Post 10/30: VFX tutorial for Blender – Advanced Materials (Using Shaders) Guide

 

Goal:

Dive deeper into Blender’s shader system to create complex materials like glass and metal.

What You’ll Need:

• Blender installed and opened.
• Basic knowledge of materials from Day 3.

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Step 1: Set Up Your Workspace

1. Open Blender: Start a new project or continue from your previous work.
2. Select the Layout: Switch to the "Shading" workspace at the top of Blender. This provides a dedicated area for material creation.
3. Create a New Object: Add a new object (e.g., a sphere) by pressing Shift + A, then selecting Mesh > UV Sphere.

Step 2: Create a Glass Material

1.     Select the Object: Click on your new sphere to select it.

2.     Open the Shader Editor: In the lower section of the workspace, you'll see the Shader Editor. This is where you’ll create your materials.

3.     Add a New Material: In the Material Properties panel (on the right), click "New" to create a new material.

4.     Set Up the Glass Shader:

• In the Shader Editor, delete the default Principled BSDF node by selecting it and pressing X.
• Press Shift + A, navigate to Shader, and select Glass BSDF.
• Connect the Glass BSDF to the Material Output node by dragging the output socket to the input socket.

5.     Adjust Glass Properties:

• Set the IOR (Index of Refraction) to 1.5 for realistic glass.
• Change the Roughness value to around 0.1 for a smooth glass look.

Step 3: Create a Metallic Material

1.     Add Another Object: Press Shift + A, select Mesh, and then Cube to create a new cube.

2.     Select the Cube: Click on the cube to select it.

3.     Create a New Material:

• In the Material Properties panel, click "New."
• In the Shader Editor, again delete the Principled BSDF node.
• Add a Principled BSDF shader (Shift + A > Shader > Principled BSDF) and connect it to the Material Output.

4.     Set Up Metallic Properties:

• Increase the Metallic value to 1.0.
• Set the Roughness to 0.2 for a shiny surface.
• You can also adjust the Base Color to a desired metallic color (like a silver or gold tone).

Step 4: Lighting the Scene (10 minutes)

1. Add a Light Source: Press Shift + A, then select Light > Area Light.
2. Position the Light: Move the light above the objects (use the G key and drag it).
3. Adjust Light Settings:
• In the Light Properties panel, increase the Power to around 1000 watts to illuminate your materials effectively.

Step 5: Rendering the Scene (5 minutes)

1. Switch to Render View: In the top right corner of the viewport, switch from "Solid" mode to "Rendered" mode to see your materials in action.
2. Render the Image:
• Go to the top menu, click Render > Render Image (or press F12).
3. Save Your Render: After rendering, go to Image > Save As in the render window to save your image.

Step 6: Share Your Visual

1. Create a Shareable Visual: Make sure your rendered image shows off both the glass and metallic materials.
2. Export the Image: Use the saved image to share on social media, forums, or with friends to showcase your work!

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Recap of Day 10:

• Materials Created: You learned to create a realistic glass material and a shiny metallic material using Blender's shader system.
• Shareable Visual: A rendered image showcasing your advanced materials.

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