Tutorial Details
- Software: Blender
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Completion Time: 1 hour
- Supporting Files/ Plugins: Blender Keyboard Shortcuts
- Reference Images: Reference Image
Final Product What You'll Be Creating
From the Cgtuts+ archives:
Twice a month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of Cgtuts+. Today we’re taking a look back at Jonathan Williamson’s awesome tutorial on Character Modeling in Blender. This tutorial received a great response when it was originally published back in march of 2010, so if you missed it the first time, why not check it out now.
Character modeling can be a daunting field to get into. Developing a solid character with good design and proper topology takes a lot of work. This tutorial provides an introduction to the many aspects involved with modeling a character in Blender for beginner artists.
Topics covered in this tutorial include:
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By Jonathan Williamson
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Hi thanks for your awesome tutorial, just the first few minutes are more informative and easy to follow than some others that I’ve tried….anyways, I’m used the latest blender 2.55 beta, and I click on View, and the entire menu comes up, except the background image… option that you select…now I can find background image, when I click on Properties…but I cannot figure out how to load the image into Blender.
HELP.
Thanks in advance,
Jeff C
I also noticed some other folks had same question, but didn’t get an answer, or maybe I just didn’t see it?
oh well, later,
jeff c
You have to go into the uv/image editor, click the image button, click new, then browse to you file location.
Then try to use it from the image settings, or you could watch this tutorial =)
http://www.screencast.com/users/Neal/folders/Blender25X/media/e85aaea4-7a4c-4b48-825d-56ec431f69c1
I hope the link works and that this helps you ^^
thanks i’m new to blender that helped me out alot
I loaded the image but nothing appears!
fixed! :D
somehow…
just press space and enter “background” that will get you somewhere. it workd with me
To get the background loaded in Blender 2.5 alpha 2 and later, u must first click view then properties….then scroll down until you see background on the properties menu, check the box next to background..next click the arrow to expand the tab and click add new…then click all views and set view to front…next click the arrow tab next to “not set” and click open to load image…once you have selected your image, hit 5 on your num pad then press one twice and your image will appear…last click view again and select tool shelf so you can close your tool shelf on the left hand side of the screen…then move your mouse to the left of the “Displays Current Editor Type” box until you get a white cross image of you mouse…click the mouse when the white cross appears and drag up, in order to split the screen area…
Hey, after I pressed Shift + H I can only see hands. When I press Shift + H again, then lost everything. What should I do? :((((
Press Alt + H to unhide everything
Hi.
I’m a beginner user of Blender,but i want to create a human character right now.
I followed your instructions,but i had a big problem after the area splitting…
I have two cubes,and two loaded background image,but the two cubes are moving together,to the same direction.
Can you help me,what i need to do? ’cause i can do every other operation,except this.
i hope you can answer to me sooner,or i must delete the program from my PC,if i can’t use it…
Many Thanx from Hungary…
sounds like you forgot to change the view for the second one to show the side
Great tutorial! Really helpful. I just wish we could get that sketch to copy off of.
Can i get an Tutorial Background like yours?
I need a background to
PS:
the background image doesn’t work for me it doesn’t show up :(
yea me 2. all i can find on google images is drawings of naked people.
Scroll to the top of the page and click on “Reference image”, it should be just above “Final Product”
Using Windows: hit [PrtSC], open Paint, paste.
done.
You didn’t say how to get the background image back into in the window on the left side after you were done and ready to start shaping your character model.
It’s frustrating the hell out of me. I can’t find any info on toggling back the background image.
press 1 on the numpad
Greate tutorial!
But what do I do when i want to export my image to send it to my parents?
Thanks!
I used the mirror modifier to make my character, and when I try to disable it, half of my character disappears. :(
Don’t disable the mirror modifier. You need to click the ‘Apply’ button under the mirror modifier when you are finished using it. This will create a complete mesh instead of the half mesh.
Nice tutorial! As a beginner in blender this helps me a lot.
how do u go back to the image view??
Ok I followed everything exactly as you said. Then I go to load the background image but nothing happens. Zip. Nada. I don’t see anything. The reference image won’t show up in blender.
A little late on this. I had the same problem. n You have to be in orthogonal view. Press “5″ on the keypad.
hey, thanks for uploading this tutorial, but i have a problem, it wont play, all i see is a black box =( when i try to download it it wont work either… help me please!
264 mb !? = 1 hour?
That rendered view is Suh-Wheat.
i cant find a good human proportional background in google images, any idea where to find one?
I don’t know much about blender my self, however I do know that if you use http://www.bing.com and specify that you want immages, then all you have to do is type the “ideal proportions of the human figure” and you should get the immage that you want. You may want to shrink it vertically, as is it will make an eight foot tall character and that is a little tall even for a basket ball player
I’m using blender 2.55. I’m hoping you could tell me a few things.
First, what is edit cage? I don’t know where it is in blender 2.55.
Secondly due clipping? I think that was the word but i don’t really know what else it could be.
Thank’s for your help.
Matt.
its hidden as “Clippi” on 2.5due clipping in blender 2.4 is different from it in 2.5.
seriously dude i’ve been tryingto find this out forever
Hi, can anyone help me please.!!!!!
When I use Split Screen, the object doesn’t become independent. They both stay the same, and move the same way. What do i nee to do to get split screen to be separately used….
If anyone Knows the answer please help.
you can also email me Erhn82@hotmail.co.uk…
thanx
Split view doesn’t mean that you have two different objects. You have different views of the same object and they better do the same thing.
awesome tutorial…
but i have one big question here…
in that video, you had transform the view (like you teach at the first timing, you teach transformation)
nah, when you do that transform, you can back to the top view easily…
i mean, you doesn’t have to press Alt+left click and drag to turning back to the top view…
how you do that ?
to bring the view back to the top….?
Great tutorial! Thank you for all the hard work. I have already produced a model that i am proud of thanks to the tricks you displayed here.
Great tutorial! Thanks!
Good tutorial, but this one was made for Blender 2.49b. Do you have one for Blender 2.56.
If I pay for premium membership will I get better described tutorials. I am a bit afraid to cg tuts is a bit too advanced for me. What do you think.
:)
How do you make it so the work you do on one side happens on the other?
I like how you were talking about making it “Look and feel more natural” when you were modeling the buttocks :P
Great tut, thanks :)
how did you get the cubes to be slightly invisible so you could see the background image?
This tutorial was great for beginners (which I am). Being able to see things in real time helped a lot and I appreciate that you took the time to put it together!
Thank you!
Hey, please help me and don’t ignore others with the same problem.
When I import the background it only shows it in the Camera View mode, please help me fix this.
Thank you.
I have this problem too – does anybody know what’s happening?
i’m beginner using blinder, but my main terget is use my blinder to design car boby.
but i dont know how to start using tools on the screen, please reffer me to approprate manual.
I am new to blender and I made a object with the mirror modifier and added a armature to the body but does anyone know if you can disable or merge the two sides so that the both sides can make one full mesh for moving legs during pose mode?
so i just started using blender and im kinda getting the hang of it..i did run into a small problem however..at the 17:35ish mark..the edge slide..it simply wouldnt work for me..the next inside line would slide..but not the one chosen in the video..my screen would go black..with a red wire frame..and the background image would vanish..then i would wave the mouse and all would reappear..with no sliding of the line..im sure there is another way to round out the model..but this seems easiest..please help..
how do you make the cube go transparent? it is bugging me that i cant see the photo under it
Thanks =D
Hey, i started working through this tutorial. This is the first one I’m doing and since I’m using 2.56 beta its been pretty tough going. But i perservered for a while and now got stuck. I’m to the point where i have sized the box and moved it to the torso, and am about to start shaping it, but whenever i press B and try to select multiple verticies, i end up with only one selected. Is there something i have to check so when I use the box select i can select more than one? Its really frustrating. Anyways, Thanks for the answer in advance.
Also, is there a simple figure tutorial like this on 2.5+ ?? if anyone knows, please let me know… Thanks again
Me Too. please email me a link at hh.chaseurdreamz@gmail.com
yes man this is the nice video clip we have lean many things thanks to all
i got the problem to open the FEI file because went i open file>import i did’t see any Fei file support please help me because i need to edit my Pes 2011 face
Hi fellows I need to ask q.
When I start to modelling I put the square background image is gone so how can I get back background image please this so important for me please asap answerrrr
hi again
How to square become a transparent for on drawing body ?
he is makin something and square becomes transparent
how ?!!!!!
I’ve gone through the Vid two times now, and I think the tool is called “Rip”
Actually, he is pressing “Z”, and that is what makes the mesh transparent.
Where do you find due clipping and edit cage on 2.56 beta
“…the easiest way to think of topology is the structure of your mess— *mesh…” hehe ^.^
Great tut, really helpful :D
Hi,
Thanks for this tutorial. Awesome job.
I finally have a clue how to use blender.
Hello Jonathan, congrats for your great tutorial! it’s very useful!
I’ve been following it until i can’t continue because of i can’t make the face loop cut around the whole body in 24:05. I hit CTRL+R and I don’t get the pink line to round the body.
I’m using blender 2.57 and this is my source file: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3JXQM08H
I’ll apreciate any help.
Thanks
Hi can someone send me a video where it tells you how to set up your work space like the tabs below on this video. Thanks!!!
Hi! Fairly new to blender here, and I’m doing pretty well with the orientation, only I cant seem to find the modifiers? I’m using the latest version of blender.
Thanks in advance!
~Xx Naz
you rock this explains so much to me that i was missing Thank You very much for this very informative tutorial. be being a coder and my artist got a real gig left me with out an artist for my work. now i can do some base prototyping myself and get it to the alpha and possibly beta stages. having abundance of code but no models to work with makes it rather annoying to work out bugs. Yay progress on my game.
Hi,
It is really a nice tutorial coz in an instant i learn easily but i wanna know what version of blender did you used on the tutorial coz i really found a hard time looking for some functionalities like the mirror and how to add background image and also how to free scroll the model on the version 2.56 beta which i used now. And there are few functionalities which are barely hard to find…So can you please help me coz im developing a character for our game using blender…
Thanks,
best regards to everyone..
where did u get the sketch
I don’t have right click. I have a mac how do i access those options
wow, you really care about details, don’t you?
But awesome tut anyway, not that i could follow you, just downloaded blender, but still a nice tut, thnx for helping people
Is this on Youtube? I’m on dialup and if I want to even consider watching it I’ll need to do it at 240p, which youtube allows, but your player doesn’t.
thanks for your tutorial i m french and you explain very well ,i not great in english but i understand what you say ,your tutorial is amazing thank a lot
continue your free tuto for we, the beginner
I’ve gotten 20 mins in using 2.56 beta, but now when I try to extrude the bottom ring to start on the legs the ring separates into 2 parts right down the middle. Is this because of something with the mirror modifier or is it something I’m doing? I’ve tried this tutorial twice and got stuck at the same point last time. I’m in no hurry for a reply, but I plan to learn as much as I can about blender over the summer so…
any help would be appreciated.
PS. I don’t care if I have to start over again as long as I find out why this keeps happening. Oh yeah and for some reason middle clicking doesn’t do anything. I can middle click on the mouse fine and use the scroll wheel, but I never see anything happening when I middle click.
264 MB … don’t you have any mercy on dial up users ????