Finish something!

Cloud layer parked below the ground for an easy fog layer

 Another week begins. What are we doing with it?

Over the weekend, I did a bit more work on the aerial shot as we drill into the details. I really need to finalise the concept shots. I should have sketched all this! Modelling concepts is too slow when fundamental questions like point of view and basic composition are still in play.

Let's continue with the Hard Ops/Boxcutter course.

Dice Tool

The dice tool is very useful. If you have a model that contains n-gons, then you can't do loop-cuts through it. The conventional fix is to manually add loop-cuts using the knife tool. The Dice Tool projects a series of knife cuts along one axis through the object.

Ctrl+Dice Tool to project along all three axis.

Twist 360

This tool creates an array and deforms it along 360 degrees creating a loop. Deformations require more geometry for a smooth effect. This is no longer the dark magic it was before the advent of the new array system. Still useful to have!

Radial Array

This offers similar functionality to Twist 360. Instead of a deformation that works on the object's geometry, a radial array creates the circle by instantiating the object.

Taper Deform

Add a taper to your object. Simple to use with hotkeys for each axis and "1" to reset.

Sphere cast

This combines the subdivision surface modifier with the Cast effect modifier. It's an easy way to turn a cube, with its ideal geometry cast in the sphere mode. See Blender's Cast Modifier which is a modern spin of "Spherize".

Curve Extract

Oh man, this is a good one. It really simplifies a potentially fiddly but quite common operation: when you edit a mesh, select edges, create a copy of the element, convert the edge into a curve, and add depth to the curve to make it a parameter-driven pipe. 

This just does all that if you have selected edges.

Shift+click Curve Extract on a face, and you get the same effect: a plate is created from the face.

Ctrl+click Curve Extract on a face, you get the shape extracted without the solidify step.

Alt+click Curve Extract on a face, it deletes the face and creates the edge curve, instead.

AutoSmooth

This is just a shortcut to the regular autosmooth function.


AutoUnwrap

Josh says don't bother. That's a questionable attitude in a training course. It's a bit arrogant to mistake your "perfected" workflow as actually perfect for all users in all cases.

Auto Unwrap

Or

Blender's own Smart UV projection

Or

UV Flow unwrap with Zen UV's quadrify function applied to the curved end-section.

Josh may be right, here. The Hard Ops docs describe this as a quick-and-dirty solution.

Same for Hops Reset, which backs-out of a workflow.  See docs.

Selection Options

This set of tools lets you view n-gons/triangles as part of the Polygon Debug function that we already covered.

N-gons red!

Settings Menu

The settings menu contains a lot of useful extras for overall control of Hard Ops

LookDev+

Lets you use a quick environment light to check how your model responds to lighting changes.



About

This is good for confirming you are up-to-date

Needs Update! Oh my!

Solid Shade Duplicate

Cool Trick! Create a cut into your object. Select Ever Scroll, click, and then go to settings and choose Shift+Solid Shaded. It turns a duplicate of the cutter into a solid object.

 

A very easy way to fill a hole with a matching form. Just add a bevel for the win!

That takes me to 60% of the course!

A quick scatter on a terrain -- checking the stability of the latest version of True SKY