T" Shape in Mixamo

"T-like" OBJ character

imported into Mixamo,

preparing to be rigged and animated

--Also note that Mixamo is free and online, but requires registration.

I imported my OBJ file into Mixamo and animated my drawing, selecting from amongst a wide variety of movements.  Then I exported the 3D animation as an FBX file.

• These pre-Blender steps are also explained in the May 3D Review blog post.

(4)  BLENDER

Next I uploaded two FBX animations of the same drawing into Blender and created a video from a 3D scene:

BLENDER

Animated in Blender --

after animating my drawing in Mixamo

Of course creating in Blender is more involved and thus outside this quick synopsis.  However ultimately I exported an animation as an MPG file.

(5)  Converting an MPG into an Animated GIF

I uploaded the MPG file into EZGif online to make an animated GIF.  EZGif will let me crop and resize the result as well, and reduce the file size down small enough to post it on my blogs.

EZGif

Animated GIF of my drawing

created in Blender --

skipping the Mixamo step above

• YouTube tutorial:  Export a Rotating GIF in Blender (7m 32s)
• YouTube tutorial:  Turntable Animation | Blender 2.8 |Track Camera and Follow Path (5m)
• YouTube tutorial: Turntable Animation | Blender 2.8 Tutorial   (2m 27s)
• YouTube tutorial:  Blender Tutorial: Turntable Camera Rigs Made Easy (5m 38s)

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• LINK to all the Blender blog posts I made this year, with a list of all the YouTube tutorials I used.

*BLENDER*

Making a 3D composition in Blender

and getting carried away

The two main Blender postings are:

• Blender Experiments
• Blender 360

Blender Experiments

Blender with Math Art

Blender 360

(for detailed explanation)

Compilation of all the 360° videos I made

and animated in Blender

The 360° YouTube compilation video above is most impressive when viewed in the Oculus VR Headsets.
In the YouTube search engine type -- youtu.be/nYjqdlLnZH4 -- to get the "surround video."

AI ADDONS

Apparently there are plenty of extra addons for Blender, so I wondered if there were any AI (artificial intelligence) and other unusual addons.  There is (more info at the end of the Blender Experiments blog post):

• Super Poke (by Midge Sinnaeve, iterative poking tool for Blender)
• BY-GEN (by Curtis Holt)
• Animation Nodes (by Jacques Lucke)
• Sverchok (by Nortikin)
• Tissue (by Alessandro Zomparelli, is already included in Blender...the link is to the video)
• Spaceship Generator (comes from Michael Davies on GitHub -- YouTube video)
• attractor (by Mike Tyka-- YouTube video)
• Texture Synthesis  ( by Embark Studios --YouTube video)

• Vonorator -- not an add on, but alters 3D files online

DOWNLOAD 3D FILES

Midge Sinnaeve put free VJ Loop Blender files into the public domain, so that one can download them and do as he wishes.

mantissa.xyz_loop_068

I downloaded the Blender file from Midge Sinnaeve

and added my figures

May 3D Review

Decimated file of this scene

for download (3.14 MB)

Blender seems to lend itself to collaboration, as anyone can post a Blender file for others to download (like I did above):, such as in Blender Nation, and even SketchFab.

Download my Blender files:

• Gudea and Triceratops (3.14 MB)  -- with objects by the Smithsonian and the Met
• Orange_reclining_spin.blend (1.77 MB)
• Lean_Green_Orbit.blend (1.47 MB)

There are more resources now besides Thingiverse to download 3D files, that can then be uploaded to Blender:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Thingiverse
• The Smithsonian Institution
• GB3D Type Fossils
• List of 50 sites to download 3D