A python script for Blender that I have long wanted to perfect, but lacked the time. Also the function it performs is difficult to explain, it is similar to the current shrinkwrap modifier but it keeps the normal based displacement from destination surface roughly equivalent to the source. Meaning, with shrinkwrap, a pipe will be flattened, but with this script it still will be a pipe. I believe the image below is a perfect example for its usage, using it to align some “pipes” to a generated terrain.

- First step to using this script is installing it into your blender’s scripts directory. Once dmn_wraptop.py is copied there you can access it from the Object’s Scripts sub-menu.

- Now you need to have the object you wish to project to ready for action. Make sure there is at least one UV layer selected.

- Use the first feature of the script called “Create UV line guide from selected”, and an object made entirely of lines should be created, that is your “uv guide”.

-You have two choices, selecting the uv guide object going into edit mode and creating your mesh that way, or using another mesh and joining it to the uv guide mesh.
Either way the “Source Mesh” must include the uv guide for the script to function properly.

- Time to use the “Process wrap-project with selection” function while having the source and destination meshes selected. Depeding on the number of faces of the objects this function can be slow. Progress updates will be shown in the console window as text.

- Now you should have the object wrapped around the object correctly, if errors occur, make sure that you stayed within the uv space where visible faces are. You can delete, adjust and reprocess until satisfied. In the example below taken from the included EggSample.blend file, the generated mesh was moved for better visibility, in reality the script generates the object in the same space as the “Destination Mesh”.

In addition to the tutorial above, I thought of a better way to explain why this script is necessary, and what are the main benefits. Imagine that you are trying to create a pipe like object on a mesh’s surface that curved to the topology. You currently have three choices: Shrinkwrap(Retopo), Displace Map, and Wrap To Projection. Retopo flattens all dimensions, displacement allows only half of the dimensions, while using this script you can keep the top and the bottom of the pipe without distortion.

The laser and collimator are from a $12 green pointer that you can buy from Amazon, I used the seller Hottest Deals Ever they were great! even the 5mw laser appears to be a 20mW diode cranked down but was probably a factory defect, so full power might kill it, and blind me at the same time. So overall it is a good deal, I also used the spinning mirror of a laser printer, and the motor of a cd drive. Of course I was lucky to have those parts already, and I placed them in a hand cut aluminum mount as shown below. I thought that would be enough of a heatsink, oh how wrong I was, later I added a larger multifin heatsink.

I did not want to post about this project until I was sure that progress was reaching a point where the end was visible, and I believe that since I was able to integrate ffMPEG into the tracking application, now is a good time. As you can see in the picture below, the example video showing is supposed to be a blue sky so there are bugs, but nothing that I feel can not be overcome. So keep checking back for updates.

While in a crafts store recently I realized something that should have been obvious, and I’m not sure that I am the first to think of this, but you can make excellent prototype and simple circuits using popsicle sticks they sell in boxes (1000 for a couple of dollars) and self sticking copper foil they sell in rolls at the “stained glass” sections. It is much easier than anything I have tried, those generic IC boards, wire wrapping, or even breadboards. Simply wrap around the stick (don’t overlap) solder closed working on the other side, and you can now stick components and wires securely. It might use more solder than you want, but there is rarely waste. You can see how I used it to make a tiny LM317 voltage regulator circuit that was its own heatsink.

I say probably abandoned because I may continue this project reusing some assets, so what you see is some of the cooler WIP images but definitely not close to the final polished product. Below you can see the three main characters, a girl, a boy, and a cyborg (who may or may not look a bit like Peter Weller from Robocop). After the jump there is a simple scene with all three characters, and getting a better render was out of the question because the boy’s mesh has weird normal flipping issues causing the raytracer to skip some faces, go figure…

A word of caution there is nudity in the post after the jump, or at least a resemblance of it

I knew what I wanted to create, a simple modest sitting girl picture. So i browsed the net for inspiration, and I found THIS, so I created the mesh below in a couple of hours of playing with the original by artist Sam Liu as inspiration.

I liked the result but needed something that was mine and more hardcore was needed, so the image below is my own mesh started from scratch using one of the drawhelper manikins as a starting point for position and layout. The complete image took a few afternoons. I hope you like it

Exhausted, I backed up my work and forgot about the model (and to be honest haven’t visited the ga.org forums since…shame on me), but now I give it to you in the hopes that it will be useful.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Download bmod_claymore.zip ( 1.03 MB )

Inside the download there are two files (the original high resolution mesh as rendered below) and the low resolution model which contains the diffuse and normal maps packed within. Though you can’t directly build the normal maps from the high to the low models as is, with a little bit of prep work it is achievable. I originally split the model into 6 files and rendered the normal map in batches, and I thought it would be overkill to include all those in the download. So hopefully as they are, it can be used as source to get you started playing with Blender’s normal maps. Oh and if the proportions look wrong, it is because in the comic it is supposed to be a skinny girl with a ridiculously large sword, in typical manga style. I actually hit the nail pretty close to the target because the expression and body looks close to the comic.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Download bmod_strongman.zip ( 99kb )

Below is a quickly posed rendering only meant to show the content of the zip. Along with the render I found the original modeling sheet I cobbled together from random internet sources (that is why I made it a small thumbnail, just so I wouldn’t violate copyright). It is here only to demonstrate what you need to make a model like this, a good model sheet, time, and patience.

Please enjoy the site and never hesitate to contact me or comment while here.