Day 3: Blender tutorial for making illustrations - Introduction to Grease Pencil for Drawing

 

Objective:

Explore Blender's Grease Pencil tool to draw freehand or structured lines. By the end of this session, you'll create a basic mind map with lines and nodes using Grease Pencil.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1.     Open Blender and Set Up a New Grease Pencil Project:

• Open Blender and start a new project by selecting File > New > 2D Animation.
• This will set up a workspace optimized for Grease Pencil with a blank canvas.

2.     Understanding the Grease Pencil Interface:

• 3D Viewport: Your main drawing area, similar to a canvas.
• Tool Panel (Left Side): Contains drawing tools like pencil, eraser, and fill.
• Layers Panel (Top Right): Organize your drawings using different layers.
• Properties Panel (Bottom Right): Adjust brush settings, colors, and more.

3.     Creating Your First Grease Pencil Stroke:

• Select the Draw Tool:
• In the Tool Panel on the left, select the Draw tool (pencil icon).
• Choose a Brush:
• At the top, select your brush type (e.g., Pencil, Ink, or Marker).
• Adjust Brush Settings:
• In the Properties Panel, you can adjust brush thickness, opacity, and style.

4.     Drawing Basic Nodes for the Mind Map:

• Draw a Central Node:
• Click and drag in the 3D Viewport to draw a circle or an irregular shape to represent your central idea.
• Create Outer Nodes:
• Draw smaller circles or shapes around the central node to represent related ideas or subtopics.

5.     Connecting Nodes with Lines:

• Switch to Line Mode:
• In the Tool Panel, switch from Draw to Line mode (line icon) to create straight lines.
• Draw Connecting Lines:
• Click, drag, and release to draw lines between your nodes, illustrating the connections between ideas.

6.     Using Layers to Organize Your Drawing:

• Create a New Layer:
• Go to the Layers Panel (top right) and click the “+” button to add a new layer. Name it “Lines” or “Connections.”
• Move Elements to Separate Layers:
• Keep nodes and connections on separate layers for better organization and editing flexibility.

7.     Adding Text Labels to Your Mind Map:

• Select the Text Tool:
• On the left, select the Text tool (T icon).
• Place Text Near Nodes:
• Click near a node and type the text to label your ideas (e.g., “Main Topic,” “Subtopic 1”).
• Edit Text Properties:
• Adjust font, size, and alignment using the options in the Properties Panel.

8.     Adjusting Colors for Better Visualization:

• Change Stroke Colors:
• With a node or line selected, go to the Materials section in the Properties Panel (icon with a circle).
• Click “New” to create a new material and adjust the Base Color to differentiate elements.
• Apply Colors to Different Parts:
• Use distinct colors for main nodes, sub-nodes, and connections to make the mind map visually appealing.

9.     Refining Your Drawing with the Eraser Tool:

• Select the Eraser Tool:
• Click the Eraser tool in the Tool Panel to remove unwanted lines or parts of your drawing.
• Adjust Eraser Size:
• Use the Properties Panel to adjust the size and strength of the eraser for finer control.

10.  Saving Your Work and Exporting the Drawing:

• Save Your Blender File:
• Go to File > Save As and save your work as "Day3_MindMap.blend."
• Export Your Mind Map as an Image (Optional):
• To share your drawing, go to File > Export > PNG and choose a location to save the image.

11.  Adding Animation to Your Drawing (Optional):

• Switch to Timeline View:
• Drag up the Timeline at the bottom to see your animation frames.
• Create Simple Animation:
• Use keyframes to animate lines being drawn or nodes appearing one by one. Press I over the Grease Pencil object to insert keyframes at different positions.
• Preview Animation:
• Press Spacebar to play your animation and see how it looks.

12.  Rendering Your Animation (Optional):

• Render Animation:
• Go to Render > Render Animation or press Ctrl + F12. This will render each frame as an image sequence or video.

13.  Wrap-Up:

• Take time to experiment with different brush types, line styles, and colors to refine your mind map.
• Familiarize yourself with the Grease Pencil’s different tools to increase your confidence in drawing.

Outcome:

By the end of Day 3, you'll have created a basic mind map with Grease Pencil, learning how to draw, connect nodes, and label your ideas effectively. This skill will be foundational for more complex illustrations and animations in future sessions.

Let me know if you need more details or adjustments for any of these steps!

Source:

ChatGPT

Post 17/30: Why property dealers may not get success?

(Source: Pixabay)

I thought of learning about different aspects of Pakistan, as I want to do something for it. Therefore, I started with some of the well-known indices or reports that would help me in gaining more information about Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT). These were 12 posts. You can search my posts related to Pakistan by typing: #UsmanZafarParacha_Pakistan

Now, I have been learning about real estate business in Pakistan. I have started from Youtube videos and hopefully during my learning Journey, I will get some more useful resources to move ahead in this learning and perhaps entering into the real estate business.

I have seen a video, titled, “Real Estate Unsuccessful Dealers | Main Reason of NAKKAMI | A Tip to Realtors by M Ismail | Mar 2023” on the channel “PROPERTY NAAMA”

The host shares that one of the biggest reasons people don’t get success is that they keep on thinking about their own profits and successes. Usually, dealers think about their own profits from the very start of their dealings. Moreover, it is also a routine that dealers want to get more benefit and they want to share less benefit with the person, whose money is they working with, when actually that person must get more benefit. People must consider ALLAH’s help in their business, and this help can be obtained, if you start thinking about the benefits of other people. Do not ever think about illegal profits, try to be comfortable with what profit is legal.

Follow my Hashtag #behtareenkitalaash on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behtareenkitalaash

Sources:

PROPERTY NAAMA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_jUFgZFRP8

Post 5/30: VFX tutorial for Blender - Camera Control & Basic Animation

 

Goal:

Learn how to control the camera in Blender and create a basic animation to bring life to your scene.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Step 1: Open Your Previous Project or Start a New One

• Open Previous Project: Continue from Day 4 by going to File > Open and selecting your "Day4_Project.blend" file.
• Start Fresh: If starting new, open Blender and select File > New > General. Set up a basic scene with objects and lights.

Step 2: Add and Position the Camera

• Add a Camera:
• If you don’t already have a camera, press Shift + A > Camera to add one to your scene.
• Position the Camera:
• Select the camera, press G to move it, and R to rotate it.
• Use the arrows to move it into the desired position facing your objects.

Step 3: Look Through the Camera View

• Camera View:
• Press Numpad 0 to switch to the camera view and see what the camera sees.
• Adjust the camera position by pressing G to move and R to rotate while in camera view until you get a good composition.

Step 4: Lock Camera to View (Optional for Easier Adjustment)

• Lock Camera to View:
• Press N to open the side panel in the 3D Viewport.
• Go to the View tab, scroll to View Lock, and check the box for Lock Camera to View.
• Now, while in camera view (Numpad 0), you can navigate using the middle mouse button to adjust the camera position just like in the viewport.

Step 5: Set Up Keyframes for Basic Animation

• Timeline Setup:
• At the bottom of Blender, make sure the Timeline is visible. It shows the frame range of your animation (default is 1 to 250).
• Move the playhead to frame 1 by clicking on it or typing 1 in the frame number box.

Step 6: Animate the Camera

• Set the First Keyframe:
• With the camera selected and positioned, press I to open the Insert Keyframe Menu.
• Choose Location, Rotation to set a keyframe for the camera’s position and orientation at frame 1.

Step 7: Move the Camera to a New Position

• Advance the Timeline:
• Move the playhead to a later frame (e.g., frame 50 or 100).
• Move the Camera:
• Adjust the camera’s position and rotation to a new spot, giving it a different view of the scene.
• Press I again and select Location, Rotation to insert a new keyframe.

Step 8: Review the Camera Animation

• Playback Animation:
• Press Spacebar to play back your animation. The camera should smoothly transition between the keyframes you set.
• Fine-Tune Animation:
• If the movement is too fast or too slow, adjust the keyframes by dragging them along the timeline to different frame numbers.

Step 9: Animate Objects (Optional)

• Animate Object Movement:
• Select an object in your scene.
• At frame 1, position the object and press I > Location, Rotation, Scale to set a starting keyframe.
• Move to another frame (e.g., frame 50), adjust the object’s position, and insert another keyframe with I.
• Playback Object Animation:
• Press Spacebar to see how both the camera and objects animate together.

Step 10: Adjust Animation Curves (Optional for Smoothness)

• Open the Graph Editor:
• Click the dropdown at the top left of the timeline and select Graph Editor.
• Smooth the Animation:
• In the Graph Editor, you can adjust the curves of the animation for smoother transitions by selecting keyframes and adjusting handles.

Step 11: Render Animation Settings

• Set Output Settings:
• Go to Output Properties (printer icon) in the Properties Panel.
• Set the Frame Range (e.g., 1 to 100).
• Choose the Output Folder where your animation will be saved.
• Set the File Format to FFmpeg Video, and under Encoding, choose the video codec (e.g., MPEG-4) and quality settings.

Step 12: Render Your Animation

• Render Animation:
• Go to Render > Render Animation or press Ctrl + F12.
• Blender will render each frame and compile them into a video file saved in your specified output location.

Step 13: Save Your Project

• Save Your Work:
• Go to File > Save As, name your file (e.g., "Day5_Project.blend"), and save your progress.

---

Summary:

• You’ve learned how to control the camera in Blender and create basic animations by setting keyframes.
• You explored how to animate both the camera and objects, making your scene dynamic and engaging.
• Understanding these fundamentals will allow you to create more complex animations and camera movements as you continue your VFX journey.

By the end of this session, you should have a basic animated scene with camera movement, enhancing the overall storytelling aspect of your visual creation!

 

Source:

ChatGPT

Day 2: Blender tutorial for making illustrations - Creating Basic 2D Shapes and Text in Blender

 

Objective:

Learn to create and manipulate basic 2D shapes (circles, squares) and add text elements in Blender. By the end of this session, you will create a basic 2D diagram with text labels.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Blender and Set Up Your Workspace:
• Open Blender and start a new project by selecting File > New > General.
• Delete the default cube by selecting it and pressing X, then confirm by clicking "Delete."
2. Switch to 2D Mode Using Grease Pencil:
• Switch to 2D Animation Mode:
• On the top bar, click on 2D Animation from the dropdown menu next to "File." This switches Blender to a 2D drawing environment, which is ideal for creating flat shapes and text.
3. Creating Basic 2D Shapes:
• Add a Circle or Square (Rectangle):
• Press Shift + A to open the Add menu.
• Navigate to Mesh > Circle or Mesh > Plane for a square/rectangle.
• Once added, the shape will appear in the 3D viewport.
4. Adjust Shape Properties:
• Scale the Shape:
• Select the shape and press S to scale it up or down.
• Edit Shape Vertices (Optional):
• Press Tab to enter Edit Mode, where you can adjust individual vertices. Use G to move vertices and reshape your object as desired.
5. Add Text to Your Scene:
• Adding Text:
• Press Shift + A and select Text from the Add menu.
• A default "Text" object will appear in the viewport.
6. Editing Text:
• Switch to Edit Mode:
• With the text object selected, press Tab to enter Edit Mode.
• Change the Text Content:
• Delete the existing text by pressing Backspace and type in your desired label (e.g., "Circle Diagram").
• Exit Edit Mode:
• Press Tab again to exit Edit Mode.
7. Adjust Text Properties:
• Scale the Text:
• With the text selected, press S to scale it up or down to fit your diagram.
• Position the Text:
• Use G to move the text into the correct position relative to your shape.
8. Customize the Text Font (Optional):
• Access Text Properties:
• On the right side, in the Properties Panel, click the A icon (Font Properties).
• Change Font Style:
• Under "Font," click the folder icon next to "Regular" to browse and select a different font from your computer.
• Adjust Spacing and Alignment:
• Use the alignment options to center, left-align, or right-align the text.
9. Adding Colors to Shapes and Text:
• Switch to the Material Properties Tab:
• With the shape or text selected, go to the Material Properties (circle icon) on the right.
• Create a New Material:
• Click "New" and adjust the Base Color to your desired shade.
• Apply Different Colors to Text and Shapes:
• Repeat the process for each element, using distinct colors to enhance readability.
10. Organize Your Diagram (Using Layers):
• Create Layers for Better Organization (Optional):
• Use the Outliner to name each shape and text for easy identification.
• Group Elements:
• Select related objects and press Ctrl + G to group them together, making it easier to move the entire diagram.
11. Save Your Work:
• Save Your Blender File:
• Go to File > Save As and name your file (e.g., "Day2_2DShapesAndText.blend").
12. Rendering a Still Image of Your Diagram (Optional):
• Render the View:
• Go to Render > Render Image or press F12 to render your diagram.
• Save the Rendered Image:
• In the Render window, select Image > Save As to save your 2D diagram as a PNG or JPEG.
13. Wrap-Up:
• Take some time to adjust and refine your shapes and text until you are satisfied with the look of your diagram.
• Explore different text alignments, shapes, and sizes to see how they affect your overall design.

Outcome:

By the end of Day 2, you will have created a simple 2D diagram with labeled text in Blender, setting the stage for more complex illustrations and animations in the upcoming sessions.

Let me know if you have any questions or need further clarification on any step!

Source:

ChatGPT

Post 16/30: How to identify fake file in property?

(Source: Pixabay)

I thought of learning about different aspects of Pakistan, as I want to do something for it. Therefore, I started with some of the well-known indices or reports that would help me in gaining more information about Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT). These were 12 posts. You can search my posts related to Pakistan by typing: #UsmanZafarParacha_Pakistan

Now, I have been learning about real estate business in Pakistan. I have started from Youtube videos and hopefully during my learning Journey, I will get some more useful resources to move ahead in this learning and perhaps entering into the real estate business.

I have seen a video, titled, “Fake Property File Kesy Check Karen ? | Verify Your Property Here by M ismail Advices” on the channel “PROPERTY NAAMA”

The host tells that one of the ways to identify fake file is that property would be available at a lower price than that of market value. Don’t be greedy, or you would face bad experience. The second point is to check the seller (dealer), who must be honest, who must be a proper group, who must be strong, who must have a strong background, and who is a big company or multi-national company. The third point is to work on a society, as to how much files that society has sold and how much property is available. Fourth point is that about 80% of projects in bigger cities have already gone through over-selling. Over-selling means if there was 1000 kanal of area, the project has already sold about 50000 plots. In this case, about 30% of people would get plots, but about 70% of people would not get any plot. After many years, (suppose 10 years), when the client does not get plot, they would be refunded but with some percentage, suppose 25%, less amount. So, society has already gained profit from the money, and client has already gone through losses. Another point is to find good consultants, who would advise you to go in the right direction. The host also tells that every that file is fake, which would not be delivered within 3 years.

Follow my Hashtag #behtareenkitalaash on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behtareenkitalaash

Sources:

PROPERTY NAAMA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9qRf5ygZiM