What do you get with eBook?

Instant access to your Digital eBook purchase

Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats

Access this title in our online reader with advanced features

DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want

AI Assistant (beta) to help accelerate your learning

Key benefits

Learn how to use geometry nodes to create motion graphics and dynamic scenes

Understand organic 3D modeling and how to create and animate your own 3D characters

Use physics simulations to create clothing and hair for characters that interact with forces like wind

Description

If you're ready to start exploring the more advanced workflows and processes in Blender to create intricate 3D models, then Taking Blender to the Next Level is for you. This book focuses on a few different VFX-related workflows such as geometry nodes, organic modeling, 3D camera tracking, photogrammetry, sculpting, compositing, and physics simulations. You’ll learn how to use geometry nodes to create dynamic motion graphic scenes as well as perform 3D scanning of real-world objects using photogrammetry. You’ll also find out how to model, rig, and animate your own 3D characters from scratch. Next, you’ll progress to using simulations to break objects apart and then use cloth and hair simulations to add realism to your 3D creations. Finally, you’ll go over the final render settings and export your 3D animation masterpiece as a video. By the end of this Blender book, you’ll be able to model your own 3D characters, objects, and landscapes; rig, animate, and texture your characters; 3D track live-action footage; and composite your 3D characters into live-action scenes.

Who is this book for?

This Blender 3D book is for 3D modelers, texture artists, character and technical animators, matchmove artists, compositors, and anyone interested in learning advanced concepts in Blender. Motion graphics artists will also benefit from this book. A solid understanding of 3D concepts and the Blender UI is needed to grasp the concepts present in this book.

What you will learn

Use geometry nodes to quickly create complex 3D scenes and motion graphics renders

Create realistic textures using physically based rendering materials

3D scan real-life objects using a normal camera and clean up the model using Blender

Understand how to model, rig, and animate your own 3D characters

Use rigid body simulations to create dynamic scenes

Understand how to perform 3D tracking within Blender

Become well-versed with compositing 3D renders into live-action footage

What do you get with eBook?

Instant access to your Digital eBook purchase

Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats

Access this title in our online reader with advanced features

DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want

AI Assistant (beta) to help accelerate your learning

Frequently bought together

€37.99

€33.99

€59.99

Total € 131.97

Customer reviews

Rating distribution

4.6

(5 Ratings)

5 star 60%

4 star 40%

3 star 0%

2 star 0%

1 star 0%

Stephen K. Jan 15, 2023

I’ve had a few Blender books but this is the best. The author, Ruan Lotter, must have experience writing educational books because that is the way this one is structured. At the beginning of each chapter he list the topics covered and has a summary at the end of each chapter. This helps when you are working on a project and need to refer back to the book for help on a process. You will need a basic understanding of Blender.

Amazon Verified review

Cooper Jul 20, 2023

If you know your way around the 3d environment and are new to Blender. This book is a good place to start.You'll learn more in the first project in this book than you will in a week of random online tutorials.Ya dig..?!?

Amazon Verified review

Michael Steffens Jun 06, 2022

I will start off by saying that I have not been able to finish the entire book just yet due to some unforeseen life event but it has been great so far. I would say I am in the Beginner/Intermediate range for my knowledge and skill base for blender so taking on this book I was a little worried it would take me a long while to pick up on some of the more advanced topics but I was definitely wrong.Each chapter that I have been through, I am just starting Part 2 Chapter 9, has had just the right amount of details for me describing each NEW word/jargon that we would be covering in that chapter. The details were in that sweet spot of not being to wordy where you lost yourself in a sea of words but was right to the point while giving you everything you need to learn/complete that section. One of my favorite parts of going through the chapters is the words to images ration as well. Being an engineer by trade I have dealt with a lot of manuals and walkthroughs such as this book, Taking Blender to the Next Level has the perfect flow of giving you the details you need then giving you wonderful graphics that also show what/where you are supposed to be doing these steps inside of Blender!! The amount of times this has helped me out and just been way more user friendly than most other training books that I have dealt with in school and my job!Another part of this book that I have enjoyed so far is that way the lessons build on each other without being totally separate problems/models that you are tackling. For example going through chapters 3 & 4 building not just the mushroom but an entire scene around the mushroom. This way of building on the past chapter gave me to practice to create more than just the Mushroom/Donut/Tree whatever it may be. For me this just gives me the better work process for in the future when I want to create a full scene inside of a single model/image.I also create content so being able to use blender for thumbnails and some fun little side projects has been wonderful. This book has helped me take that part of my creative flow up a notch. I will continue to use the new chapters coming up in the work and I can't wait to finish everything up! Ruan Lotter wrote a wonderful blender book that really anyone can just pick up and jump in with. Having knowledge of the program helped but like I stated the work flow that he gives in the chapters is very user friendly and easy to understand with the descriptions he gives plus the images that go with the details!! I suggest this book to anyone interested, even a little bit, in learning Blender and 3-D modeling in general!!!

Amazon Verified review

A. Hennig Feb 06, 2023

Ein hervorragendes Buch, aber leider für die Version 2.93 geschrieben. Leider ist diese kaufentscheidende Information tief im Buch versteckt, gehört aber auf die Titelseite. Benutze die Version 3.4 und entdecke doch einige Veränderungen. Grade bei den "Geometry Nodes" finden bei Blender zur Zeit sehr viele Neuentwicklungen statt und da sollte man auf die neuesten Bücher / Tutorials zugreifen.Absolute Anfänger werden sich schwertun, sei es wegen der Sprache oder der Nomenklatur.Auf jeden Fall ein lohnendes Buch für Fortgeschrittene !

Amazon Verified review

BL May 18, 2024

The book takes a project based approach by which the reader learns by doing. Instructions are very thorough and even beginners can follow. You can download the pictures in a pdf if you’re not happy with the printed ones.It’s written with Blender v2.93 and 90% of the contents are still relevant in Blender v3.x with the exception of Geometry nodes (GN). GN was introduced in v2.92 but was “re-imagined” in v3.0 and most of the Attribute related nodes just went obsolete.There are only a few editorial mistakes and I was able to complete all of the exercises without much problem. (p.311: you need to change the physics properties setting of the cannon ball to animated for the collision to work; p.416: you need to press the Setup Tracking Scene button before setting up the floor orientation; p430: images must be sorted in ascending order). The cloth simulation doesn’t work very well in v3.x and I suppose it’s somewhat broken (I tried v2.93 and it seems to be fine).If the author intends to publish a 2nd edition (v4.x?), I’d suggest that:(a) The geometry nodes section be removed as it deserves a book of its own;(b) The Cell Fracture section be expanded to cover texturing of the fragments;(c) More coverage on character rigging (advanced topics);(d) More coverage on animation like controlling camera movement during an animation.(The GN exercises can all be completed in v3.x with the help of other nodes:chapter 1 (p.29): points node, Wave Texture node(bands across diagonal axis), object info node, instance on points nodechapter 1 (p.37): position node, geometry proximity (or distance (vector math)) node, instance on points nodechapter 2 (p.63): named attribute node, object info node, instance on points node, combine XYZ node, multiply (math) node.chapter 4 (p.135): named attribute node, collection info node, distribute points on faces node, instance on points node, random value node.)

Amazon Verified review

Taking Blender to the Next Level: Implement advanced workflows such as geometry nodes, simulations, and motion tracking for Blender production pipelines

What do you get with eBook?