PRODUCTION / Using Blender as Reference Collection
This is a neat little technique that I'd like to share with you, that I learned from James Neale (Character Mill 3D Studio) to use Blender as PRESENTATION TOOL.
The Character Mill - http://charactermill.com/
Anyone who looks at Blender UI properly will learn and understand the flexibility of Blender in term of UI and Layout.
You can easily split and merge UI Layout to your heart contents. You could "strip out" any Panel that you don't need, and only have a single Panel to do just one thing.
This is exactly what I mean as having Blender in your pocket (USB) at all time, just like your MacGyver Swiss Army!
THE FLEXIBLE BLEND FILE FORMAT
Little that general public know, is how uber flexible Blender file format actually is. The Blender BLEND file document is actually a very organized folder or container of many elements.
You will eventually realize this when you want to do object referencing and you are seeing Blender file as folder structure. We can import the whole Blender Scene from other file, or you can be more specific like importing Group object, or other elements (Lamp, Object, etc).
Watch about Linked Library and Referencing and "Edit Linked Library Addon" from this video tutorial by Reynante Martinez:
Using the Edit Linked Library Addon
Inside a single BLEND file, we could have multiple Scenes (like "takes" in Houdini) that you can link and reference for final render or compositing.
For every BLEND file you created, you are also saving the custom LAYOUT with it. Which means, whenever you send the BLEND files to other Blender artists, your friend, or clients, ask them to open it using Blender (which is of course free and easy to install on any computer), and they will open the Blender file exactly the same layout as you are seeing on your computer.
This is of course optional. When you open Blend files, you can enable or disable this by checking the "Load UI". If you are opening a really old Blender files, from year 2000, you want to have the current UI layout, not the old layout. Old Blend file as far back is still backward compatible, which is amazing.
More over, Blender file actually display a nice thumbnails of 3D screenshots, on your normal File Browser.
Blend files also can compress and uncompress when needed, which is why the file is small.
CUSTOMIZING BLENDER LAYOUT
Blender comes with some Layout Presets that you can use. However, you can easily make your own layout.
Each Panel in Blender is a different environment where you can focus on certain task, however, they are also interconnected and linked with each other. Some panel tab can be pinned.
To keep it simpe, here are 2 Blender Panels that we can use as REFERENCE COLLECTION / PRESENTATION:
- UV/Image Editor.
- Video Sequence Editor.
This is again something that is kind of obvious, but not really :) thanks to James Neale for presenting and sharing this technique!
UV/Image Editor => As Reference Collections
Inside UV/Image Editor panel, you can open photos, images or even videos. You can zoom in and out using your mouse scroll wheel, or enlarge the whole panel using CTRL + Arrow UP or DOWN (maximize toggle)
If you already have layout like above, you can easily create DUPLICATE of that layout and then re-arrange and set to different image. If you have multiple layouts, you can then use CTRL + ARROW LEFT or RIGHT to quickly switch between layouts.
IMPORTANT:
The images that your are opening and viewing inside the UV/Image Editor is actually LIVE. So, if you paint or draw and save it, it will actually save it to the original file. You don't want to paint and save.
So, T gives your TOOLSHELF panel, and then you can change the panel into Blender Image Editing Paint Mode, and you can draw on top. Just be careful not to save to original, unless you want to do so.
 |
| Blender 2D Paint Mode. Like Photoshop, just need layers. |
However, I usually like the BLEND files to be separate from the original files. It keeps the BLEND files small and portable. We can have images in the server or protected HDD that you carry around.
If you pack the images and send the big BLEND file to your client. Your client can always unpack the images, only if they need/allowed to to.
VSE => Video Players (and Converter)
 |
| Kyari Pamyu Pamyu Polar Bear. I am a JPOP fan. |
If you have video reference for your animation, you can use Blender to playback and investigate. Creating 3D animatic or previz and then you can use and mark important sequence. Great for thinking about timing for your animation or shots.
LEFT and RIGHT ARROW = to step back frame by frame.
You can actually create some MARKERS (M) and then mark on the timeline.
OTHER STUFFS
There are exhaustively A LOT of Blender features as it is. We can talk all day just to demo and display the panels and UI.If you have some awesome or enough knowledge of programming in Python, you can turn Blender into anything (related to Computer Graphics) via its scripting capability.
- Blender as MP3 music player or RSS Viewer:
http://www.blendernation.com/2014/03/28/music-rss-feed-in-blender/
BLENDER HOTKEYS INSIDE FILE BROWSER
Sometimes there are HOTKEYS that kind of hidden. Such as inside the File Browser, to RENAME a FOLDER, you use CTRL + LMB.
You can use A to select all.
Spacebar tap to call commands via list is actually available.
