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DreamNoms In reply to TheJudgeX [2020-02-05 00:11:23 +0000 UTC]

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TheJudgeX In reply to DreamNoms [2020-02-05 01:13:44 +0000 UTC]

Funny, that pretty much the only modifier I never use ( except for that mustache I made once)!

I though a displace modifier was used because of the top of Minka head. Then again, I guess it would be simpler with mesh edit mode shape key.

Wait...if you don't use modifier, how can you rig something?

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DreamNoms In reply to TheJudgeX [2020-02-05 15:20:26 +0000 UTC]

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TheJudgeX In reply to DreamNoms [2020-02-05 15:41:03 +0000 UTC]

Ah, the reason I don't use the mirror modifier is simple, the ''merging'' part in between can cause a lot of problems with the freestyle. Besides, I try to favor duplication of objects, since I often use poly-objects instead over monobloc meshes.Besides,I try , as much as possible, to use simple primitive like sphere, cube and such, which have already a symmetrical base shape
When I need to make a modification, I try selecting the same spot on both sides ( quad view really helps) so, the modification will be the same on both sides.
True, I could try using it a bit more, it,s just I'm not very used to it.I'll keep that in mind.

Rigging without armature? Hmm...Well, I guess TECHNICALLY someone could do it with shape key, but that would be just ridiculous complex.

Oh, you use lattice? I've only used it once as a linear solidifier. What do you use it for?

BTW,about displace modifier, I found a method to use it in a very....interesting way. To create a much more beautiful ''transitional grassline'' near automatically. It,s true it's mostly for large scale, but I did use it  for smaller objects. For instance, lightning bolts. Displacement is essential for that sort of thing. It can also be use for my dynamic boolean eyes method.

Subsurf?Oh, that's one I try to avoid as much as possible. It's great, but it KILLS rendering and previewing time. I just subdivide the mesh in the edit mode so blender won't have to recalculate all the time.

Anyway, enough of me rambling on, but I too really enjoy these conversations.

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DreamNoms In reply to TheJudgeX [2020-02-05 22:54:35 +0000 UTC]

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TheJudgeX In reply to DreamNoms [2020-02-06 00:51:50 +0000 UTC]

X-mirror function in the option menu?!?What the....never heard of that! Please tell me more.
I just duplicate and rotate ( although, fun fact, if i rotate in the +180, there's no problem for the rigging, but if I rotate -180, even though it gives the same result, all hell break loose in the rigging)

I don't use the new Blender 2.8, mainly because they got rid of the internal rendering engine. And besides, I don't know for you, but i found their new interface display a bit...confusing.Too many gizmos and nothing is properly organized.

Yeah, I heard about using lattice( combined with shrinkwrap I suppose) to create irises and pupils. problem with that is the shape gets deformed when it gets too close to the edge, that why I still go with dynamic bollean, it work regardless of the shape of the eye.Even with real eyesockets( like a human model). 
Now that you mention it, I never thought of adding shape key to lattice. I wonder what I could do with that?

Ah! You want to hear about my displacement methods?What part in particular?

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DreamNoms In reply to TheJudgeX [2020-02-06 02:34:27 +0000 UTC]

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TheJudgeX In reply to DreamNoms [2020-02-06 17:30:45 +0000 UTC]

Long message are fine?

You asked for it!


Okay, the transitional grassline method.
Something I developped for making backgrounds easy.

You see, when making a grass field, you want to get a ''grassy'' feeling to it.Otherwise it just feels flat. Sure, the logical way would be to have a particle hair system, but that would requires millions of particles.Just the thought of that will make any normal computer sprout legs and run away for it's life.Blender will just freeze. So, obviously, you have to give the ''illusion'' that the field is really grassy without making it so.

The easiest way I've found was though texture. hand made texture that give a somewhat grassy feeling to the field.

If your background is ONLY a grass field, then you are fine, but what happens when you have a dirt road,or a beach, or any sort of background change?

The texture is instantly going to fall flat at the transistion point.It's going to show and be VERY ugly.

That where the transitional grass method comes in play.

Step one: Create a fluid border.

In real line, terrain change are never flat. you don't go from a green grass to rough dirt like you've drawn a flat line, it,s a rough edge, with twisty turns in it, and part poking in and out. It has to be fluid, wavy even.

So, while one could move vertex by vertex to try to make a fluid line. It's ridiculously long and dosen't give great results( I tried...).
So, to make it surper easy and simple, here,s what you do.

You must have two object: one for the dirt road( or whatever you want), and one for the grass field.The dirt one will generally be a cube ( or at least temporary) and the grass one must be a plane( on at the very least a very THIN cube). This last step is essetntial for step two.

You put the grass plane sligthly above the dirt cube and give it a VEEERRRRY small angle ( there are way to avoid this, but for now I'll stay simple) so that in enters the cube.The transition is still a flat line, but it won't stay that way for long.You can move the plane up or down to adjust the position of the transition.

Then, you create a texture, not a material texture, just a texture. A cloud texture will do fine.
Make sure your grass plane is enough sudivided (4-5 times should do it, depending on the size, it shouldn't slow the computer any way).
Then, add a ''displace'' modifier and set it to texture displacement with the cloud texture that was generated.The plane will go all weird, like it's a spectrograph. That's because the intenisty is too high, just set it to a VEEERRY small intensity.You will then notice that the transition between the grass and the dirt has become very fluid, almost randomized, and that because of the bumps.It means that some part transition with the ground earlier than before, it's really easy and fluid.Giving it a wavy pattern. You can play with the displacement, the textures settings and the height of the plane to give different randoms lines. It's super easy.

Now, we could stop there, but there is still one problem, even thought the tranistion is fluid, it's still a rough transition, between grass and ground, breaking the grassy feeeling of the grass field. So we have to find a way to ''cover'' the transition.

which means; step two.

Step Two: Transitional grassline.

As I said before, covering the entire field with particles isn't possible , but covering the transition between grass and ground is totally feasible.

Problem, creating a hair system for a flat line would be easy, but how to create particles that will only follow the border of that randomized transition?

That where stuff gets a little weird, so please bear with me.

You need to create an object that will follow the exact transition. And there is a super easy way to do that.All you need to do is duplicate the grass plane. then you need to use a bollean modifer to interesect it with the ground cube. 

Then you use a z-axis displacement at minimal strenght ( no texture).

Displacement moves the object in the given direction; normal is used for bumps maps, but a displace modifier in the z-axis will move the object just a few pixels, and that's what we want.Solidify could also works in there.

Then, you RE-use a bollean modifier to substract the ground cube. That mean that what left of the new object is only a VERY small mesh follwing the transition of the grassline.Bingo.

Now, you apply the modifiers ( particles won't work otherwise) on the new objects, and you add a particle hair system. 6000-8000 hair should do the trick, and you use whatever grass model you have as a object to render. ( Just so you know, there is a grass model generator add-on).

And now: ta-dah! The grass particles border will gives the rest of the grass field the illusion it is all grassy, and cover perfectly the curvy transition between grass and ground!

Time to normally implement this :30-40 seconds, tops.

So that's the basic of the transitional grass line method, for making faster and better outdoor scenes!

I hope what I wrote made any sense. 
If you want, I can send you a file to show you an exemple. It's super easy.

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DreamNoms In reply to TheJudgeX [2020-02-11 03:23:46 +0000 UTC]

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