The COMPLETE KSP Blender Tutorial! [Video Back!]

[Luigibro606]

Ok, i\'ll give this a go. Time to make teh testcubez.

Edit: Skipped testcube lol, but got confused and gave up. >.>

I\'ll try again tomorrow.

[Technical Ben]

Ok. I\'ll redo the video tutorial at the weekend. Was mainly to test out Youtube, and see if it worked. I did however accidentally add music. So I\'ll cut that from the next one, else do a longer slower vid. That should make it easier to follow.

[sarkun]

LOL, I was thinking lately that KSP may be the thing that will finally make me learn some modeling and when I saw your tutorial (nicely done btw) i decided to give it a go.

But, since I\'m on a mac I don\'t have a middle button on my mouse, nor the numpad on my keyboard. Hooking up a wacom tablet also doesn\'t let me navigate the view. So after 15 minutes I\'m about to give up.

Multiplatform my butt. :-\

[Howson]

I need some help

Picture says it all. Modeling nozzle is quite easy, I just need to know how to add the bits and bobs

[Technical Ben]

LOL, I was thinking lately that KSP may be the thing that will finally make me learn some modeling and when I saw your tutorial (nicely done btw) i decided to give it a go.

But, since I\'m on a mac I don\'t have a middle button on my mouse, nor the numpad on my keyboard. Hooking up a wacom tablet also doesn\'t let me navigate the view. So after 15 minutes I\'m about to give up.

Multiplatform my butt. :-\

I\'ve not had a chance to skim over the controls for MAC just yet, but this is the list...

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro/Hot_Keys#Universal_HotKeys

[Edit]

To turn on compatibility, go to 'File:User Preferences: Input'. Then Click 'Emulate 3 button Mouse'. Now, you can press 'Alt-Left mouse button' to rotate and orbit.

As said, I will redo the tutorial again ASAP to make it even clearer.

Howson. For extra meshes: Go to 'object mode' (Tab) then click 'Add' (Top of the screen menu) and add the shape you want. Size and scale the object. If you want to duplicate it (and have all duplicates copy the changes) you can press 'Alt-D'. Then you can use the rotate/scale/translate (move) options to put it in the location you want.

You will now have quite a few objects. So when you want to export, select them all (while in object mode) and press 'ctrl-j' to 'join' them into one part. If you want a gimbal engine, you need 2 parts. One for the base, and one for the gimbal. I\'m not sure what you name the gimbals though... I\'ll have to check.

[Tiberion]

Your video was pretty helpful; I made myself a 2m tank using it.

I have some problems though:

http://i.imgur.com/MpHcl.jpg

As you can see, even though I spawned the cylinder to 24x2mx8m it comes out much larger - the small tank is the diameter its supposed to be.

Also, I am not sure how to smooth the faces on the cylinder - I selected them and used 'smooth' under mesh adjustments, which worked - except now they have that weird lighting/shading on them.

So I need more info on smoothing/lighting - the texturemapping is working, just not the shading.

Also in partlab it has an error while loading:

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object

The Collider mesh is working right too, and the attachment points.

[Technical Ben]

Not sure about the partlab error. As long as it works in game. Perhaps it\'s trying to load up the camera/light to the scene? Don\'t worry about deleting them, as KSP 0.13 will remove all that stuff automatically anyhow (new model loader).

For the smoothing, the easiest way is to go to the menu on the properties menu to the right (where textures etc are) then: go to the 'object data' button (the upside down triangle) and select 'auto smooth'. This worked last time I used it.

The other way is to select some faces, mark them as flat, others as smooth. You also need to mark edges as sharp and not sharp. Sharp edges should be put at the bottom of cylinders to stop that weird shading on them. This takes a while though, so auto smooth should be quicker.

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.5/Manual/Modeling/Meshes/Smoothing

For the size, I think you pressed '2 radius' instead of '1 radius'. As it doubles the radius to equal the diameter. So a 2m part is actually a 1m radius on*. Just resize it to 50% width and 50% depth with the scale tool. Hope that works.

*I\'ve double checked this with my parts... a parachute is 0.25m radius (0.5 diameter, or length/depth) a tank is 0.5m radius (so 1m diameter) and you need 1m radius for 2m diameter.

[Tiberion]

duh, I just saw the radius label.

Sometimes I\'m pretty dumb.

[Technical Ben]

Easy mistake to make. When working on a file, it does not matter, because if you double everything, well... it still fits on your screen ok. It\'s only when exporting/importing that these things start to become apparent. It\'s especially confusing when Blender does everything 'different' to the other software I\'ve used. For example the smoothing, most the programs I use do it automatically. Blender, you need to kick into place. =P

They would probably use the excuse 'oh, but some people don\'t want smoothing on automatically'. Well, some people don\'t want a cube in the middle of the screen on load up.... and what did they go and do!? :-\

[Tiberion]

So, autosmooth doesn\'t seem to work on the cylinder.

Before I was highlighting the faces on the cylinder\'s sides and smoothing those, it worked but it causes the weirdness with the light on the whole tank.

What needs to be a hard edge? the rim of both endcaps?

[Technical Ben]

The rim of the end caps. You can leave the points in the middle of the rim.

I agree the 'auto smooth' seems to be acting weird. I got it to work just this week. I think a button needs to be pressed to 'apply' it. It works so weird.

A temporary quick fix is to go to 'modifiers' (the spanner icon) and select 'Add Modifier' then 'Generate: Edge Split'. This does the same automatic smoothing/sharpness, but actually disconnects the parts we want to not be smooth. The 'smooth tool' is suppose to do it without disconnecting the parts though.

I guess Blender has more detail in the tools, I\'ve only ever had the option to have 'smooth' polygons. Blender allows you to also define edges. But it\'s only a good tool if it works.

[edit]

Ok, it looks like 'auto smooth' only applies to the rendering of images in Blender. In previous software I used, it did (or at least could) apply to the actual smoothing of the model too (the same as we are doing with 'set smooth' and 'set flat') just automatically. So, we will have to do it all by hand for now, and actually separate any surfaces we need to not combine the smoothing.

TL:DR version. Use the modifier 'Edge Split' and it will automatically separate the top and bottom of the cylinder. Else we will have to separate the surfaces by hand.

[GeorgeTirebiter]

The 'auto smooth' option (like 'double sided' next to it) is only supposed to apply during rendering, so it\'s odd that it had any effect at all on the exported mesh.

The Edge Split modifier really is the best method of controlling smoothing, and it doesn\'t actually change the mesh until you 'apply' it. I do that just before exporting and don\'t save the changed mesh so it\'s still easy to edit.

[Tiberion]

I finally got the normal map to apply in a non-perpendicular way.

Once I did an edge split modify, I hit CTRL+A (from Object mode only) to bring up the apply menu, and did 'Rotation and Scale'

This closed up some of the weirdness from the scaling we do early on.

Then I can use the mesh tools to recalculate normals, and apply auto-smoothing.

After that, the exported DAE file had proper lighting

Hopefully you can add that to your video (which was super useful to me btw)

[Technical Ben]

The 'auto smooth' option (like 'double sided' next to it) is only supposed to apply during rendering, so it\'s odd that it had any effect at all on the exported mesh.

The Edge Split modifier really is the best method of controlling smoothing, and it doesn\'t actually change the mesh until you 'apply' it. I do that just before exporting and don\'t save the changed mesh so it\'s still easy to edit.

True. But as far as I was aware, other software actually did apply the smoothing to the normals/edges/vertex and save it in file. I mean, if KSP can use that data, why can Blender not?

[sarkun]

TechnicalBen, I\'d like to thank you very much for doing that video tutorial, even though it is down now ;-)

I\'ve just completed my first 3d model ever, textured and it even works with the game Took me only 2 evenings ;-)

I present: the HalfTank (always wanted a smaller tank)

It looks... not as bad as I thought it would

I didn\'t see any wobble problems etc... now I have to make some engine...

[Technical Ben]

Great job on getting the textures to work! I noticed you added some details too. Did you use 'loop cut and slide'? It\'s a handy tool.

[Tiberion]

TechnicalBen, I\'d like to thank you very much for doing that video tutorial, even though it is down now ;-)

I\'ve just completed my first 3d model ever, textured and it even works with the game Took me only 2 evenings ;-)

I present: the HalfTank (always wanted a smaller tank)

It looks... not as bad as I thought it would

I didn\'t see any wobble problems etc... now I have to make some engine...

Looks good, I see you have the same lighting/shading issues I did, hopefully you can fix that.

[Technical Ben]

TBH half of the default objects have the same shading...

[Redneck]

For those that have followed the video and have a fresh install of blender. In the video at about 0:33 if you dont see the texture in bottom of the blender screen you need to look at the very bottom left of the screen and follow the this pic. It does show this @ 0:16 http://i.imgur.com/lZgko.jpg Bottom left corner where yellow circle is you choose uv/image editor show in the pic in blue. You will then see the texture in the blender screen

EDIT: Also in the video @ about 1:20 the way ben selects both round textures is by selecting one hold down shift then select second. After both are red/orange color then hit 'G' they will both move together like in the video

EDIT2: At 1:58 it doesn\'t show it but you again goto mesh/faces/quads to tris

[Technical Ben]

I\'ll make sure that one is clear in the video. Sorry if it\'s not.

[Tiberion]

So, more exporting issues. I got the model flipped right side up (I guess I had made the whole thing with the camera upside down.

Now, its failing to export some of the faces/edges, causing 'holes' when loaded up in game or partslab:

I went back and set all of the edges around 'rims' as sharp, which are the green lines on the mesh view.

Then I went back and re-ran the edge split, and Applied Rotation and Scale, which should have closed everything up.

But no.

[sarkun]

Great job on getting the textures to work! I noticed you added some details too. Did you use 'loop cut and slide'? It\'s a handy tool.

Thanks! Nope, the can\'t get the cut and slide to work. I did subdivision on cones and removed the vertices manually for the seam in the middle. Once I did a clean rebuild it took only about an hour.

Looks good, I see you have the same lighting/shading issues I did, hopefully you can fix that.

I don\'t even know where to start looking

[Tiberion]

I would try these steps:

Edit mode - Select the edges that make up the rim of both ends of the cylinder, go to 'Meshes, Edges, Make Sharp' - they\'ll turn green.

Object Mode - Go to the right menu, select the wrench icon - Modifiers, Add Modifer, Edge Split, 'apply'

- Select the Object Data tool (right next to the wrench) and check Auto-smooth

- Hit Ctrl+A to bring up the 'Objects, Apply ->' menu, and select 'Rotation and Scale'

Back to Edit mode - select the whole mesh, and go to Normals, Recalculate Normals

- De-select all, then select the faces on the sides on the cylinder (not the endcaps) and apply 'Smooth' shading.

Then move your collider back in place and re-export. If I didn\'t do all of those steps, I got the weird lighting.

Btw if you don\'t know; To switch between select edges and faces (and vertex) you just click the different icons on the Edit Mode toolbar (the one in the middle of the screen if you have it laid out like Ben does in his video) ; its a cube icon with a corner, an edge, and a face highlighted. Its super useful to get exactly what you need selected.

[sarkun]

Thanks for the tips Tiberion, but I\'m lost at even more basic level ???

I\'m such a noob if it comes to this whole shading and lightning that I don\'t know what changes to expect... what is currently wrong with the lightning of my tank? If I do what you say - what will change?

Also, Technical Ben - in your video you do the whole 'turn faces to triangles thing' - what does it do? What is it for? I forgot to do it last time but my model seems to work...

[Tiberion]

Its like the lighting for that one part is rotated 90 degrees, so instead of it getting darker due to shading from righ to left, your tanks shading is top to bottom.

its because your model is being treated as one big surface, we have to artificially 'set' the edges of each surface so that lighting is applied correctly per surface.

So when you select the edges of each rim and make them sharp, that is saying 'hey, this is the edge of a surface, and a new surface is on the other side'

Then once that is done (and you update the whole model by applying it with the Ctrl+A menu) then you recalculate the normals (which are pieces of data applied to each face depicting which direction light should hit it on) and apply shading/auto shading, and it should look just like the other parts, with no odd shadow.

I haven\'t completely mastered it myself yet, but with trial and error I can make Blender do my bidding