Trouble with Blender Documentation (gingerbread man

[JurneyAhed]

(concerning http://www.blender.org/modules/document ... .F.S68.017 , and Figure 18. Slimming Gus using constrained scaling.)

The tutorial mentions that pressing S will allow me to change Gus's (gingerbread man ) width. However, when I press S and move the mouse, it also changes his height (the documentation specifically says that the height will not change).

What am I doing wrong here?

Also, this is my first time using any 3D program, so I know no technical knowledge, and am just starting out.

Also, how can I use the MMB? What keyboard shortcut simulates the MMB?

Thanks

(I'm using Windows)

Blender seems great so far, guys! Great work!!

[hypereyes]

1) You need to constrain your scaling to a particular axis (which one will depend on which view you originally added your objects to).
For example, in any view hit 'S' and then press any of X,Y,orZ. You should see a set of axes appear that represents your object's local orientation. Determine which axis represents the 'width' for your object. Hit 'Esc' to exit the operation, then hit 'S' again, followed by the axis letter representing your object's width. This will constrain the scale to that axis only.

2) Alt + LeftMouseButton should emulate the MMB. Make sure you have Emulate 3 button on - make a window the User Preferences window (or drag down on the panel at the top of the app). Select View & Controls, make sure Emulate 3 Button is on.

Good Luck!

Brian

[JurneyAhed]

Yeah, that worked (it was the Z-axis)! Thanks!



But..I'm stuck again
It's the next step of the guide
http://www.blender.org/modules/document ... x1460.html

I says click RMB to move the camera. However, when I click RMB, nothing happens.

"Select the camera (RMB)"

Thanks

[hypereyes]

You have to right-click on the camera object itself - the thing that looks like a pyramid with an arrow on it. You may not be able to see it in the view in which case you need to zoom out a little.

[JurneyAhed]

Yeah, it worked. In the guide, it sounded as if you could click anywhere (or maybe that was just me..)

One more (and hopefully last) thing:

I want to add a lamp source (http://www.blender.org/modules/document ... x1460.html).
The guide says SPACE>> ADD>> LAMP
However, when I press SPACE and goto ADD, I only get

Plane,Cube,Circle,UVSphere,IcoSphere,Cylinder,Tube,Cone,,Grid,Monkey.

But when I started a new doc. in Blender, I did get a Lamp option.

What have I changed in this document to remove the Lamp option?

Thanks!

[edit] Oh, sorry, I just re-opened the document and it was back!

Thanks for helping with everything else!

[JurneyAhed]

I do have another question

In the guide, it shows Gus 'standing up' - he is perpendicular to the grid. In my document, Gus is flat on the grid. How can I make him 'standing up' (i.e. make the grid the floor)?

http://www.blender.org/modules/document ... x1460.html

Thanks

[hypereyes]

You can select your Gus object and press 'R' to rotate him. The axis of rotation will be determined by what view you are actually in so you may have to switch Front/Side/Top to get the rotation axis you want. Also, with your object selected, you can press 'N' in the 3D window to bring up a numeric dialog where you can directly edit the location, rotation, and scaling for your selected object.

No need to feel embarrased, I commend you for your efforts and determination. One thing to point out, the Gus tutorial *may* not be the best place to start. No knock against the authors, but it can be tough to follow the steps if you are unfamiliar with Blender in general.
I had some difficulties also in following some of the steps but what helped me is previous experience I had in playing around with earlier versions of Blender plus a good foundation of 3D graphics knowledge.
You might be better served by skipping the Gus tutorial and just starting by going through the regular manual sections one-by-one.
Start with the modelling/editing section and read each section over and over until things make sense. Start by adding some of the simple meshes to the scene and practice moving, scaling, and rotating in the different modes until you are comfortable with the basic operations and how they work. Don't worry if you don't understand 100% of everything, some of the sections are a little confusing for a novice. Again, no slam against the documentation team but sometimes it can be hard for an expert to convey their ideas when so many concepts are second-nature to them.
I have been playing around with Blender for a few weeks and every day I try to pick a section I feel weak on and read through it for better understanding. Open a fresh Blender and put an object in the scene and practice the concepts of each section, you will find your knowledge growing quickly and you will find that when you go back and re-read sections of the manual more things will make sense than they did the last time.
Some other tips:
Look around for tutorials on the various sites. Try to go through them. At the very least I have found new tricks and techniques, new ways of laying out the Blender interface that are helpful, etc.
Give yourself a good basic basic knowledge of 3d concepts. That will help you understand what is going on behind the scenes as well as firm up the way you approach any project you might be doing. Search for "Intro to 3D graphics" or similar on the net, there are a ton of primers out there that will give you a good basic understanding. Read several different ones over and over until you could write one yourself. Also the OpenGL Red Book is available at several places online and has a lot of good general information about 3D concepts.

And remember, this stuff isn't exactly child's play either. Keep practicing and don't forget to look back at where you started constantly so you can reward yourself for the progress you have made.

Good Luck and Happy Blending!
Brian

[JurneyAhed]

Thanks for that.

I want to finish at least the rendering with the Gus tutorial (I'm on the last page!).

Heh, I have another question.

(http://www.blender.org/modules/document ... .F.S68.043)

On this page, it says press F9 to get the Edit tools and go to Mesh Tools menu. I've pressed F9, and I do get to Edit Tools, but there's no Mesh Tools box, just a Mesh box. I understand that the tutorial is written for a different version of Blender (from the screenshots), but how can I access these properties from Blender 2.33a?

Thanks again!

[hypereyes]

You're welcome! Glad I can be an *expert* for someone...

Sounds like you are not in Edit Mode.
When you are in object mode, your selected object will be drawn with a pink wireframe outline.
Mouse over the 3D window and press Tab, (or you can select Edit Mode from the dropdown where it probably says Object Mode). This will put you into edit mode - your object should now be drawn in black wireframe and the individual vertices should be visible. Once in Edit Mode, that panel should show in the Edit buttons area.

-Brian

[JurneyAhed]

Thanks, that got it working!

Thanks for all the help. I hope I'll get it finished this time!

[JurneyAhed]

I've finished rendering him! Now I've moved on to the rigging stage, but I'm stuck again...

http://www.blender.org/modules/document ... .F.S68.057

at that page it says that when I choose the Arm.R option from the menu, I should get an image like the one in the guide. However, when I choose the Arm.R option, nothing happens. I need to remove the incorrect vertices, because when I try to rotate Gus, it doesn't work because of them.

When I choose the Arm.R option, my screen is like:



Any ideas?

Thanks!

[sten]

hey JurneyAhed!

welcome on using Blender


for user help/support, it is better to head over to www.elysiun.com and find "Blender General" forum, this is the Developer site, so getting faster better help would be to go to Elysiun.com, just as a help.

[JurneyAhed]

OK, ztonzy, I've done as you said:
http://www.elysiun.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 355#235355

However, if someone here does now how to help with my above problem, please tell me

Thanks

[secret_goldfish]

I have a problem with the tutorial as well.

I followed the instructions on how to mirror the first body half step by step, but nothing happens. I press Shift-D and the selected mesh is doubled, I press Shift-S and change to scaling mode, then I press xkey and conirm with enter or LMB, but the mesh remains just the way it was before. Where is my mistake?

[dehzooka]

I was doing that tut as well but I felt unmasciline doing a ginerbread man, so I stopped.