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Sculpting the Blender Way
Sculpting the Blender Way

Sculpting the Blender Way: Explore Blender's 3D sculpting workflows and latest features, including Face Sets, Mesh Filters, and the Cloth brush

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Sculpting the Blender Way

Chapter 2: Overview of Blender's Sculpting Workflows

This book is about art, so we're going to try not to get too technical about how sculpting works. However, digital sculpting is performed on a computer, and we will have the best experience with the software if we gain a basic understanding of what's going on under the hood. In this chapter, we will identify and explain how Blender's sculpting features work and demystify how each of the sculpting workflows should be used at each stage of the sculpting process.

The sculpting process can be broken up into four separate workflows: Basic Sculpting, Dynamic Topology (Dyntopo for short), Voxel Remeshing, and Multiresolution. Each of these workflows has upsides and downsides. We will learn how to use them at the correct stages of our sculpting projects so that we can maximize the upsides and minimize the downsides. If used appropriately, these workflows will give us artistic control, optimized performance, and final results of the highest quality.

By the end of this chapter, you'll have a good understanding of the components that 3D sculptures are made from and how the computer represents them to us in the 3D Viewport. Additionally, you'll understand how basic sculpting mode works and get a feel for several of the most common sculpting brushes. You'll understand how to use dynamic topology and voxel remeshing workflows to overcome the limitations of basic sculpting mode. Finally, you'll get a glimpse of the multiresolution workflow, which we will learn about, in more depth, in Chapter 5, Learning the Power of Subdivision and the Multiresolution Workflow.

The main topics in this chapter are as follows:

  • Understanding the components of a 3D sculpture
  • Pushing polys with the basic sculpting mode
  • Discovering the limitations of the basic sculpting mode
  • Creating dynamic topology with Dyntopo
  • Practicing the basics of the Voxel Remesher
  • Using the Voxel Remesher in a low-to-high detail workflow
  • Exploring the most powerful sculpting mode – multiresolution

Technical requirements

For general requirements, please refer back to the Technical requirements section that was laid out in Chapter 1, Exploring Blender's User Interface for Sculpting.

In this chapter, we will be dealing with high-resolution models, so you will need at least 1GB of RAM available to open some of the example files. Example files for this book can be downloaded from the GitHub link at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Sculpting-the-Blender-Way.

Understanding the components of a 3D sculpture

First, we're going to learn how 3D sculptures are represented by the computer. Traditional sculpting is often done with clay. Clay is an earthy blobby mess with no real structure; it's just out there waiting for us to play with it and make art! Digital sculpting in software such as Blender tries to capture the creativity and free-form nature of traditional sculpting. However, in digital sculpting, there is an underlying structure that we need to be aware of as artists. Although we like to think of our digital sculptures as clay, they are actually 3D models that are made up of small geometric shapes called polygons. The word polygon refers to a flat shape with multiple corners. Polygons are made up of three main components, as presented in the following diagram:

Figure 2.1 – The components of a polygon

Figure 2.1 – The components of a polygon

The three main components of a polygon are as follows:

  • Vertex (the plural form of the word is Vertices): These are the corners of a polygon; each vertex represents a single point in 3D space.
  • Edge: This is a line that connects two vertices, edges make up the sides of a polygon.
  • Face: This is the solid inner area of a polygon that forms the visible surface between three or more edges.

A vertex by itself is not a polygon; it has no dimension. An edge can be made between two vertices; however, an edge by itself is not a polygon either. We require at least three vertices and three edges in order to create a polygon. There are three types of polygons that we need to know about to make 3D art:

  • The simplest polygons are Triangles (often abbreviated to Tris). Triangles have three vertices, three edges, and one face.
  • The most common type of polygons are Quadrilaterals (often abbreviated to Quads). These have four vertices, four edges, and one face.
  • Polygons with more than four vertices are known as n-gons. We do not usually use n-gons because they can cause issues with the surfaces of our 3D models.

Collectively, these simple geometric shapes are known as the geometry of the 3D model. When we interconnect all the little pieces of geometry together, they create a mesh. A mesh is the primary type of 3D model that we use when creating 3D models (that includes our sculptures).

We promised not to get too technical in this chapter, so that's plenty of information for now. Let's examine these components in the context of a 3D scene.

Getting ready

Launch Blender and start a new project with the sculpting preset by choosing File | New | Sculpting. We'll start this section by enabling a few viewport overlays that will show us the components of the model in the 3D Viewport.

How to do it…

First, let's enable our Statistics overlay so that Blender will display information about the model:

  1. Locate the Viewport Overlays pop-over menu in the upper-right corner of the 3D Viewport.
  2. Click on the little down arrow to open the pop-over menu..
  3. Check the box labeled Statistics.

Perfect! Now we have some additional information in the upper-left corner of the 3D Viewport, as shown in the following image::

Figure 2.2 – The statistics overlay as seen in the upper-left corner of the 3D Viewport

Figure 2.2 – The statistics overlay as seen in the upper-left corner of the 3D Viewport

Here, the name of our active object is displayed. In this example, the object is called Quad Sphere. The statistics for the geometry are displayed beneath the name. These statistics serve as a summary of the model, but we can do better than that. Let's turn on another overlay so that we can view the polygons:

  1. Open the Viewport Overlays pop-over menu again.
  2. Check the box labeled Wireframe.
  3. Use the slider next to the Wireframe checkbox to increase the value from 0.500 to 1.000 so that the full wireframe will be displayed.

Now we can view the little quadrilaterals that the Quad Sphere's mesh is made out of. It should appear similar to the following diagram:

Figure 2.3 – The wireframe of the sphere (this diagram has been simplified for better visibility in this book)

Figure 2.3 – The wireframe of the sphere (this diagram has been simplified for better visibility in this book)

This overlay is helpful when trying to understand how the geometry of the sculpture is arranged. Usually, we don't want to leave it turned on while we're sculpting because it can be a visual distraction. In this chapter, we'll be toggling this overlay on and off several times to help demonstrate what happens to the polygons as we sculpt. For now, we're done with this overlay. Toggle it back off so that we can move on and try out some sculpting tools!

How it works…

As you will have observed from the statistics, the Quad Sphere model has 24,578 vertices, 49,152 edges, and 24,576 faces. That's more information than we need. As a general rule, we only care about the number of polygons, which is referred to as the model's poly count. However, the poly count isn't always the most accurate representation of the complexity of our model. If we divide all of the quads and n-gons into their simplest forms, we will get the number of triangles in the model, which is known as the tri count. Blender includes the tri count for the model in the statistics overlay, so we can see that this model has 49,152 triangles.

That sounds like a lot, right? Wrong! This is actually a relatively low number of polygons when it comes to 3D sculptures. The childHead.blend example model that we explored in Chapter 1, Exploring Blender's User Interface for Sculpting, has 241,200 triangles, and even that is just scraping the surface of how many polygons Blender can handle.

So, why are there so many? Well, it's pretty simple. Triangles are always flat. We can't have a triangle with curved edges. So, we need to combine lots of triangles together to make the model look as though it's made out of clay with smooth round forms. When observed from afar, all of these tiny pieces of flat geometry should look smooth and round.

Some 3D modeling workflows are focused on arranging the geometry into specific patterns that give us good results without requiring many polygons. However, sculpting is designed around allowing us to create the shapes of the sculpture without having to focus on the geometry. To achieve this, the poly count is greatly increased – sometimes, into the millions. Once we have enough polygons, we can push them around with our sculpting tools to make any shape that we like.

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Key benefits

  • Use Blender’s core sculpting workflows: basic sculpting, Dynotopo, Voxel Remesher, QuadriFlow, and Multiresolution
  • Learn how to use and customize Blender’s sculpting brushes to create fantastic art effortlessly
  • Explore common techniques in Blender 3.0 for creating facial features, clothing, accessories, and more

Description

Sculpting the Blender Way is a detailed step-by-step guide for creating digital art with the latest Blender 3D sculpting features. With over 400 reference images, 18 Sculpting in Action videos, and dozens of 3D sculpture example files, this book is an invaluable resource for traditional and digital sculptors looking to try their hand at sculpting in Blender. The first part of the book will teach you how to navigate Blender's user interface and familiarize yourself with the core workflows, as well as gain an understanding of how the sculpting features work, including basic sculpting, Dyntopo, the Voxel Remesher, QuadriFlow, and Multiresolution. You’ll also learn about a wide range of brushes and all of the latest additions to the sculpting feature set, such as Face Sets, Mesh Filters, and the Cloth brush. The next chapters will show you how to customize these brushes and features to create fantastic 3D sculptures that you can share with the ever-growing Blender community. By the end of this book, you'll have gained a complete understanding of the core sculpting workflows and be able to use Blender to bring your digital characters to life.

Who is this book for?

This book is for artists who want to get started with the exciting new sculpting features in Blender 3D. Whether you have experience using ZBrush or traditional sculpting, or are completely new to sculpting, this book will have something new for you to learn. Prior experience with Blender or other 3D software may be helpful but is not required. However, a graphics tablet from Wacom, XP-Pen, or Huion is highly recommended to be able to follow along the concepts and examples covered in the book.

What you will learn

  • Configure your graphics tablet for use in 3D sculpting
  • Set up Blender's user interface for sculpting
  • Understand the core Blender sculpting workflows
  • Familiarize yourself with Blender's basic sculpting brushes
  • Customize brushes for more advanced workflows
  • Explore high-resolution details with brush alphas and Multiresolution
  • Try out the all-new Cloth brush
  • Render your finished artwork for and make it portfolio-ready

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Jan 28, 2022
Length: 502 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781801071284
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Blender Foundation
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Publication date : Jan 28, 2022
Length: 502 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781801071284
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Blender Foundation
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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
Chapter 1: Exploring Blender's User Interface for Sculpting Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 2: Overview of Blender's Sculpting Workflows Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 3: Sculpting a Simple Character Head with Basic Brushes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 4: How to Make a Base Mesh for a 3D Sculpture Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 5: Learning the Power of Subdivision and the Multiresolution Workflow Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 6: Using Advanced Features and Customizing the Sculpting Brushes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 7: Making Eyeballs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 8: Making Accessories and Clothing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 9: Creating Teeth, Eyebrows, and Hair Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 10: Rendering Sculptures for Your Portfolio Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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Perry Sep 01, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
THIS IS ' VERY NICE BOOK WITH SELF QUIZZES ESY TO FOLLOW WELL WOETH THE MOINEY
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Alexander Hinton Mar 31, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Ok so this is a preliminary review - Will update once I complete all the lessons.I am a relative Blender newbie. Coming from Maya during my formal education, I picked up the author's previous book Blender by Example, and I can 100% claim without a doubt that that book taught me Blender. Xury Greer (the author) has a step by step method of teaching, where he describes every step the student should take next, down to each hotkey and mouse click. He repeats the description throughout the lesson so that the hotkeys and movements taken begin to sink in completely.That really changed my relationship with Blender so I was relieved to see that 'Sculpting the Blender Way' was no different. Xury takes meticulous care to make sure that the reader understands the reason for taking an action or utilizing a tool in blender before asking the reader to replicate the task. It translates into much better outcomes for my work and a much more natural feeling understanding of the sculpting processes in Blender 3.1I will update this review as soon as I have finished the book, but for now, I am really getting a lot out of every minute spent with this text.
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Kindle Customer Jan 29, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I first experienced Xury Greer’s writing on Blender By Example 2nd Edition. He has a laser-focused awareness of his audience, and always presents difficult concepts in a way that makes it easy to understand. Sculpting the Blender Way takes the time to delve into the tiniest buttons that you otherwise might miss and spend hours looking for. This book gives crystal clarity to important technical concepts like poly count, sculpting artifacts, remeshing methods, and subdivision science. The sculpting lessons are also always fun; in chapter 4, he shows you six different ways to get to a base mesh for sculpting, and I bet six different readers would come away gleefully telling you a different answer for which is their favorite. Sculpting the Blender Way also lands at a pivotal moment for Blender’s sculpting interface, as the last few years have seen continuous changes to the UI and best practice workflows. If you were sculpting in Blender 5 years ago and went back into it, you’d be flabbergasted at all the new tools and techniques: face sets, remeshing, pose brushes, the list goes on. Luckily Mr. Greer’s book is ready to help. Also at this time in 3D history, the expensive sculpting program Zbrush was acquired by Maxon, and shortly thereafter they announced the end of updates for perpetual license users. If you’re learning Blender sculpting as part of Zbrush’s user exodus, welcome to your new favorite software. Sculpting the Blender Way is replete with illustrations and demo files, and jumping between the text and the files makes the techniques instantly click. Perhaps best of all, this book is a page turner. Xury’s writing style is clear and informative, but it’s also friendly, entertaining, and conversational, avoiding the dry pitfalls of so many technical books. You won’t just learn to sculpt the Blender way, you’re also going to have a terrific time reading this.
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Laura D. Feb 07, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I got a copy of the book for my high school digital media classroom. It has been a great resource for my 3D animation students and even gotten several other students interested in Blender. The book is very approachable for my high school students. Xury is an outstanding teacher and has translated that enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge of Blender into this book. I would recommend it for any teacher that is looking to turn their students on to sculpting in Blender.
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Mcraig Feb 17, 2022
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As a beginner I'm Learning a lot from this book on sculpting but like everything it take time to develop into who you are as a creative artist. Keep going!!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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