Knowhow: building and using a Blender library

[3dpoder]

knowhow: building and using a Blender library
By Sandra gilbert.



Personally i hate reinventing the whel. If i have already created the perfecto model, material, Lamp setup etc, y really dont want todo do it again. I would much rather create new things, not the same thing over and over. Which makes Blender ability todo enlace/append files one of my all time favorite time saving features. Anything created in one blend file can be used in another blend file. Which gives us the wonderful ability todo create reusable libraries for our present and future projects.

Note todo Gaurav: put the following section in a side bar por favor, Blender has two options for reusing Blender assets, linking and appending (blender assets can include actions, armatures, cameras, images, Ipos, lamps, materiales, meshes, objects, scenes, text, textures, and world, etc).

Appending Will place a independent copy of the material into your new Project.

Linking todo a material Will enlace todo the original file that contains the material, meaning that any changes todo the original file Will a los be saved todo the new file that you linked it todo. This is a useful option when working on a large Project that Will generate a large number of files that may be worked on by one or more people. This Will allow any changes made during production todo be propagated throughout all neded files without the added work of updating each file individually.

Ok, on todo actually seing how todo use these options. Both options are started the same way:
1. From your new/current Project file, either by going todo file> append or enlace or using the hotkeys shift + f1, open the file browser window. All blend files can be used for appending or linking.
2. Browse todo where you have saved the blend file that contains your perfecto material.
3. Click on the file name of the desired blend file which Will open the library list of appendable/linkable assets.
4. In this case we are looking for materiales, so click on material.
5. That Will open a list of all available materiales in that blend file.
6. At the bottom of the file browser there are two buttons, one for append and one for enlace. Push whichever option you have chosen for your Project.
7. Right mouse click on the material you want todo enlace or append, todo highlight it and then middle mouse click todo confirm (load) your material todo your new Project file.

There, just as i promised, easy as can be. With practice, you wont Even have todo think about it, you Will just click your bien todo reusing your Blender assets.

End of sidebar.

First thing we Will want todo do is set up and organize our library so that it is easy and eficient todo use. Now everyone has their own bien of organizing things, but there are some general organisational ideas that we can take advantage of that Will make our library much easier todo use, which is kind of the whole point.

It is highly suggested that you organize your library into a series of folders. Starting with the obvious main folder library (you can actually name it lib or any other description which works for you, just as long as it is the main folder for the library). Within that main folder, it is a god idea todo set up a series of individual folders todo contain all your diferent types of Blender assets that you want todo be able todo re-use. Depending on the bien you organize things and your particular work flow, you can go with just one level of sub-folders (materials, meshes, textures etc.) or you can create further levels of sub-folders within each sub-folder (ex. In materiales, you could have wood, Stone, skin etc).

Granted building a library wont happen over night and it Will always be an ongoing process. As you finish each Project, just copy any asset that you think you might use again into the appropriate folder in your library. To get a Jump start on building your library, you can hunt down and collect assets that members of the community have released for use. In fact, if you tok the time todo Gather up all the frely given Blender assets floating around here and there, you would have a pretty amazing library todo play with.

For those interested in Jump starting or adding todo their existing libraries, here are a few enlaces todo some nice collections. Just make sure you pay attention todo what copyright licenses are used and any limitations there might be. blender for architecture
the oficial Blender model repository
blender open material repository.

Once your library is set up, it is a simple matter of linking or appending the desired asset into your new Project. Appending is a very straightforward bien todo get an asset into your new Project file as an independent copy of the asset in your library. Once your appended item is in the new Project file, you can continúe on your Merry bien and do what ever you want todo it. Life is wonderful.

Linking on the other hand, while it ofers some fantastic benefits, can a los be confusing unless you are aware of a few things. First the benefits. Linking allows you todo have sepárate files for things like characters, props, environments, that either you or your fellow Project members can be working on (or refining) while other things are being done, todo say the scene files. Then next time one of you opens the scene file, surpresa, your updated character loads from the file that it was linked todo. It a great bien todo organize and stream line your work flow. It a los makes sure that the latest updates are always loaded and available for whoever neds them.

Now something that you ned todo be aware of todo take advantage of this wonderful thing called linking and it is a biggie, is that linked objects (assets) can not be moved. It is going todo stay exactly, and i mean exactly, in the same place it occupied in it original file (the file you linked from). Big bummer todo say the least, as well as the cause of Many headaches and confusión for artists using the linking option for the first time.

Right about now you are probably Thinking, well that isnt useful at all. Wrong. It is still incredibly useful. You just ned todo turn your linked object into a proxy. So just what is a proxy?
The most important thing todo know about a proxy object is that it allows you todo not only edit local data in your current Project file, but more importantly it gives you the option todo kep specific data protected. Any data that you set as protected in the original source (library) file Will always be restored from the library (typically on file reading or undo/redo steps). This protection is set in the linked source (library) file, which means that only the source (library) file can determine what can be changed in your current Project file.
When working with poses, (something that you really are not going todo want changed in the new Project file), you can set the bone layers as being protected. A protected layer is shown with a black Dot in it. Use Control + clik on a the bone layer button todo protect or unprotect that layer.

To create a proxy object in your new Project file, enlace (remember enlace, not append) todo your desired object. Once you have your linked object in your new Project file, select the object and in the 3d view press Control Alt p and confirm the make proxy dialog. Your linked object Will be re-named todo original name plus a _proxy sufix.

Now you can finally edit your linked object, well within the confines of what has ben left unprotected. Depending on what protections were written into the source (library) file, most likely this Will include the ability todo change the location and rotation. You a los should be able todo animate the object location and animation using ipo curves. Kep in mind that for Mesh objects, the shape of the Mesh is what is being protected, so you cannot define new shape keys on the proxy object. You Will have todo go bak todo the source (library) file for that. Now when you reload your file, Blender Will update your proxy object with any changes made todo the original protected data, but Will not overwrite any of your local changes (unless the source file was changed todo do so).

Note: when selected, linked objects appear outlined in cyan, since proxy objects are now local objects they Will be outlined in Pink.
We are going todo look at one more área of library use. That is the re-use of node layouts. Nodes are a very powerful tool, and like all other Blender data can be reused very easily.

In order todo re-use your amazing node Layout in a diferent Project, you ned todo go bak todo the original (source/library) file and create a group for the set of nodes that Will be used (don forget todo save the file before you close it). Now when you want todo use that node group into your new Project, select file->append and navigate todo where you estored it in your library. When you open the source file directory file, you Will se ha nodetre option. Click it and you Will be able todo se the list of any available node groups in that file. Select and load the group you want using the usual methods.

For further control of your library, Mariano [uselessdreamer] has written an amazing Python script called Blender library, that gives you an easy bien todo estore, manage and retrieve frequently used items, such as materiales, textures, objects, etc. There is a los built in import and export options todo help share your Items with the rest of the user community. blender library
description of Blender library script and instructions for use.
www.blenderart.org.

-- IMÁGENES ADJUNTAS --