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I would love this. It would certainly solve the problem some programs seem to have when it can't find a particular .dll and I have to go track it down and figure out why it can't see the one that I have or go find the one that is missing, or figure out if I have the latest version.
That is a good example, but it even goes farther then that. Sometimes a shared dll will update and break some applications that depend on it since there is a conflict with those applications and the changes of the updated dll. Now the operating systems do offer a way to specify a specific dll by including the dll in the applications folder thereby overriding the 'shared' dll for that application, but many applications don't do that. They will often rely on the shared version and end up breaking at times. In the end, it's just a mess that could be averted.
Thanks, I missed that.
Cris:
I have played with it, but never really done any production work with it. I have SenseiFormat versions of Blender working side by side with default Blender (as Gedd has pointed out), but I also have an old version of a stand-alone Zero Brush from a few years back that is considered the lite version. It is installed as an add-on into a default Blender.
It really isn't for Poser/DS style production use due to the fact that it is mostly scripting to accomplish a series of actions in one click under the hood, but that you could just do yourself (or write a script yourself) for painting. It performs a series of things needed to do to paint on a mesh (UV, setup texture, texture size, etc.). That's the selling point. You just click the Zero Brush paint button, and you go right to painting. You don't have to perform the setup.
Now, here is why I say it is not really for Poser/DS. It creates an Atlas style UV mapping (Auto-UV mapped) like the ones created in Sculptris, or Blacksmith3D, which is only good for 3D painting. You do not have the great, seamed UV mapping for easy 2D painting that is expected in Poserverse, and third-party texture artists, as well as customers, would not be happy with the UV's. That's not to say you can't add your own mapping, but that kind of negates the whole idea behind Zero Brush in the first place.
Sensei Format is fun to play in, but you have to learn to use Blender all over again in a very different way. He hard-coded a lot of changes by switching out modules, so it's not easy to just reassign shortcuts or functions back to your liking. You can at face value, and even save a new startup file, but you will find that when you start it up again, his module coding supercedes any changes you make and defaults to his system. You would have to make permanent changes in the Python modules.
Thank you, that is good information. :)
Yes thanks, that is good information.
It seems that some might still find it faster for doing certain tasks due to the shortcuts mentioned and the fact that a lot of the tools seem to be collected together a little more cohesively then in Blender itself at the moment (for sculpting, painting...) But do the bulk of their work in the regular version of Blender (modeling, baking of textures.) The main problem with this is different shortcuts. I'm not sure how much of an issue that would be if splitting tasks between the two different versions.
The whole remapping of shortcuts has been the main reason I haven't played with it in depth yet as I want to nail down much of my own workflow before confusing it with that.
I am looking at redefining a number of the shortcuts eventually, but when I do that it will be one of my own design, integrated into some other changes. Specifically, I've changed to left click select (after many years) and want to move to right click context sensitive menus as it just makes more sense to me. Placing the 3D cursor should be a deliberate action that shouldn't happen every time I tap my pen on my tablet I've decided but only when I actually want to move it. Another shortcut combination will serve better for that and will free up left-right click for a more standardized setup. and... I really miss right click context sensitive menus.
The reason for the last paragraph is that I wonder how many others that type of setup would make sense for, or if it's just me.
I have left click set to select/grab (every time I turned off the default translate feature I suddenly found myself obscurely missing it despite only ever using it by accident) middle click set to pan/scroll, mousewheel for zoom, right click for rotate camera. I moved set cursor to.. shift middle click I believe though I never place it manually with the mouse, only transform/snap whatever it's called.
I thought the default right click to select was bizarre and made no sense at all, especially to any new user familiar with basically all computer programs, since you open Blender for the first time, and all left clicking seems to do is move some weird cursor around and nothing else. I rebound the camera functions because I was sick of having to hold shift just to navigate.
One of the changes I am looking to implement at some point has to do with incorporating two fundamental ways of modifying an action that get overlooked by not only new users but many experienced users.
One is the section at the bottom of the tools panel that appears every time we are performing an action that allows us to modify that action. That area allows us to define how many segments and rings are created when creating a sphere for instance, which many people use, but there are many features that show up in that panel that most people don't even think to look at, such as the 'align to view' checkbox. On other actions, the available options are extensive and totally overlooked.
Another area is the text that replaces the menu bar at the bottom of the 3D Window that informs us of modifier shortcut keys such as the axis modifier key when translating an object. This again is something that people use all of the time, but if we actually were to look at that text (most don't) we'd find a lot of modifier keys that would drastically enhance our workflow.
The real problem with both of these examples is that they break basic interface design in that they are much more fundamental in what they provide then what attention they get in the interface, so that what they provide gets lost.
What I would do to fix this is to redo the shortcut keys so that a single shortcut key like g for grab would do a common default action, ctl+g would bring up a context sensitive menu with options, those options with underlined letters to allow fast keying through the options, and alt+g to be reserved for common alternatives on a menu.
While people would argue that there aren't enough shortcut keys to do this, I would counter that if the shortcut keys were properly pared down to ones that made sense in most workflows along with proper context, i.e. sculpting keys for sculpting, modeling keys for modeling* then there should be plenty of keys available. After all, no one is going to remember that many keys once we run out. The real challeng is to make the keys make more sense so that we can store them more efficiently. The hodgepodge use of keys we have are almost impossible for most people to remember more then just the most basic and common of keys unless Blender is the main program one uses every day.
None of this obviates the need for a full and well designed menu system of course. It's just that the menu system is actually not as bad but rather people just don't use it as much. As to the menu system, the real issue is having menu bars that appear haphazardly at the top or the bottom of windows and the concept of a multiple window interface combined with panels (tools, numeric) that are confusing to anyone new to Blender.
* Yes, Blender does do this already to some extent, but closer look at the assignment of shortcut keys will reveal to most that it is a very haphazard approach I believe. This is not anything negative about the Blender team btw, as resources spent on development is always a balancing act.
I do use both of those functions quite a lot. It bugs me that the context tool disappears after creation (so for example if you make a sphere you can't later set it to be a different absolute radius, but I understand why this isn't so feasible.) and the shortcut hints when they do appear have been a great help for me.
Also, I've figured out the mystery of the disappearing paint surface in edit/object mode! It seems that when you use "textured solid" it only uses what is defined by the UV map(s) and completely ignores the texture slot. Random weird chaotic things still happening with multiple UV maps on one object but I finally figured out how to get a multi-UV figure assigned and viewable in all of the modes! Still can't get eyebrow trans to show but I haven't looked into that one yet.
Quick question. Does anyone else think changing an object's origin is overly convoluted in Blender?
I am just learning modelling with Blender and was interested in using Marvelous Designer to create clothes and then import into Blender to complete them. Is this possible as I noticed that MD makes the geometry triangles, how can you convert this to proper geometry to use in Daz Studio? Do any of you use MD together with Blender?
In what way is it convoluted, Gedd?
@Kharma: MD actually tesselates...it's a kind of flower pattern of triangels which makes it exceptionally difficult to edit mesh in regular 3D programs. The newest versions of MD try to quadranulate their mesh. Successful in some places, not so much in others. Some people use ZBrush's ZRemesher. I would not recommend using Blender's Remesher. It simply makes the mesh quads without regard to topology. ZBrush's ZRemesher has better algorithms and can be further assisted with guides. Nothing, however, beats doing your own retopology as you completely direct the edge flow.
MD and then https://cgcookiemarkets.com/all-products/retopoflow/ is an idea I've been curious about, but I don't have MD at the moment.
Retopoflow is a great set of retopology tools.
@Cris Palomino So it is better just to learn to create your own mesh from scratch? So far I've only watched some videos on how MD works and when I saw the triangular mesh I wondered how you would convert it to a proper quad mesh.
So, I'm in the middle of the woods with really spotty and intermittent wifi (and okay, getting any wifi at all really lowers my "roughing it" quotient) but hnngg... my life is now complete
Cris:
The Zero Brush add-on was actually installed on my workhorse 2.71. I saw it today when I was doing morph target work, and gave it a quick play.
I forgot one good aspect of it is it does respect already created UV's as evidence in my screenshot below. However, it appears to treat the UV based on sub-meshes. The mesh is comprised of five sub-meshes, but all sharing the same UV.
So, my earlier assessment of working with it for Poserverse is wrong. As long as you create your UV's first, and not depend on ZB's auto-UV, it would be a vialbe tool for painting Poser/DS meshes. I would suggest downloading, and trying Sensei Format just to see how you like working with Zero Brush, and then making a decision to purchase the stand-alone add-on from there. I believe the lite version is what is available in SF, but will give you a taste of what can be accomplished.
Zero Brush Lite add-on in Blender 2.71:
Gedd:
I use left click select with a right click context sensitive menus add-on in the pre-trunk pie menus 2.71 build. Coming from Wings3D for modeling, I was used to right click menus, so I really missed that aspect in Blender until I found the add-on. That is why it is my workhorse, and I like the pre-trunk pie menus better than the trunk version.
You have a lot of great ideas for your build. I think a lot of new users would appreciate what you are trying to accomplish.
Yes I used the Pie menus for a little while but quickly realized I would have to redo them to suite the concept of what I would consider efficient so I put them aside temporarily.
Thanks, I put a lot of thought into interface design and usability. With my background as a trainer my perspective is based on what I have seen in the field for how people seem to best interact in general.
re: resetting the origin point...
For multiple reasons. It takes two disjointed sets of actions, setting the 3D Cursor then setting the origin to the 3D Cursor. Setting the 3D cursor using the snap menu might be fine, but it's one area that does require a shortcut. There is no menu option I know of for snapping the 3D cursor so one has to look up the snap menu if they don't remember it. Setting the 3D cursor requires going into edit mode on an object usually then selecting a set of vertices, faces or edges that require a certain level of understanding to place precisely so it's not really new person friendly. After all of that is done, one has to either remember a 4-key shortcut, somewhat esoteric, or go to the tools panel... but wait... no set origin... because, we also have to remember to go out of edit mode to see the 'set origin' button on the tools panel. Trying to remember all of that is way over complicated it seems for something that should be relatively straightforward given that it's infrequent enough that remembering all of that can be challenging, but often enough (and important enough when we do need to do it) that it can be a real pain. Add to all of that, how often do people refer to resetting the origin? Since it isn't part of common parlance in a 3D discussion, people tend to forget it's even called 'specifically' origin*. Without remembering the specific name, the spacebar search function won't help.
* Based on the many times I've researched it because I've forgotten pretty regularly over the years (old timers disease) and I see that others have the same issues in forums at times. I just wonder if it's my dumb luck to be finding others like me who have had issues with it or if it's a general issue.
The thing about resetting the origin is related to a thought rumbling in the back of my mind related to interface design.
There are the somewhat obvious rules like less clicks is more for commonly repeated functions, and hierarchical levels of the interface based on use, but there is this other category out there of not commonly used functions we need to perform that are part of an overarching process when we do perform them. Where that specific function is important and any complicating of it really complicates the overarching process we are attempting to do since it requires more thought then it should and drains our mental resources from the main process.
It's a hypothesis at this point. That's the reason I was asking if others are running into the issue even.
Over the past few months I have been finally coming to grips with Blender but I have to admit that resetting or moving the origin of an object is the only thing I still actively dislike about Blender. Although Blender is taking up a bigger and bigger part of my workflow , I still use Carrara a lot and in Carrara I can click one button to move the hotpoint to the center of the object, or one button to center the object on the hotpoint, or click caps lock and move the hotpoint around as if it were its own object, or set its location numerically. All very simple and intuitive. In Blender the only way I can ever remember to do it is going into edit mode and moving the vertices around, which is far from precise.
If I want the origin in a specific area, I select vertices or whatever in Edit Mode and then shift s (snap to? transform? I forget the name of the menu) to set the 3D Cursor to the selection and then have to exit to Object mode and go through the menus to Object > Transform > Origin to Cursor (or Geometry or wherever) which is ... a way too long and stupid process.
When I started using Blender I didn't know about "applying" transformations or anything and had no idea why I got weird measurement results and things at times or various modifiers gave random results that made no sense. Eventually I learned it was because of where the origin was and that it didn't move and did everything in Edit Mode from then on. It's only recently that I've actually started moving the origin to do things but it's still a far too long process.
I've really learnt quite a bit about Blender in the past couple of days. But there's something in Hexagon which makes deleting certain areas of a mesh easier, and I was wondering if it was possible in Blender (although, I'm not sure what it's called).
C brings up a similar selection brush type thing, uhh x for delete menu and delete vertices? Not sure if that's the same effect you're going for.
Fun tip that might be super obvious but that I forgot about. Instead of spending hours in the keybindings menu as I did, if you want a command on a keybind, just find it in a menu and right click it and there's an add shortcut option >.>
Hit C for "paint" style selection, mouse wheel up/down to change the size, create your selection, right mouse to exit selection mode, then X to delete.
I knew it was possible, but I couldn't find the tutorial that I was using. As for shortcuts and keys... I'm not that advance. Although, (right now) I'm not sure that I'll ever be that advanced.
Thanks for the help ^^
For me, I had to hotkey or bust with Blender. So many options spread over the UI itself that it was the only way I could get anything done. lol I don't even have the foggiest clue where the paint style selection toggle button is actually located.
Well when in edit mode, b is box select and c is circle select. Some of Blender's shortcut keys, most of the main ones, have relatively easy to remember letters such as s for scale, r for rotate, g for grab...
Some great awesomeness will coming to Blender 2.78 - hardware support for NVidia GTX 1060, 1070, 1080 GPUs in Cycles.
https://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:Ref/Release_Notes/2.78/Cycles
A lot of great features. For anyone who hasn't taken the time to look at the link Artini posted, here are some reasons you might want to.
Since Blender runs self contained in it's folder, we can run 2.78rc along side of 2.77 and not worry about any interferance or conflicts.