Day 17: Blender tutorial for making illustrations - Enhancing Diagrams with Visual Effects

On Day 17, you'll focus on adding visual effects to your illustrations to highlight important elements and give them a polished, professional look. This will make your flowcharts, medical diagrams, and mind maps more engaging and visually appealing.

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Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open Your Blender Project
   Begin by opening the project where you’ve created a flowchart or medical illustration. If you don’t have one, you can use any basic diagram or flowchart from previous days as a starting point.
2. Select the Object to Enhance
• In the 3D viewport, click on the object (node, text, or shape) that you want to enhance with visual effects.
• Use Shift + click if you want to select multiple objects at once.
3. Adding Glow Effects
• Switch to the Shader Editor by selecting the object and clicking on the “Shading” tab at the top of the Blender interface.
• In the Shader Editor, create a new material for your object by clicking New.
• Add a Glow effect by connecting a “Emission Shader” node to your object.
• Adjust the Emission Strength to control the intensity of the glow.
• If desired, add a Color Ramp node to make the glow change color over time or depending on the object’s state.
4. Adding Outline Effects
• To add an outline, go to the Grease Pencil object settings if you’re working with 2D shapes.
• Enable Strokes under the “Viewport Display” settings.
• Add a “Solidify Modifier” to give your strokes a thick, visible outline. Adjust the thickness to your liking.
5. Adding Blur Effects
• In the Compositing Tab, use the Blur Node to create a soft, out-of-focus effect around key elements.
• This is useful for drawing attention to a specific part of your diagram while subtly blurring out less important details.
• Control the Blur Amount by adjusting the X and Y values on the Blur node.
6. Animating Visual Effects
• You can animate the effects to make certain elements glow or fade in at the right moment.
• In the Timeline, use keyframes to adjust the intensity of the glow or blur over time. Press I to add a keyframe on the Emission Strength or Blur values.
7. Adjusting Lighting for Emphasis
• Switch to the Layout Tab and adjust your lighting setup.
• Add an Area Light or Point Light to focus illumination on the most important part of your diagram. Experiment with light color and intensity to create contrast.
8. Preview Your Effects
• Press Z and choose Rendered View to preview how the glow, blur, and outline effects will look in the final render.
• Tweak the settings in the Shader Editor, Compositing Tab, or with keyframes if necessary.
9. Rendering the Enhanced Diagram
• Once you're happy with your visual effects, go to the Render Properties tab and adjust the resolution, samples, and other settings for a high-quality render.
• Click Render > Render Animation to create your final animated illustration.
10. Save and Export

• After rendering, save your project file, and export your video or image sequence. You can use the Video Editing tab to further refine or add transitions if needed.
• Choose File > Export > Video to finalize your enhanced diagram video.

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Outcome for Day 17

By the end of this session, you’ll have enhanced one of your diagrams with glow, blur, or outline effects, making it visually appealing and ready for educational use.

Source:
ChatGPT

Post 30/30: It is better to understand real-estate, rather than going with the flow

 

(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, “Right Time To Invest in Real Estate | Buying & Selling Time , Profit & Loss Comparison Tips 2024” on the channel “PROPERTY NAAMA”.

In this video, the host discusses about the issue of our people who used to sell when the prices are in decline and used to purchase when the prices are increasing. They say that at this time, real estate is in a sort of “slum” and at this time, it is imperative to hold the property or buy the property. It will soon increase in prices. Today, when property is at a very low level, people are not purchasing, and when these will go up, people will start purchasing. The host also shares that most often when you say people to do something they don’t do that and vice versa. This issue has always been beneficial for “developers” and real estate agents or consultants. The host also tells that people are always “panicked.” They are fearful of a cry related to “sell it.” Sometimes, panic is also generated, and people find it difficult to find right people and advise. Without panicking, you can become positive, and can start thinking in a good and right manner that is beneficial in real estate business.

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

Sources:

PROPERTY NAAMA  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz9HCZrRkAc

Post 19/30: VFX tutorial for Blender – Advanced Particle Effects (Hair Particles)

Objective: Explore the use of hair particles to create realistic effects like fur, hair, or grass.

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Step 1: Open a New Blender Project

• Launch Blender and open a new project.
• Delete the default cube (select it and press X to delete).

Step 2: Add a New Object for Hair Simulation

• Press Shift + A to open the Add Menu.
• Select Mesh > Plane. This plane will serve as the base for your hair or grass particles.
• Scale the plane by pressing S and dragging the mouse to increase its size. You can scale it to a comfortable size that fits your scene (e.g., S + 5).

Step 3: Apply the Hair Particle System

• With the plane selected, go to the Particle Properties panel (right-hand side, icon with a group of dots).
• Click + New to add a new particle system.
• In the Type dropdown, select Hair. Blender will now show hair particles on the plane.

Step 4: Customize Hair Length and Count

• Adjust the length of the hair under the Render section by changing the Hair Length value. A value around 2-5 is a good start, depending on whether you’re simulating grass or fur.
• Change the number of hairs under the Emission section by modifying the Number. For a basic effect, try setting it to around 1000 hairs for a balanced look.

Step 5: Adding Variation to Hair Particles

• To make the hair or grass look more natural, introduce some randomness.
• In the Children section, set the Type to Simple. This will automatically add extra strands around each hair particle.
• Increase the Clump and Roughness sliders to introduce some variability and make the hair or grass less uniform.

Step 6: Styling the Hair Particles

• Switch to Particle Edit Mode by going to the top left of the viewport and choosing Particle Edit from the drop-down list (where it usually says "Object Mode").
• Select the Comb tool on the left toolbar to manually shape and style the hair particles. Click and drag over the hair to "comb" it in the desired direction.
• You can also use the Cut tool to trim the length of certain areas if needed.

Step 7: Shading the Hair Particles

• To add color to the hair or grass, go to the Shading workspace at the top of Blender.
• Select the plane, then in the Material Properties panel, create a new material and apply it to the plane.
• Adjust the Base Color under the Principled BSDF node. For grass, choose a green hue. For fur, select an appropriate color for the look you want.

Step 8: Lighting the Scene

• Switch to the Layout workspace.
• Add a light source by pressing Shift + A, then choose Light > Sun (or another type of light).
• Position the light to ensure it illuminates the hair particles, casting natural-looking shadows.

Step 9: Render Your Hair Particle Scene

• Set up a camera by pressing Shift + A and choosing Camera. Press 0 on the numpad to view from the camera's perspective. Adjust the camera’s position and angle to frame the scene well.
• Once ready, go to the Render Properties tab, ensure your settings are good for rendering, and click Render Image (or press F12).

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Shareable Visual: Your rendered image should feature realistic hair particles on the plane, resembling either fur or grass depending on the length and styling.

Tips:

• You can experiment with the Hair Dynamics section for even more realism, like adding wind effects.
• Play with various material properties to make the hair reflect light realistically, especially for shiny fur.

This day’s practice helps you understand how particle systems work and how to manipulate them for various effects like hair, fur, or grass, giving you a deeper grasp of Blender's particle effects.

Source:
ChatGPT

Day 16: Blender tutorial for making illustrations - Advanced Flowcharts with Conditional Paths in Blender

Goal:
Create a detailed flowchart with conditional paths, allowing the diagram to show different branches based on decision points. This is useful for illustrating complex concepts, such as step-by-step processes or decision-making scenarios.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

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Step 1: Open Blender and Set Up Your Workspace

1. Launch Blender and start with a new project.
2. In the top right corner, change your workspace to "2D Animation" or "Layout" mode for easier access to 2D tools like the Grease Pencil.
3. Save your project with a meaningful name, e.g., AdvancedFlowchart.blend.

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Step 2: Plan Your Flowchart

1. Outline your flowchart on paper or a whiteboard. Identify key decision points where the flow can branch into different paths.
2. Decide what shapes will represent the decision points (e.g., diamonds for decisions, rectangles for actions, circles for start/end points).

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Step 3: Draw Flowchart Shapes Using Grease Pencil

1. Grease Pencil Object:
• In the "Add" menu (Shift + A), select Grease Pencil > Blank.
• This will create a blank slate for your 2D drawing.
2. Drawing Shapes:
• Switch to Draw Mode in the Grease Pencil object.
• Use the Line or Box tool to create flowchart shapes like rectangles, diamonds, and circles for the start, end, and decision points.
3. Color Your Shapes:
• In the Material Properties tab, create new materials to color your shapes. For instance, use different colors for different types of nodes (e.g., blue for actions, red for decisions).

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Step 4: Add Text Labels to Flowchart

1. Switch to the Text Tool in the toolbar.
2. Add text for each shape (e.g., "Start", "Decision 1", "Outcome A", etc.).
3. Adjust the font, size, and position of the text using the Properties Panel on the right.

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Step 5: Connect the Shapes with Arrows

1. Use the Grease Pencil Line Tool to draw arrows between shapes, indicating the flow of the process.
2. Use Shift+Ctrl+Alt+C to center the origin of each arrow and align them with the decision or action boxes for cleaner visuals.

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Step 6: Add Conditional Paths

1. Create branches at decision points by drawing multiple arrows leading to different outcomes.
2. Label each arrow with the condition or decision that leads to a specific path (e.g., “Yes”, “No”, “True”, “False”).

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Step 7: Add Animations

1. Animate Arrows and Flow:
• Use Keyframes to animate the arrows appearing one by one. This helps simulate the flow of a decision-making process.
• Select the arrow, press I to insert a keyframe for location or scale. Move a few frames forward, then adjust the location/scale of the arrow to make it grow or move into place.
2. Transition Effects:
• To make your animation smoother, customize the easing in the Graph Editor by adjusting the curve of the keyframes (e.g., ease-in, ease-out effects).

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Step 8: Use Camera for Dynamic View

1. Add a Camera object to the scene and set up keyframes to animate the camera movement.
2. Animate smooth zoom-ins to highlight key decision points and pan across the flowchart to guide the viewer’s attention.

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Step 9: Add Audio Narration (Optional)

1. Record a voiceover that explains the flowchart.
2. In Blender, go to the Video Sequence Editor, import the audio file, and synchronize the narration with the flowchart animation.

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Step 10: Render Your Flowchart

1. Go to the Output Properties tab, and choose the desired output settings (resolution, frame rate, etc.).
2. Set the file format to FFmpeg Video to export as a video file.
3. Click Render Animation to create the final flowchart video.

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Outcome:

By the end of this day, you'll have a fully animated, conditional-path flowchart that you can share or use in your educational videos. You'll also have gained skills in structuring complex visual content, which will be helpful for illustrating topics like the Quran, biology, or medical processes.

Source:
ChatGPT

Post 18/30: VFX tutorial for Blender – Introduction to Grease Pencil (2D Animation in 3D Space)

 

Goal: Learn how to use Blender's Grease Pencil to create 2D animations in a 3D environment.

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Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open a New Blender Project
   Start by opening Blender and creating a new project. You can use the default settings, or if you already have a 3D scene, you can work within that scene.
2. Switch to the Grease Pencil Workspace
• From the top menu, switch to the "2D Animation" workspace.
• This will give you access to tools for drawing and animating using the Grease Pencil.
3. Add a Grease Pencil Object
• If you are working in a 3D scene, press Shift + A, and from the dropdown menu, select Grease Pencil > Blank.
• This will create a blank Grease Pencil object to draw on.
4. Switch to Draw Mode
• On the top-left corner, change the mode to "Draw".
• You’ll now see the drawing tools on the left toolbar.
5. Draw Your First Frame
• Use the pen tool to draw simple shapes or characters.
• You can adjust the thickness and color of your lines by using the Material Properties on the right panel.
• If you're new to drawing in Blender, start with something simple, like a star or smiley face.
6. Animate Your Drawing
• Move to the timeline at the bottom of your screen.
• Insert a keyframe for your drawing by pressing I and selecting "Grease Pencil Frame".
• Move to a different frame in the timeline (for example, frame 10 or 20), and adjust your drawing by modifying it slightly or drawing a new one.
• Press I again to insert a keyframe for the new frame.
• Blender will automatically interpolate between these frames, creating an animation.
7. Preview the Animation
• Press Spacebar to play the animation and see your 2D drawing come to life within the 3D space.
• You can refine it by adding more in-between frames for smoother transitions.
8. Use the 3D Camera for Dynamic Shots
• Switch back to Object Mode (Tab), and you’ll notice your 2D drawing is placed in the 3D space.
• You can now animate the camera around the drawing.
• Add a camera to the scene by pressing Shift + A and selecting Camera.
• Position the camera to capture the drawing and animate it to move around the 2D artwork for a dynamic shot.
9. Add Lighting (Optional)
• You can add lights to your scene for more depth and mood, even though it's primarily 2D.
• Add a light source by pressing Shift + A and choosing Light (e.g., Point or Sun). Position it to illuminate your Grease Pencil drawing.
10. Render Your Animation
• Once satisfied with your animation, go to Render Properties on the right panel.
• Set the render engine to Eevee or Cycles depending on the quality you prefer.
• Under Output Properties, choose a file format such as AVI or MP4 for your animation.
• Click Render Animation to output your first 2D animation within a 3D space!

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Shareable Visual:
A short 2D animation (e.g., a star moving or changing shape) created using Grease Pencil within a 3D scene, possibly with camera movement to enhance the visual effect.

 

Source:
ChatGPT

Day 15: Blender tutorial for making illustrations - Creating Medical Illustrations (e.g., Organ Diagrams)

Objective:

Create basic medical diagrams, such as organ structures, using 2D shapes in Blender, and label them clearly for educational purposes.

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Step-by-Step Process:

1. Set up a New Blender Project

• Open Blender and start a new project by going to the top-left corner and selecting File > New > 2D Animation. This setup focuses on 2D shapes, making it easier to create diagrams.

2. Use Grease Pencil for Drawing

• In the 2D Animation workspace, the Grease Pencil tool is already available.
• Select the Grease Pencil and switch to Draw Mode. This mode will allow you to draw freehand shapes representing organs or structures like hearts, lungs, or brain regions.

3. Drawing the Medical Organ Structure

• Plan the organ's structure first (e.g., a simple heart shape).
• Use the circle or freehand drawing tool in Grease Pencil to create the basic outline of the organ.
• For the heart, draw two circular lobes at the top and a V-shape at the bottom to give the basic structure.
• For the brain, you can sketch the basic left and right hemispheres using curved lines.

4. Add Details with Grease Pencil Layers

• To add more detail to your diagram:
• Create a new layer in the Grease Pencil panel (on the right). Name the layer "Details."
• Use this layer to add veins, arteries, or internal structures.
• Use the Line and Arc tools for clean, detailed lines.

5. Add Color to the Diagram

• Switch to Object Mode and select the Grease Pencil object.
• In the Materials Tab, create new materials for different parts of the organ (e.g., red for arteries, blue for veins, pink for organ tissue).
• Assign these colors to different parts of the diagram by selecting the corresponding strokes and filling them in the Material settings.

6. Label the Diagram

• Add labels to your organ illustration using the Text Tool:
• In the top menu, select Add > Text. Position the text next to the different parts of the organ.
• Edit the text by pressing Tab and typing the name of the part (e.g., "Heart", "Artery", "Brain Hemisphere").
• To change the text's size, select the text object and go to the Object Data Properties on the right panel, where you can modify the font size and style.

7. Add Arrows for Clear Labeling

• To clearly point out different parts, add arrows using the Grease Pencil.
• Draw simple arrows by creating a line with a small triangle at the tip, pointing from the label to the organ part.
• Add these arrows on a new layer for easy adjustments.

8. Organize Layers for Clarity

• Use separate layers for the main diagram, labels, and arrows to ensure clarity.
• In the Grease Pencil Layers panel, lock or hide layers as needed to work on specific parts of the diagram.

9. Basic Animation (Optional)

• Animate the Labels: If you want to make the labels appear one after the other:
• Go to Animation Mode, select the text, and keyframe its visibility by pressing I on the frame you want it to appear/disappear.
• Set the keyframes at different intervals to make the text appear in sequence.

10. Finalize the Illustration

• Once your organ diagram looks good and the labels are clear, save the file.
• If you animated anything, test the animation by pressing the Play button.

11. Export the Illustration

• To export your medical diagram as an image or video:
• For static diagrams, go to File > Export > PNG (or any other image format).
• For animated diagrams, go to Render > Render Animation and export it as a video file.

12. Voice Narration (Optional)

• You can record your voice narration in a separate software like Audacity or Blender’s built-in audio features.
• Add it to the final video using Blender's Video Sequencer:
• Go to Video Editing > Add > Sound, and sync the narration with the illustration.

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Outcome:

By the end of Day 15, you will have created a basic medical organ diagram with labeled parts, ready to share. You can use this for educational videos on topics like anatomy or biology.

Source:
ChatGPT

Post 29/30: Decline in prices of plots in Gulberg residencia, Islamabad

 

(Source: https://gulbergislamabad.pk/)

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, “Gulberg Islamabad Plot Prices | Gulberg Islamabad 2024 | Gulberg Islamabad Latest News” on the channel “Advice Associates”.

In this video, the host shares the decline in the prices of plots from 2022 to 2024. The host discusses about Gulberg Residencia. This area has plots in the range from 5 marlas to 2 kanals, whereas in the Gulberg Greens (which is in the start of the area), plots are in the range from 4 kanals to 10 kanals. In the C Block in Gulberg Residencia, 5 marla plots were available at the price of about 95 lacs and now these are available in the price range of 85 lacs. The A1 and A2 blocks are non-developed areas, in which prices were 25 lacs in 2022 and now prices are in the range of 17 lacs. In the F-Executive Block, which is also non-developed, prices were 30 lacs and now prices are 25 lacs. Overall, 7 marla plots in the non-developed areas were about 5 lacs and now these are available at 30 lacs. Overall, 10 marla plots in developed areas were available at 1 crore and now at 90 lacs, whereas 10 marla plots in the non-developed areas were available at 70 lacs and now at 40 lacs. Overall, 12 marla plots, which were possessionable in the developed areas were available at the price of 2 crores and now at 1.7 crores. Overall, 1 kanal plots, which are in the non-developed areas, were available at 70 lacs and now at 50 lacs. Overall, possessionable 1 kanal plots in the developed areas were available at 2.5 crores and now at 2 crores.

The host also shares that prices in Gulberg have declined but the percentage of decline is lower as compared to that of Bahria Town. Usually, prices in the non-developed areas have declined most in both of these areas. One of the biggest reasons is that of Gulberg’s location, as it is located in Islamabad. It is also signal free. However, development in this area is slow, which is also one of the biggest reasons for the decline in prices.

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

Sources:

Advice Associates  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt4EJ7N_sJI