text:
How to quickly select object vertex and snap that object to another object vertex
When using AutoDesk Inventor, there is a option called "Grip Snap" where you select a point. Go to another object and select a point. You then move the original object to where you selected.
In Blender you can select a Vertex, Shift + S -> Cursor to Selected. Set the origin to the 3D cursor.

Then select the Vertex to where you want to move the object to and set the 3D cursor to the Vertex. You can then move your object to the 3D cursor. This works well but a little cumbersome.

Is there a way to speed up this process?
I have tried using Snap with Vertex and find it sometimes difficult to use. If I have multiple objects stacked on top of each other, it's easy to snap to the wrong object.
I have started working on a script that could do this.
# Blender Python script to move the 3D cursor to a selected vertex in edit mode
# and set the origin of the selected object to the 3D cursor.

import bpy
import bmesh

# Ensure we are in edit mode
if bpy.context.object.mode != 'EDIT':
    bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='EDIT')

# Get the active mesh
obj = bpy.context.edit_object
me = obj.data

# Get a BMesh representation
bm = bmesh.from_edit_mesh(me)

# Ensure we have a vertex selected
selected_verts = [v for v in bm.verts if v.select]
if not selected_verts:
    raise ValueError("No vertex selected.")

# Get the location of the first selected vertex
selected_vertex_location = obj.matrix_world @ selected_verts[0].co

# Move the 3D cursor to the selected vertex
bpy.context.scene.cursor.location = selected_vertex_location

# Switch to object mode to set the origin
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='OBJECT')

# Set the origin to the 3D cursor
bpy.ops.object.origin_set(type='ORIGIN_CURSOR')

# Print a success message
print("The 3D cursor has been moved to the selected vertex and the origin of the object has been set to the 3D cursor.")

Since blender 4.0 there is a new way to snap objects (set snap base). Works in both edit and object mode
https://blender.stackexchange.com/a/311590/158207

Object-Mode Snapping
Several methods. All illustrated here, with the magnet switched off, set to snap 'To: Vertex', and activated with the Ctrl key, only when needed.
Snap with 'Closest'
('Closest' at the start of a move.) This encourages a workflow where the source is transformed roughly into place, and then Ctrl - snapped with a second move:

Snap with 'Center'
Here. 'Center' refers to the current Pivot Point. If you set the Pivot to 3D Cursor, then you can ShiftRMB - drag the 3D Cursor. Then holding down Ctrl allows you to snap the cursor while moving it. That becomes your snap-source, for a Ctrl governed move.

Using 'B' after starting a transform
Since version 4ish, you have been able to set the snap source during a transform , by using the B key. That sets the transform to nothing, while you select the source.. here illustrated with a SY scale, followed by B, and then holding down Ctrl for the snap:

Also worth knowing, either while setting the snap-source with B, or the snap-target while Ctrl transforming, you can use the A key when a point is  highlighted. That will set the source or target to the average of the points over which you have pressed  A .

I wanted more control on where my objects were snapping to similar to Inventor. I also wanted to be able to move around my scene when selecting the 2 objects. I do not think you can do that with CTRL.
I have a script that will select a Vertex, move the 3D cursor to the Vertex and make the Vertex the object origin.
# Blender Python script to move the 3D cursor to a selected vertex in edit mode
# and set the origin of the selected object to the 3D cursor.

import bpy
import bmesh

# Ensure we are in edit mode
if bpy.context.object.mode != 'EDIT':
    bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='EDIT')

# Get the active mesh
obj = bpy.context.edit_object
me = obj.data

# Get a BMesh representation
bm = bmesh.from_edit_mesh(me)

# Ensure we have a vertex selected
selected_verts = [v for v in bm.verts if v.select]
if not selected_verts:
    raise ValueError("No vertex selected.")

# Get the location of the first selected vertex
selected_vertex_location = obj.matrix_world @ selected_verts[0].co

# Move the 3D cursor to the selected vertex
bpy.context.scene.cursor.location = selected_vertex_location

# Switch to object mode to set the origin
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='OBJECT')

# Set the origin to the 3D cursor
bpy.ops.object.origin_set(type='ORIGIN_CURSOR')

# Print a success message
print("The 3D cursor has been moved to the selected vertex and the origin of the object has been set to the 3D cursor.")

Then I select the Vertex on the second object and move the 3D cursor there.
I select the original object and move the object to the 3D cursor.


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Cloth object not rendering
Just as some background - it was an animated cloth object with physics, collision, and some hooks.  I "applied" all the modifiers when I liked its look, but now I'm searching for some setting that is keeping it from rendering.
Originally I was using cycles engine to apply materials, but I switched to the blender renderer and applied a new material.  Could this have been the problem?

Related - http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/33787/why-is-part-of-my-model-not-being-rendered. Your object has Restrict Rendering option turned on. Turn it off and it will be rendered. See wiki for more info.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


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How do I cut text through an object?
I am making scoreboard to 3d print and want the "Player 1   Player 2" to be a window for a light behind it. I tried the knife project and also a boolean with no luck. Can anyone help me out here?I want to cut the lettering all the way through. Thanks

Both knife project and boolean operations are working here for me with your example file. Boolean operations need volume to work, search this site for boolean and you will see tons and tons of questions with solutions

You need to create a solid 3D mesh out of the Text to get the Boolean Modifier working.
Select the text mesh and drag it up (z axis) a little. Use a solidify modifier and adjust its thickness until the text mesh goes through the Scoreboard mesh (you don't need to apply it).
Select the Scoreboard mesh, add a Boolean Modifier, select "Difference" as operation and "Text" as the object to use for the modifier.
Here's the .blend file with unapplied modifiers:

One approach is to use Knife Project.

Created the text.
Convert it to a mesh.
Move it in place above the object you want to cut through.
Select the text, add the object to the selection.
Switch to edit mode, select all, then use Knife Project from the
toolbar.
Make sure you check the Cut Through option (you will need a reasonably recent version of Blender for this option).
Then it's just a matter of connecting the dots.

Connecting the dot can be a bit tedious, but you usually get a cleaner mesh than that using a boolean.  See the partially completed example below.

When I try this it says "No other object selected objects have wire or boundary edges to use for projection"

authors: 122 จิราพร บัวชาวเกาะ

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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How can I create a "pin and catch" for my 3d print so it will fit in my printer and connect
Ignore the netfabb program. I wanted to use it to show what I was trying to do in blender. My printer can not fit the whole print so I wanted to print in sections using a "pin" method so it fits right.
What ideas would you guys have to separate the sections? I was thinking a square pin on one side and a square hole on the other? I bet there are better ways also that you know of.
Also, would i be able to keep each piece in the same file in case I wanted to scale it to a different size in the future and export each piece as a different stl file?
I don't know how to do this and could use a walkthrough!
Thanks!

I tried to reword it differently. I am asking how to separate the original file and make a "pin and slide" to fit into a printer

can you show where, and in what orientation you wish to place the "pin(s) and catch(es)"? I don't know much about 3D printing, but my understanding is that you cannot 3D print a surface over a void.

Ok guys... I figured this one out on my own so I wanted to post how I did it just in case someone had the same issue.

First thing I did was select vertices inside the the structure and created a face. I then created an inset and then extruded it outward.
I then saved the file and deleted each part of the structure except for a single part five separate times and saved each file individually

I then made sure they were solid and converted them to a stl file and put them into simplify 3d and am printing now with supports in all the holes. Almost finished and it looks pretty good!

Answering the second question first, yes, you could keep all of the component parts in a single file. But depending upon the printer driver software you intend to use to print your creation, you may have to export the various parts out individually to separate files for printing purposes.
Looking at your blend file, and your question, your proposed 3D object will not print very well on the 3D printing systems I am familiar with, if subdivided according to the illustration in your question.
The first challenge I see is your stated proposal to use a "square pin ... and square hole". Depending upon how you intend to orient the pins and holes, I see this as a potential challenge because 3D printers do not print horizontal "square holes" well. You'll need a different method--or methods-- of joinery.
The second challenge I see in the ~.blend file I downloaded is the slot in the ring opposite the two "ears". The slot is a "hole", which again, cannot be produced on a 3D printer.
The third challenge is in the shape of the ears. The 3D printers with which I have slight familiarity require a flat surface on which to form the object to be printed; they can't print an overhang.
In the absence of information on the intended size, this image
(source: core.com)   shows how I would divide the item for 3D printing. First, I'd divide the item in two along the vertical plane shown by the blue line in both sides; then I'd further divide the item along the plane shown by the yellow line, creating four sections: two of the half with the ears, and two with the half with the slot. I'd place the two sections with the ears so that the part of each section co-incident with the yellow horizontal plane is on the printer bed. With the half with the slot, I'd place the two sections with parts of the slot on the printer bed so that the outside of the piece is along the printer bed.

The size of the inner circle is 8". Using simplify 3D, I have printed a bunch of items with holes before. I just need something to help guide them back together so that it glues a lot nicer after printing. The reason I used netfabb was to cut the pieces to maker sure they fit in the printer with that cut so I would know where to make the slice.


text:
Need help figuring out how to fix this non-manifold 3d print
I am making a checker board type piece as pictured. I used the loop cut and slide to break up the rectangle into smaller rectangles and then extruded them upwards. It is now showing as a non-manifold problem and I can't figure out how to fix it. Thanks

There are non-manifold regions in your mesh. You should extrude faces upward in another way and it will work.
Why non-manifold
The reason for non-manifold in this case are areas with no thickness. For example, this connection:

The edge, which consists from selected vertice and bottom one, shares 4 faces and perfectly fits reason for being non-manifold.
You can notice that non-manifold is selected only in areas where these connections are present:

Note area in top middle - there isn't any face extruded further, hence there isn't any zero-thickness edge.
How to repair
Delete those faces and fill holes in mesh in order to make this surface flat and solid again, select the pattern how you'd like to extrude and use Extrude Individual operator with Alt+E.

After individual extrusion faces aren't connected to each other and do not have any shared edges.
What about removing doubles
If you remove doubles at this point, faces will have edge shared again (because after extrusion vertices are located in the same places), hence will become non-manifold again.
You can skip this step because doubles won't be detected as non-manifold, still lack of possibility to remove them may be undesired. With extruded faces still selected, set Pivot Point to Individual Origins and scale them a bit inwards:

@LarryGuthrie small note - there's another way to avoid extrusion to become non-manifold again after removing doubles. On the first step of the repairing process with faces-to-be-extruded selected inset them (press I) just a bit. Then extrude as desired; no scaling needed after that because extrusion already won't have any shared vertices.

The Face on the side of your mesh shows a N-Gon (Face with more than 4 Vertices). You should make sure that you only use quads (and tris if necessary) to get a good edgeflow to work with.
See if you can fix that by Hand (K is shortcut for knifetool, so you can insert edges manually) and when you're done you can also use Blenders Cleanup Function. Go to Edit mode, select all faces and go to Mesh (in the 3D viewport header) -> Cleanup. There you'll find a few options to cleanup other nonmanifold geometry like lose edges or double faces. It has Tooltips if you hover your mouse over it.
Hope this helps you, Happy Modeling :)


text:
Help with a simple 3d Print
I have a 3d model of a simple object I am trying to print. No matter what i try to do to make it unbroken (ctrl-opt-shift-m) I can not fix it, I checked all of the vertices and put new faces on every spot multiple times. It is a messed up object when i export to stl and load in simplify 3D. Looking at it, I can not see where any problems lie. I attached a picture of the object.
For the File

Here is after I did the triangulate modifier and tried to fix it. Stilll issues

use this service to share the .blend file: http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/

The normals look inconsistent. Does pressing Ctrl N with everything selected help?

nope i couldn't get it using ctrl n

You can highlight ngons in the 3d view panel in edit mode by pressing select on the header, then Select Face by Sides. Next press F6 to bring up the redo, and choose greater than 4 sides to highlight the ngons.
Maybe also try select> loose geometry to see if you have any unconnected vertices.

Still no luck... I'm usually good at finding videos and figuting these things out... Still stumped.... this program is a lot to take in! Reminds me of learning photoshop years ago

You can also use the operator history part (bottom) of the tool shelf.

without having looked at the blend file - you have quite an amount of n-gons in there.
n-gons = polygons that are not triangle or quads.
n-gons can mess up a 3d print.
make these quads or triangles (theres also a modifier for triangulating) and then check the normals (make normals consistent ctrl + n). this will make sure your faces face in the right direction. when on a model the faces look dark and shade to black, this is often the case.
then make sure to remove doubles (in edit mode select all, press w and select remove doubles).
hope this helps.

I attempted to watch some videos and play around with it for about 3 or 4 hours. I've only been using the program for 2 weeks and have about 40-60 hours into it learning and building. I still can not figure it out. I usually only make things worse and have to revert... Thanks for answering my question but I'm having a hard time figuring this one

we've all been there. don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. oh and by the way - i'm pretty sure your model is way too big for printing. blender units are way bigger than a real life centimeter/inch/whatever.

to figure out the problem of your model you could also use a printing service like shapeways to fix your model (this is done before purchasing, so don't worry. they check common errors with a program and if you purchase the print they check it manually)


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Rigify cannot rotate head anymore
I have the following problem with my Rigify rig. When i rotate the headbone in pose mode the mesh does not rotate with the bone anymore. I can still move the bone and the head deforms, but it does not rotate. If i rotate the neck bone, the head rotates with it just fine.
It still works on an older version of my model so there must be something messed up.
What i tried:
Checking the weight paint.
Messing around with Neck follow and Head follow.
Looking around for possible differences between the old and the new model.
If someone has any idea what could cause this, please let me now.

Hello could you please share your file? https://blend-exchange.com/

Here is the file @moonboots

You could try that. First thing display the layers with the important bones:

Switch to Pose mode, the bone called MCH-STR-neck has a Stretch To constraint which makes the head stretch when you move the controller bone called head, is it what you want? If not, disable this constraint.

Now to make the bone called DEF-head rotate you could give it a Copy Rotation constraint with the bone called head as target:

Result:

Thank you very much, this worked. Comparing this to the old rig, it seems like i somehow deleted the constraint. The old rig uses a copy transform with ORG-spine.006 as target. Copy transform and copy rotation both work.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Loop cut being cut off?
I'm trying to create a loop cut across this whole face but it's stopping early?

If you share your project with https://blend-exchange.com/ it will be easier to help you.

@PepAndorra Sure thing:

There are several answers here on how the loop cut works... the narrow vertical face is not a quad, it's an n-gon. Read more here: Loop-cut won't go all the way around

@GordonBrinkmann I read through what you sent but I'm still not sure how to fix my problem. Could you elaborate?

This narrow face is an ngon, the Loopcut operation don't cut through an ngon as it is not supposed to know where to cut, so you either need to dissolve these vertices, or use another tool like the Knife tool (K to activate, C to cut through, A to cut orthogonally:

Thanks! Tried that and it worked


text:
More efficient way of selecting faces in a pattern?
I'm trying to select a series of faces in a pattern like this:

I was hoping someone on here had a more efficient way of doing this sort of thing without having to select each face manually.

Maybe you should more anticipate how to model your object, how does your reference object look like?

Hello. It's still cumbersome but I think you'll get there faster by selecting everything and ALT + SHIFT + click on face border to deselect every other column and row

Sounds like the job for an array modifier rather than manual modelling

I know this is old but I think you could use Ctrl+Shift++ (select/next active) to select one every x faces, with a bit of luck you'll need to do it only 4 times.

Maybe rather select columns, rows, then invert.


text:
Connecting two planes together successfully
My question is how do I connect two vertices together to make two planes one object? I used tiny cad to do the intersections but they didn't really connect

It isn't very clear what your question is about. Your image have no notation and description to what you are trying to achieve. Can you elaborate and highlight which part of the mesh are you trying to modify?

After removing doubles (select all > W > Remove Doubles) and recalculating normals (select all > Ctrl+N) only this part of geometry is displayed as non-manifold:

When inspecting one of those sides it becomes clear that vertices of thin part of mesh aren't connected to thick part:

You should connect those vertices to edge located between thick and thin parts.

Select top and bottom vertices of that edge. Subdivide them with W > Subdivide, in Last Operator panel (F6) choose 2 subdiviosions.

Select top subdivided vertex, select top original vertex and press Alt+M > At Last to merge them.

Repeat that for 3 other vertices (to do that faster you can use Repeat Last operator. Once you merged first pair of vertices select next pair appropriately and press Shift+R. It will repeat last action).

Optionally: you could edit topology a bit to avoid Ngons on thick part of this mesh. However this shouldn't be important if you aren't going to add Subsurf on the model.

You don't need mesh_tinyCAD for this.
Delete the edges that touch the other edges,

then select any remaining edge and press F. to fill.

Even as I do this it still shows as an incomplete mesh. I tried merging the two vertices I made using tinycad but they are not merging

I wrote the tinyCAD addon - and fail to see how it could be useful here, when Blender's built in tools are perfectly fine for it. Don't give up :)

I see. I guess my question was how to fix a vertex that wouldn't let 2 lines connect. Thnkd for the help!

authors: Юра Квятковский


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3D print tablet wall recessed mount incomplete
I'm trying to make a simple 3D print of a recessed wall trim for a tablet. It isn't showing as a solid piece when I try to print. Can someone help me out?

without the curved ends

If you have made improvements as indicated below then update your file.

Try scaling whole model down and applying scale (Ctrl+A). The model has 256 meters long and it's may be too much. See http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/7298/why-is-it-important-to-apply-transformation-to-an-objects-data for applying scale and http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/7503/scale-settings-for-exporting-to-stl-for-3d-printing for units for 3d printing.

Newer
Normals Recalculate Outside

Edit Older Disregard
Use Make Normals Consistent.  This will help.

Already did that. No good


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Vertex stuck during cloth animation on rigged model
On a model ripped from a game, I separated the outfit from the body to make it easier to rig.
Now I want to attach the outfit back on the body, here are the two meshes :
The main body :

And the outfit itself :

I parented the outfit to the armature and used the "transfer weight" function from the main body to the outfit.
I want to give the lower part of the outfit a cloth physics, so I applied the cloth modifier to the whole outfit mesh, with the upper part as pinning group.
But when I animate the model, deformations of the cloth appear and they don't make any sense to me, see for yourself :

The more I lower the end of the "pinning group", the more spikes I get, so I guess it's related to bad weight attribution, but I can't see any problem when I switch to weight paint mode.
edit:

There are just too many conflicts in this file and the structure does not make it easy to try resolve.
To start / you have a vertex group called Dress assigned a weight of 1 that does what exactly? Nothing that I can see and would just remove it. A lot of the other vertex group came along for the ride with your transfer, like the fingers. You don't need those vertex groups in your outfit. You also have geometry overlapping like the cloak that is part of the Main Body object and the Outfit object which does not make things easier to understand.
If you select your rig and activate the 3rd last layer you will get your deform bones. Select the chest bone in pose mode and then the outfit before going into Weight Paint. You will see the weight painting is not that successful...
and the weight group also makes that clear...

A few suggestions. Work in Solid mode as it is easier to see. Ctrl N - will turn your normals all the same direction which is never a bad thing. Automated proccesses seem like a good thing but can also cause more work as you have to clean them up.
Guess you know you are being quite ambitious to try so many things at once?

Thanks for checking my file ! As you pointed out the "spikes" problem was coming from bad weight attribution, but I was unable to correct it at first because somehow the mesh wasn't updating during weight painting, and I had to click "bake" on cloth simulation to see it ! As you guessed I am new to 3D modeling and Blender, so that change of behavior was quite confusing ! Beyond that, I agree that the whole thing looks kinda broken, but I am sure there is a way around to reach a decent result !


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My render animation has no color?
Ill been using blender since a month ago thanks to tutorials and the blender guide and now that I render my animation has no color, My mesh already has texture but the texture doesnt appear in my .avi extension/output its only grey or black and white, does anyone know?
-Edward S.

Blender render (not Cycles) ? Do you have lights in your scene ?

Yes blender render and I do have lights on my scene:(

Could you show some screen captures or upload your blend file here ? http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/

[](http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/b/1670/

There is something strange with the lamps : I cannot see or select them (first time I encounter that...). Which Blender version are you using ?

Blender 2.77 yeah maybe I exceed the light or well I really dont know

For now, the only thing I can say is that if I add a lamp, I see your character again when rendering.

So should I add more light to my scene? I am really thank for all your help

I don't know what happened. If I was you, I delete the lamps and recreate them again (you can delete them using the outliner)

I did and now the mesh looks white but the texture colors dont. I want to show you a screenshot but how do I upload it?

There I put a screenshot my question is, does that modify or affects my render animation in any way ?

In the file I have downloaded your meshes have no materials assigned.

Related - http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/6534/render-not-showing-uv-texture. Your file indeed doesn't have any materials, only textures assigned to meshes in Edit mode. While it's visible in preview, it won't be rendered by default (using non-default isn't good practice)..

Really really thanks Lemon and Mr zak that would help. Thank you:)

Possible duplicate of How is this blendfile hiding textures?

There aren't any materials assigned to the objects; thus no textures will be rendered. You can preview textures in 3D Viewport because in Blender Internal it isn't required to have material in order to preview texture on the model; it is enough to select faces in Edit mode and open desired image in UV/Image Editor (no need even to unwrap it and assign texture to UV map):

You still have possibility to render these textures by enabling Face Textures in properties, however you will need to create material for that:

Do keep in mind that this is not a good practice and should be avoided; create textures, assigned to the material and link them to images instead.

Mr Zak thanks a lot I finally got it, thanks for the support and help.


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Procedural Texture transparency
I'm very nooby in Blender :) I'd like to create some texture like on this tutorial below, but I'd like that the fill of stones (blue colors) became transparent. I'd like to see only the shape between the stones. How can I do that?
Procedural Texture for Stylized Stone
Thank you

you may have to be more specific to get a good answer.  If you can, provide a mock-up of what you want, even a crude drawing on top of the image would help

Hello and welcome. While files, images, and external videos or links may be helpful additions they should not be the only way to obtain information about your issue. Don't make understanding your question rely on downloading a file, watching a video or visiting an external site. Use the builtin tools to upload images or gifs, along with thoroughly explaining the problem in written form so it can be indexed and searched for thus helping future visitors with similar issues.

As long as you have a mask of some sort (ie greyscale data in the form of an image texture or procedural texture), here a Voronoi texture, you can pipe it into a Mix Shader node and plug a Transparent BSDF into one of its inputs.


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Dynamic Paint Irrespective of Time Stretching
I have this Dynamic Paint setup which influences the mapping of some droplets. As the splash happens, it wipes the droplets away based off of the merging of the two Weight Maps.

The only problem is that when I go Time Stretch for rendering from 100 to 150, even if the Dynamic Paint simulation is baked with the Time Stretch of 150, the simulation/Weight Map is still off and set to the time scale of 100.

The water splash is an alembic cache that would be a huge pain to time remap to the 150 time scale, but could be a solution. Essentially duplicating the current one, time remapping it, baking that, then hiding it.

Any better solutions? The hidden alembic retimed to 150 feels a bit hacky imo. Would be cool to know why this is happening vs making weird workarounds, especially for future projects. Thanks in advance

I too have had to use the time stretch which dynamic vertex paint and it does not seem to work.
I found a work around with the paid addon "animation layers".

Set the scene back to 100 time stretch.

Turn on animation layers on the object, then hit the + symbol, delete the extra top layer it creates if you have keyframes.

Go to the bottom of the animation layers - object settings and increase the sp time to match the time stretch you want. In the example pic i set it to 8 which later corresponds with a time stretching set to 800.

Bake the vertex paint.

Switch the sp back to 1.0 speed.

From there, you can use the time stretch in blender for the whole scene and it should all match up.


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How can I create a Turing pattern shader?
I'd like to create a Turing pattern shader. Essentially this exact effect, but as a static shader for objects rather than a compositor animation. How can I do so? I've played with 4D Voronoi, Musgrave and Noise nodes but haven't been able to replicate it very well.

Hello and welcome. While files, images, and external videos or links may be helpful additions they should not be the only way to obtain information about your issue. Don't make understanding your question rely on downloading a file, watching a video or visiting an external site. Use the builtin tools to upload images or gifs, along with thoroughly explaining the problem in written form so it can be indexed and searched for thus helping future visitors with similar issues.

The shipped Tissue  Tools  add-on includes an implementation of reaction-diffusuion on vertex groups,which could be baked.  You could implement the simulation in the renderer, by feeding back through the compositor, in the same  way as @vklidu has done here but the texture is still the result of a self-organising process . I don't think there's an analytical solution for step N in that process.

Turing patterns are usually produced in 3D using a reaction-diffusion simulation. As far as I know, this is the only way to obtain such a pattern. Erindale has a very recent tutorial for this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSpkkuOOtBw


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Exported FBX appears transparent in Unity
I'm trying to export an FBX into Unity. In blender, the materials are opaque and have no transparency. However, when I export it into Unity, the object appears transparent.
I have made sure to recalculate my normals using Ctrl+N, as well as apply location scale and rotation using Ctrl+A.
Here's an image. If anybody has any ideas as to what is going wrong, I would appreciate it.

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/57531/fbx-export-why-there-are-no-materials-or-textures

Even when changing all of the Unity materials to the default, I still end up with the large transparent gaps in the big gray building. Maybe the issue isn't material related after all.

i've had this problem when using Principled BSDF.. if I switch to Diffuse BSDF in blender materials, then this doesn't happen. not sure if this is a bug in blender FBX export of P-BSDF, or whether unity isn't handling something in FBX correctly

So , enable backface culling option in blender , now u can see the exact problem in blender as in unity , recalculate the normals there , this video will help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmMD9fV98Co maybe in diffuse bsdf light data is abble read from both sides thats why u r able to succeed in diffuse bsdf


text:
Weird invisible face issue
Before we get started - I'm a total newbie to Blender.  So, take my terminology use with a grain of salt as I'm probably not using the correct words.
I'm trying to make a lantern.  I built one in Blender, sent off a .obj file to a friend to "proof-read", and they sent it back to me (I believe they use 3DS MAX).
Now my lantern looks like this:

The shading is weird, but since this project is for 3D printing, I don't really care too much about that.  However, I'm concerned that the apparently missing faces won't print properly.
I tried using the features to auto-create faces with the correct vertices selected, but nothing happened.  So I thought maybe it was a display issue.  But when I turned on face normal display, those two 'faces' are missing normals entirely, so I suspect that they're not there but the auto-create tool can't fill in the space for some reason.
Thoughts?
Edit:After repairing the lantern partially with lint, I'm getting a strange issue where the lint is repeatedly asking me to delete what seems to be working vertices.  See the left side for several deleted vertices, and the right for an untouched side.  The currently selected vertices are the ones it is describing as lint.

Looks like flipped normals to me. Did you try pressing CTRL-N?

I did.  I found a tutorial online that suggested that was the issue, and unless I did something wrong (entirely possible), it had no effect.  I saw all the normals for the other faces flip as expected but not the ones for the missing faces.

Ok, can you upload the file to PasteAll here?: http://www.pasteall.org/blend/ It would make it much faster for me to find the problem.

Maybe these are overlapping faces?

I'll post the blend when I get back to my desktop.  Thanks for the help.

@RegusMartin: http://www.pasteall.org/blend/38326 Is that what you're looking for?

sometimes strange things happen when you have  a negative scale.
I don't know if this is the case, but try to apply Ctrl-A > scale

What is Ctrl-A supposed to do?  Nothing seems to happen.

@JuniorInCanter Applying Scale (Ctrl A, "Scale") commits the size an object appears to be to the size it actually is. Try this experiment to help your understanding: 1. Add a cube and put a Bevel Modifier on it. 2. Scale it up to twice the size. (Notice in your Properties Panel the Scale now reads X:2, Y:2, Z:2) 3. Apply Scale. Notice your beveled edges just halved in size while the cube remained the same size. And your Scale info once again reads X:1, Y:1, Z:1. So if scale is applied then all axes are 1 and what you see is what you get. Also very important to do before measuring edges.

In this case, you have a simple problem of missing faces. One way to verify this is to install the MeshLint addon for Blender. Then use the "Check Non-manifold Elements" tool. This will find any holes in your mesh.
To fix the holes, select the edges around one hole and press F. And repeat for any remaining holes.

Other common mesh problems can be fixed by removing vertices that share the same space. Called doubles. To do so, press W and select Remove Doubles.

Also, Ctrl-A will allow you to apple the transform of the object. Like if you scaled a cube to 2x it's size on one axis while in object mode, it could cause problems when doing things like beveling in edit mode or adding a modifier. Pressing Ctrl-A will solve that issue.

Thanks for introducing us to MeshLint! I had been using Select Non-Manifold and Select Similar, but this should be even faster.

@Mentalist No problem. I've been using MeshLint for years now. It's a great modeling add-on. Another add-on to look at is the F2 add-on, it's incredibly useful for modeling: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Modeling/F2

Okay, so this allowed me to finally close the four missing faces.  However, I still have 8x nonmanifold elements.  How do I check where these are?

So I figured out that I just keep the "check nonmanifold elements" checkbox check and press select lint.  Works so far, and cleaned up most of them.

But now I'm getting this strange persistent issue - I consistently get 3 elements, despite the necessary faces being there.  I delete all the vertices attached to the face, then recreate the face, and the lint goes away... except it has now "infected" new vertices that were connected to the previous set.  Deleting this set just repeats the process...

The issue above seems to continue endlessly.  Visually speaking I can't tell what the problem is - all I can tell is that I'm using less faces to cover the same "surface", but I don't understand why the new set of faces is more valid.
I added an image to the original post.

@JuniorIncanter I'm not sure why new problems are showing up. Most likely, you accidentally pressed a button that messed up your mesh in some way.

Add an edge split modifier to address your shading in general.  This will allow sharp corner where necessary.  Consider removing doubles.

I'm still new to Blender.  What do you mean by doubles, and how do I remove them?

Also, does the shading matter when doing 3D printing?

@JuniorIncanter No, it does not. A 3d printer does not use the surface normals when printing. Therefore the direction of the normals is irrelevant.


text:
Batch render script
For my next project (game) I would like to use Blender for making pre-rendered assets. I'm fairly new to Blender.

I'm looking for a way to do a batch render and export of multiple assets with a single command. I'm aware of the Blender command line options but I suspect it's not going to be enough.
I need to be able to do the batch render repeatedly, as I iterate on the look and dimensions of the assets and add new ones.
I need all renders to use the same camera setup (angle, lens etc) without having to re-create the setup manually for each asset.

My current idea is this:

Make some assets. Adjust scale and orientation the same way for each. Separate .blend file for each asset.
Make a "template" scene where I setup the exact camera I need for all renders. Also perhaps the "passes" for rendering shadows separately could be setup here?
Write a Python script which loads the template, then iterates over the asset .blend files and renders each one using the template setup.
Add more assets
Re-run Python script, it finds new assets in the directory and renders them
Optimization: Python script will check timestamps of .blend files and only re-render if there's been a change.
Debug feature: Python script takes a parameter which lowers the sampling parameter, to make quick renders during development. Final renders use higher sampling value.

Is this reasonable or is there a better way to approach this?
My ideal answer:

Says yes or no for each requirement/assumption, with few words of explanation
Suggests alternatives in the form of links to Blender manual or tutorials
That's it.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not at all expecting anybody to write "the script" for me as an answer, just asking about the general idea. I will be happy to dive into that and learn how to do it, as long as I know I'm going in the right direction.

Thanks!
UPDATE: attaching three simple scenes as an example: BLENDER42764.zip

Sounds possible :) Can you provide a test scene?

There is the command line version of Blender, where you can do certain operations. http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.4/Reference/Command_Line

Related: http://www.blendernation.com/2016/03/10/sprite-render-kit-tool-top-game-sprite-rendering/

It should be pretty well possible. You should choose wether to try to script everything in Python inside of Blender or to use an external script which calls blender with a prepared blend file set up with all of your materials, background, camera and lighting...
As I see Blender as an amazing all-in-one tool with a complete rendering pipeline I will say a few words about the first approach, but the second should easily be adaptable.
It's no problem to "spawn" objects via python commands in Blender, even linked ones from other files. Probably at the location of a placeholder Empty. Generally spoken you can just enlarge your Info Area (where the File menu is located) and see all the actions you do in the interface as the corresponding Python function. Just copy these lines and adapt them into a script meeting your needs.
You could either use a Python loop to iterate through your assets and import every single asset one after another, start a render with a distinct output filename and delete the asset again. Or you can import them all into one scene and animate their visibility (only showing one each frame) which allows you to render all assets as an image sequence. But the result should be the same.
You could use the os filesystem functions to check for changes and hold a timestamp variable or compare timestamps of your render outputs and your asset timestamps.
Your mentioned debug feature is just a setting of your render samples amount. You can script your output folder splitting up into different folders according to your samlpes settings.

related: http://blender.stackexchange.com/a/43531/2843

My other answer is not exactly about this topic, but it should give you some hints of how to do some scripting with Blender and work with external files and arguments...

Why is somebody downvoting this answer? Could you give some reasons?

Not me, I found the scripts you referred very informative. Thanks!

@Samoth it is probably because it is a link only answer. Those are very discouraged. It would be better, to copy the necessary parts of your answer here, and then explain how to use it for batch rendering.

This really sucks on this site. If people want those details, they might help out and copy the details themselves or at least give that hint as a comment. But this is all about reputation and too few people upvote on specific topics. And when you ask a specific question you are really happy to at least get a link and some help as Thomas wrote. Finally, it's even an internal link. And programmers usually don't repeat themselves... So it's just discouraging.


text:
Material is too dark in AR
I have a 3D model of a chair which I want to use for an Augmented Reality App. In Object Mode and AR Quick Look (Mac) the colours look fine. In render mode (cycles render) and when I place the object in my AR app (iOS), the colours of the material are too dark.
Can somebody help me and explain how I can fix this problem?
Thanks!
Edit: I have added light sources which brighten up the render image but don't effect the object brightness within my AR App.

You meant in Texture Mode not in Object Mode right? Did you light your scene up with environmental lighting or light sources? You should also mention that you are using cycles in Blender

Thanks, I have added the missing information to the question.
The material brightness looks fine in object and texture mode. I have also added light sources, which brightened up the render view but did not change the brightness of the object in the AR application. Any ideas?

I don't know anything about that AR App but if lighting helped solve the issue in cycles render completly then its maybe the same problem in that app, and you have to do something there

If the albedo are reasonable, the problem is your light transport in your AR API. Specifically, it is literally too dark in the estimated scene. Unsurprisingly, given how janky AR is.

I have solved the problem by adding a plain black image as the metallic texture when converting the .obj file to .usdz


text:
Problem with sharp edges after subdivision surface modifier
everybody. I I'm newbie in Blender(obviously=) )
I still got sharp edges after subdivision surface modifier.
New "smooth" surface (2) kinda attached to some vertices (1) of the mesh, creating ugly vertical edge.
Upper part of lightbulb (which was used to creat the lower by "E", RMB, P) have no such problems. There is no double vertices and no Ngons. I've added few horizontal loopcuts(ctrl+R) to sharpen horizontal edges of the mesh, but thats all. I did nothing to vertical edges.  Please help me. This  question drives me crasy. Thanks in advance.

how does your mesh looks like without modifier? If you've added edge loops between edge loops, it will tend to flatten the surfaces...

Looks like I've found an answer. Don't know how, but all normals were mixed up, so modifier went crazy. Shift+N solved the problem.
Now I have the habit of checking normals before using any modifiers and posting simple questions =)).


text:
Does scale of camera have an effect on camera tracking a scene?
I am doing a camera match/track (markers on the floor and walls, they are scaled differently and key frames on necessary frames when something passes in front of the tracked point).  Sorry if this doesn't make sense.
I click the "solve camera motion" and then "set up tracking scene", and then I noticed the focal length of the camera is set to 4 mm, which looks extremely wide angled.  So I manually put the focal length to 35 mm, which looks right; then I look at the scale of the camera and the "empties" in the scene and it's scaled to like 0.1 instead of 1.0.

Anyone know what is causing the scale to adjust like that?
And can it still be used, or should the scale be 1?

Not sure how to edit this:  It appears the "Camera Solver" constraint is what is setting the camera scale, can anyone shed light on that, in layman's terms?
Any input is greatly appreciated.


text:
Are bpy_extras.object_utils.object_data_add created mesh objects relative to the global origin or cursor location?
I trying to dynamically create meshes using the python API and it seems that coordinates are relative to the cursor location instead of the global zero point?
Is this correct? And if so, is there a way to make blender do it relative to (0, 0, 0)
Code:
_mesh1 = bpy.data.meshes.new(name='testing_mesh1')

vertices1 = [Vector((a, b, c)) ...]
edges1 = [(0, 1) ...]

_mesh1.from_pydata(vertices1, edges1, [])

bpy_extras.object_utils.object_data_add(context, _mesh1)

Please add code to clarify how you are adding objects. If using operators, yes the default setting is to add at scene.cursor location.  If location argument is set it is relative to global origin.

I have added the code that I use

Simple test in python console
Run a simple test. Put the cursor at some known scene location, and add an object using the bpy_extras.object_utils.object_data_add method. (Simply pinched a mesh from the active object cube)
>>> C.object
bpy.data.objects['Cube']

>>> me = C.object.data
>>> C.scene.cursor.location = (10, 10, 10)
>>> import bpy_extras
>>> ob = bpy_extras.object_utils.object_data_add(C, me)

>>> ob.location
Vector((10.0, 10.0, 10.0))

Hence without any operator passed, uses the scene cursor. btw the python source is readily available, and could check thru scripts/modules/bpy_extras/object_utils.py to confirm
To make it zero location, rotation and unit scale
>>> ob.matrix_world = Matrix()
>>> ob.location
Vector((0.0, 0.0, 0.0))

Check the docstring
For a quick run down check the docstring in the python console
>>> bpy_extras.object_utils.object_data_add(
object_data_add(context, obdata, operator=None, name=None)
Add an object using the view context and preference to initialize the
location, rotation and layer.
:arg context: The context to use.
:type context: :class:`bpy.types.Context`
:arg obdata: the data used for the new object.
:type obdata: valid object data type or None.
:arg operator: The operator, checked for location and rotation properties.
:type operator: :class:`bpy.types.Operator`
:arg name: Optional name
:type name: string
:return: the newly created object in the scene.
:rtype: :class:`bpy.types.Object`

Use in conjunction with an operator
is designed to be used in conjunction with an add object operator in which case transform settings are taken from the instance of the operator.  Often also used with AddObjectHelper class, as demonstrated in Text Editor > Python > Templates > Add Object  and in this example https://blender.stackexchange.com/a/160995
Using a decorator
An example of wrapping a decorator around the imported method to set the new object created to a transform of our choosing.
import bpy
from bpy_extras.object_utils import object_data_add
from mathutils import Matrix

def location_decorator(matrix=Matrix()):
    def decorator(f):
        def g(*args, **kwargs):
            ob = f(*args, **kwargs)
            ob.matrix_world = matrix
            return ob
        return g
    return decorator

object_data_add = location_decorator()(object_data_add)

me = bpy.data.meshes.new("Foo")

ob = object_data_add(bpy.context, me)

or if using with an operator that has a location property, but we wish to make it default to scene origin (or another transform) when not set then
def location_decorator(matrix=Matrix()):
    def decorator(f):
        def g(*args, **kwargs):
            op = kwargs.get("operator")

            if op and not op.properties.is_property_set("location"):
                op.location = matrix.translation
            return f(*args, **kwargs)
        return g
    return decorator


text:
Yellow sticky note in the wind
I would like to make an animation of some yellow sticky notes (on a table) slightly moving in the wind. I already tried the cloth and soft body physics, but neither provide me the desired affect.
An attached to a table sticky note is elastic in the up/down movement but is rather hard in left/right movements. Also an attached sticker can hardly be folded by the wind or become wrinkles.
Could you please point me to the right direction of animating this?
In particular:

Which physic body to use (soft, cloth, any other)
What kind of wind or other force field to use (strong/light)
Should the sticker be a simple plane a very thin mash with the volume >0

sorry can't understand what is an "attached to a table sticker" and how it should behave... any reference?

You just put a small yellow sticker on the table and it sticks with its top sticky part. The remaining part elevates slightly above the table. Did you get the idea?

I think he is describing a Postit Note.

A post it note?  can you elaborate on result you gained from soft body / cloth and what was wrong with them.

Final:

Scene setup:

Plane (table).
This is just simple Plane with added Collision (default setup). It should be a little bit below sticky note.
Sticky note.
Another Plane, Subdivided with Weight Paint and Cloth physics.

Weight Paint - Red color is 'sticky' part, green is still little stiff and blue for full influence. You can paint it differently if you want.
Cloth physics - main goal here was to make it light and stiff.

Quality - 20, for better overall animation and smoothness,
Mass - 0.1, Wind and Gravity influence,
Structural, Bending, Spring - 400, 500, 50, all for getting rid of small wrinkles,
Air - 4, it will slightly increase air resistance and smooth wind influence,
Pinning - Group, most important thing here, this one will take Weight Paint as stiffness map,
Cloth Collision > Quality - 4, for better collision with table.

Force Field > Turbulence - this one could be Wind or probably something else. Adjust Strength, Noise as you like, but keep Size at 10. You can animate position of it and also Strength and Noise. Additionally you can add more of them with different settings.

I would try to use a setup like this: I'm not so satisfied with the "sticker" deform but... at least I hope it will give you some inspiration...
I created an initally deformed "sticker" (I used a curve deform to set the shape slightly lifted)

Then I've set a wind force field acting on the "cloth sticker", using a sticky vertex group to make that part to "stick" to the base.
Other key settings here are a leser "velocity" and gravity deactivation...

here is my test file

btw, there's a hidden copy of the sticker with default cloth settings, for comparison
edit: due to animated gif begging :D  I add here an animated comparison although the nearest "postit" has a really subtle movement, respect to the other (the hidden one I was referring above) that has default cloth settings... for this reason I added the .blend where it is easier to see the movement, and tinker with settings...

... begs for an animated gif 8^)

@batFINGER stop begging! I've added it :D

stiffer springs? oh and this is begging


text:
How to make particles change their direction 90 degrees
I am trying to replicate this particle effect in blender - https://vimeo.com/219576444 I especially want the particles to change their direction 90 degrees, like in the video.
Particularly this part

How can I do this in a blender?

To clarify the effect seen if pausing vid at 1 second mark? If so could you please add a screenshot.

@batFINGER I'm interested in this part https://i.imgur.com/r8jgPnf.png

Please Edit any extra details into question. Have a search  for  questions re lightning.

I think it's not an actual particle system
It's more like a mesh that being exposed presumably by some empty object or something like that:

Though I'm not sure how it's actually done, and as soon as I know there's no way to make particles do that straight kind of motion

I would suggest a slightly different approach.  And I suspect this is what he did the more I look at it.

Animate a single object yourself that moves in the pattern that you want. Duplicate that object a few times and offset the animations from one another.
Offset the rotations in 90 degree increments between them around the emitter axis.
Group this entire collection.
Make a particle emmiter that emits this group.
Play with the particle system rotation and randomness settings from here to fine tune.

If you want to get fancier, you can animate the turns procedurally on the object so it randomizes the turns.  Additionally, the object you are animating can be a particle system to get more control over the trails that you might want.
This is based partially on the suggestions of Richard Marklew on Blender artists. https://blenderartists.org/t/offset-particle-object-animation/489919/3


text:
"Main scale" control on a material from Poliigon Material converter
Where does this neat control come from?

I noticed it on materials from Poliigon Material converter. Never seen it before. (I am new to Blender though.)
The control does not get preserved when I clone the material. (I could not find anything missing or anything extra in the Shading editor when comparing the original and the cloned material.)

The Add-on is responsible for adding this field there. But it only gets drawn if a special property, managed by the add-on, is present in the material properties. These custom properties don't get copied over when you duplicate a material.
Basically this is just a shortcut to the scale values of a mapping node inside the material. I think it is a bit convoluted for what it does, but you should contact the support if you want to make them aware of this limitation.
Digging into the add-on files I found this:
if mat and mat.pmc_matprops.workflow != '':

        # get the mapping nodes, if found
        main_map = None
        for n in mat.node_tree.nodes:
            if 'main_map' in n: # ie n['main_map'] exists
                main_map = n

        if main_map:
            row = col.row(align=True)
            if hasattr(main_map, "scale"):
                row.prop(main_map,"scale", text="Main scale")
            elif 'Scale' in main_map.inputs:
                row.prop(main_map.inputs['Scale'], "default_value", text="Main scale")

Explanation :
On the first line the method checks if the material has a custom property named pmc_matprops. I believe it is added by the add-on when first instantiating the material. When you duplicate the material, the property doesn't get copied over.

Would you say the problem is Blender not copying their special property, or Polligon not having it declared as an actual Custom Property? (I am referring to the bottom most section of the material pane.)

The problem is Blender not automatically copying custom properties. It's true for any object and custom property. You could use a script to automatically copy custom properties from material to material, but in this case I think it could be handled in the add-on with a few lines (adding a button to "initialize" the custom props if they don't exist yet on the material for instance)


text:
Interpreting a formula for Blender Python
I'm pretty poor at maths but managed to get someone who is decent at it to come up with a linear algebraic formula for the control over the distribution of points along a straight line.
The formula is:
$$f(x) = \left(\frac xL\right)^{\frac 1c}L$$
Would anyone be kind enough and help me translate that into a function I can write within Blender python?
Thanks in advance.

With numpy
An ideal candidate for using numpy  For example, can define a sequence
>>> x = np.arange(5)
>>> x
array([0, 1, 2, 3, 4])

and run a function quickly over all items, simple example squaring them.
>>> np.power(x, 2)
array([ 0,  1,  4,  9, 16])

Halving and squaring
>>> np.power(x / 2, 2)
array([0.  , 0.25, 1.  , 2.25, 4.  ])

The question equation.
Test script, defines a function of $x$ with scalars (assume they're scalars) $L$ and $c$
import bpy
import numpy as np

def distribute(x, L, c):
    return L * np.power(x / L, 1 / c)

# test run

x = np.arange(20)
for d in distribute(x, 10, 2):
    bpy.ops.object.empty_add(location=(d, 0, 0))

Empties placed as result of test run.
Related.
Create curve from Numpy Array using Python

What an excellently described answer. Thanks for this. Numpy really is a great extension to the core functionality.

The python expression is:
y = (x / L) ** ( 1 / c) * L

Although I'm going with the answer above, this is still really useful to know what the literal translation looks like. So thanks for your input.


text:
Used boolean modifier for lettering on 3D print. It won't print letters, but shows as working
I am trying to print this piece I made. It looks as though everything is right until I put in in my print program and the lettering doesn't print right. I can't figure out what I did wrong.

File before the Boolean

I got it to the point of showing letters, but they are outlined. How do I make it solid?

Try different file format. I bet .stl will manage to transfer all data correctly. If not, try to import the file to FreeCAD or MeshLab, and export it in different acceptable file formats. In general there is nothing wrong with the mesh itself so it has to be file conversion problem.

The geometry under the discrete letters looks quite strange. I would create one mesh out of two submeshes. One for the scoreboard, one for the lettering. AFAIK they don't need to be connected.

I exported as stl. I also left the text as a mesh and the score panel as a mesh and selected both and exported. I got letters when exported but they were just outlined and not solid. I did use the solidify modifier

The issue is most likely caused by the walls of the letters being bigger than 2 but smaller than 3 lines thick. Imagine printing a wall with a thickness of 2.5 lines, the slicer will try to keep the original dimensions so you will end up with 2 lines and an empty space the size of half a line in the middle.

Try with file https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7t43CPM6VA-RURVZDg0NGhuTEk/view?usp=sharing (I'll delete it from my drive at Oct 28).
I did the following:

Converted text to mesh.
Combined all text meshes together.
Extruded text meshes on Z axis.
Did the boolean modifier to carve the plate.
Applied the modifier to the plate.
Deleted the text meshes.
Exported to STL.

Thanks for the help but... Imported the stl file to simplify 3D. I was going for extruded text 1mm out and not in. When I make the text go in I get the same result as you did

i'll do the extrusion out then

try with this one:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7t43CPM6VA-enNteWl0dU5oMVU/view?usp=sharing

I added a picture above. After working it a bit and trying different methods I got it to do the lettering and did a print... but yours is still doing the same as mine. It is outlining the lettering instead of being solid lettering,

authors: Виктор Заграй


text:
Apply texture to the full height of the UV Island?
Full faces are unwrapped but it shows the texture like not the full height, please help!

.blend file

It may be that you are still using the Generated coordinates, even though you have already unwrapped your object. Consider uploading your .blend file to http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/ so that others can inspect what's wrong.

Took a look at your file. The texture appears that way because of the subsurf modifer. You have to tell blender there's a crease there by selecting the edges around the label and setting the crease to 1. See image:

No problem! Also I'm a lady :)


text:
How do I name a selected group via python script?
I was wondering if anyone knows a simple python command that allows me to rename the selected group. I am working on a script that requires a renaming mid operator. I found one to rename the selected objects but not a group specifically.

If there is a group named "Group" then  bpy.data.groups["Group"].name = "Frank" will change its name to "Frank".  Not sure as to which is the active group guess is  ob.users_group[0]

Using Object.users_group returns a list of all groups the object is assigned to. Decide which group of the list you'd like to rename and assign a new name to GroupData.name property.
import bpy

obj = bpy.context.object
obj_group = next(iter(obj.users_group), None)

if obj_group:
    grp = bpy.data.groups.get(obj_group.name)
    grp.name += "_special"

Thank you! This worked but I used batfinger's method to do it in less lines of code. -Brad

In case you know the name of the group, that's fine @BradHamilton

No longer an orphan.


text:
Is there a way to select all the objects inside a collection?
Is there a way to select all the objects inside collection using shortcut?

When you are in the 3D View, select one of the collection objects and press shiftG > Collection. In the Outliner, right click on the collection name > Select Objects.

Thanx! I upgrade this methode, by add a shortcut to select all the griup (collection) by just double click on any object from group! see screenshot
https://yadi.sk/i/JiVM4yY9Z3HBwg

wow interesting

You can also RIGHTCLICK the collection in the collections panel and choose "select all objects in hierarchy".

@Piton812 In Blenders Keymap preferences, under which section did you add this new keyboard shortcut?

3dView-3dView(Global)-Object Mode - Select Grouped

Can anyone explain why the "right-click the collection in the Outliner" option never seems to select anything in 2.92? If memory serves, it didn't do so in previous versions either.

it works fine with my 2.92, so I don't know what happens for you

As I now see, it works for me as well if I open a new file. So something might be wrong with the old file I was working in.

"select all objects in hierarchy" only works in object mode. If you want to select all child of a certain armature node for instance in edit mode you need this answer.


text:
Correct use of Merge by Distance in Geometry Nodes, with smooth joining sites
I´d like to effectively merge two curves at their ends in Blender's Geometry Nodes without creating angles at the joining sites, while maintaining the smoothness of both curves. I wonder what is the best method to use the Merge by Distance node in this regard.

To merge two curves at their ends in Geometry Nodes smoothly without creating angles:

Align Endpoints: Make sure the endpoints of your curves are close together using the Set Position node.
Convert Curves to    Points: Use the Curve to Points node on both curves.
Merge Points: Apply the Merge by Distance node with a small distance to merge the endpoints.
Smooth the Joint: Use the Fillet Curve node with a small radius to ensure smoothness at the merge point.

These steps should help you merge curves smoothly.


text:
Modify a segment of a spiral with geometry nodes
I need to deform o modify a segment of a spiral curve with geometry nodes: to turn the last loop into a closed circle. ¿Is it possible?

Hello and welcome. As it stands this question is unanswerable and was put on hold for lack of essential details to understand the issue. Risking stating the obvious, only you have access to your scene, so unless you describe it thoroughly you alone know your exact setup, settings and what steps you took to arrive where your are now. Describe the issue in detail, add images of relevant settings and user interface, with the [edit] button above. Don't post comments or ask a new question, editing will automatically queue it for reopening review.

For once, I believe I've understood this question where others have not.. (it's usually the other way round). On this occasion, voting to re-open. If the answer doesn't do what you want, this question definitely needs an edit.

Excuse my persistence, but I'm new here (though not to using Blender). I'm not sure what additional details my question needs. I'm looking for a direct and practical way to convert the last rotation of a spiral into a flat circle (aligned with the Z axis) using Geometry Nodes procedurally. I noticed that one of the group members understood my question perfectly and provided a generous answer, solving a problem that I believe is quite common.

If you've generated the spiral yourself inside GN, you can set the Endpoint Selection of Resolution +1 points to the minimum Z of that selection:

Of course, you could do the same to the other end, taking the maximum Z, instead.

I am immensely grateful; your generous answer has solved a significant problem for me.


text:
Glass casting opaque shadow in cycles
So I've created this glass material  with a color map to get some colored windows, but the light doesnt pass through it. I'm doing it on cycles so i've read a couple of people with similar issues but I do have transparent shadows enabled on my material and the glass bits are basically a plane with subsivisions, so light cant really get trapped inside neither if im correct.
This is my glass material:

and this is my light:

as you see transparency seems to work fine;

https://blender.stackexchange.com/a/219957/110840

Would recommend the shadow ray workaround for this scene

@AllenSimpson This worked perfectly thank you!

If this is Cycles rendering and not Eevee, the Settings in the second screenshot are completely irrelevant, the Alpha Hashed Blend/Shadow modes are used by Eevee...

OHH okey thank you!! Still new to rendering in blender


text:
How to remove personal information from .FBX files
I recently noticed that if you export to FBX then open the .FBX file in Notepad and search for ".blend" you can see the original .blend file name and full path.
So my question is it's possible to remove this kind of personal information because I would like to sell the 3d models on different stores?


text:
How could I procedurally generate human faces?
I hope this isn't a common question; this is my first post so hopefully this makes sense.
I'm working on a personal project and I want to create an animation that will include a lot of different human faces. The faces won't be photorealistic, instead I want them to be sort of low poly and slightly stylized. My issue is, I've never worked with humanoid models before.. I've generally stuck with hard surface/general 3D modeling. Nothing as complex as a human character. Thankfully I really only need the faces and shoulders, not the full body.
I know I could just go online and watch a tutorial on how to model a human face, but I wasn't sure if there was potentially a way to streamline it a little bit. I'm totally okay with modeling a human face, I do want to learn more of what goes into it, but I might need quite a few different faces for the project.
My question really, is if there's a way to model a face and then make features interchangeable or procedurally generated. Features like - hair, skin color, eye color, maybe some extra smaller features like freckles but I really don't need anything extensive or highly detailed as the faces are not going to be shown for any longer than a second before another face replaces it.
I know this is a lot to ask for, especially since this is an ambitious project of mine, but I wanted to pick the brain of more experienced artists! So really any thoughts or ideas or suggestions are very welcome and appreciated.

Hey, you could have a look at unreals metahuman creator:
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/metahuman

Checkout Makehuman.

You can model your base-bust geometry and create shapekeys for variations. Then use geo-nodes or python to randomly drive the shapes.

Maybe you will enjoy this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QoLorR9qpY

MB-Lab is an add-on for Blender that also lets you create humans. Hair styles (hair particles) you can create on a hair cap and exchange them or use the new hair curves which are extra objects in Blender 3.4. There is the USC - HairSalon dataset with 343 hair styles (the link seems to be down at the moment :-( but I still have a copy ;-)). Skin and eye colors can be changed with textures or just a few shader nodes.

Actually this is not all that much to ask.
In MPFB (which is an addon for blender) you can model humans. This creates shape keys, which can then for example be animated.
See https://youtu.be/9jmTdhVjAsI for an intro to mpfb.
If the existing UI functionality is not enough, most of the functionality is exposed in APIs which can be called from a script of your own.


text:
How can you choose which parts of meshes are seen in front of others in the viewport?
How can you put one object behind another, but make it so it's seen in front in the viewport AND in the final render? (for example here the eyes are behind the head but but when in rendered view you can see it infront of the head) I took this picture from twitter this is not my blender file. I just want to know how they're able to make this work.

please provide blend file so we don't have to guess what the reason is...

One cause could be a modifier.
Like this:

if you check this:
you will get:

I am not 100% sure I understood your question.
I have struggled with wrong z-sorting (objects appearing in front of other objects even though they are actually behind) in the viewport as well.
The solution usually was setting the blend mode in the material from "alpha blend" to "alpha hashed" or "opaque".


text:
Disable default animation output when using "File output" nodes
I'm using a "File output" node to customize the output of my animation (separating object & shadow into two files for each frame).
I have set custom path for the File output node and subpaths for its inputs. This works fine.
But Blender also writes a second copy of the animation frames using the default "Output" setting in the main "Output properties" panel. How can I get rid of that?
So far the best thing I can do is to delete the output:
bpy.data.scenes["Scene"].render.filepath = "//ignore/"
#
# render the animations here...
#
shutil.rmtree('ignore')

Unfortunately you cannot disable the default output... I usually set the default to jpg. However, I'd consider using exr and piz encoding: https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/148231/what-image-format-encodes-the-fastest-or-at-least-faster-png-is-too-slow/148466#148466 if you are dealing with alpha you should consider exr anyway: https://blender.stackexchange.com/a/106671/31447

Have the same issue in the current Blender version and there is probably still no ideal solution. The default output can even accidentally overwrite the result of the File Output node if both are using the same file name and file format.

Any solutions on this?. I'm working on a huge scene and this temporary files are anoying...extra work for disks...

No. You could use the method in the answer below, it if still works. Or output in a folder and run a script that clears it out on a regular timer. Discussions have been happening on Blender's bug tracker, but so far no design solutions have been made.

I met the same problem and I think to found a temporary solution.
Basically I though to use the directory of Windows RecycleBin as output
( C:\$Recycle.Bin\Cestino\  ...that is...  C:\$Recycle.Bin\S-1-5-21-1238235524-1654077969-1323641347-1004\ ).
Unexpectedly the trash remain empty! …it doesn’t appears the renders files inside of trash, like this directory for Blender is a sort of implicit command to destroy immediatly the generated files!
However…I hope it can be for all of you, a temporary solution, waiting for a real fix of this bug.


text:
How to align vertex selection to an edge/vert?
TL;DR: how do I get my vert selection to align so that the two circled verts align in the Z axis?
edit: to make my question clearer, I'm looking to move all of the selected verts such that the two circled verts are aligned in the z-axis. I know several ways to get just the circled verts to line up.  What I need is to get the entire selection to align with the bottom of the object so that it's suitable for 3D printing.

Here's a super quick and dirty version of what I'm looking to do:

I've been searching through various snap modes and nothing really seems to work.  All of the tutorials that I've found assume you are aligning separate objects, not a selection of verts to other edges/verts in the same object in edit mode.
I've tried messing around with moving the cursor around since I assume that you have to inform Blender which of the selected verts should be treated as the origin of the selection but that has also failed to work. I'm not very familiar with manipulating the cursor though and it's likely I'm doing it wrong.  I have a hard time believing Blender doesn't have a way of doing this since this is a pretty obvious operation with mesh manipulation

Hello :). You set vertex snapping to active and make that vertex your active vertex :).

batFinger - none of those answers are relevant.  They are all scaling solutions, which do not answer my question.  I'm looking to move a set of verts so one specific one aligns with another vert/edge, not collapse them along an axis.

Jachym - I'm not sure what you mean by the active vertex.  I just googled that and all I get are some very confusing references to vertex groups.

Sorry misread " I'm looking to move all of the selected verts such that the two circled verts are aligned in the z-axis"  perhaps some idea of what "after" would look like. eg is it akin rotate around left dot till right dot at same Z?  The last selected vert is active (has a different color)

batFinfer - NP, I appreciate you trying to help.  I've added a crude edit that shows what I'm trying to do.  It's a mesh for 3D printing.  The circle is a set of verts that make up an axle.  I increased the diameter of the axle to make it stronger but need to realign it to the bottom of the object so it can lay flat on a surface for printing without needing support material.

Snapping UI not my strongpoint. So it's pretty much GZn where n is the difference of guide verts' z coordinate.

Essentially, yes.  I need to figure out how to tell Blender that of a group of selected verts, that one particular vert is the one that should be used for snapping.  I really can't imagine there isn't a way to do that but all the tutorials essentially require that I separate the selection into a new object.  I suppose I can do that but was really hoping to keep everything part of the same mesh.

@DanHeidel That's called snapping to active vertex :). See my answer.

You can use Vertex snapping set to Active.

Select all the vertices you want to move
Make the aligning vertex active (white), by clicking it on/off while holding shift
Set snapping to Vertex > Active
Move cursor over the target vertex

Perfect, thanks!  That solved it.  I was a bit confused at first when I tried it, since there's multiple verts stacked on top of each other in the selection and when I de/selected one, it highlighted one somewhere further down in the stack and so the white vert wasn't visible.    Rotating the view to separate the stacked verts did show that one was marked as active and it was able to snap properly.

Glad you made it work :). Good luck with your project.


text:
Preserving sub-group instances when making duplicates real
I'm writing some Python scripts for refactoring, one of which will be used for relocating a group to another file. The workflow will be to make the new file, open it, link the group, select the group instance, then run a 'Make Source' script.
That script will involve making the top-level group duplicates real, but not the sub-groups, then creating a new group with the same name as the old one, then going through all '.blend' files within a project directory and relinking the group instances within them to the new group, then maybe deleting the old original.
The first part of the script is where I am have problems: making the top-level group duplicates real, but not the sub-groups.
bpy.ops.object.duplicates_make_real() does not seem to do what I need because it just breaks down the sub-groups, though it just throws an error when I run it with Python with arguments.
There's also dupli_group and dupli_list object operators,  butdupli_group just gives the top-level group and dupli-list seems to be empty.
object.dupli_list_create(context.scene) just given 'None', though I'm probably using it wrong.
Edit 1: I have been able access dupli-list, but I'm not sure how useful the information held in the DupliObject struct will be.
Edit 2: I think Blender holds as little information on group instances as possible, as such I think what I will need to do is access the source '.blend' file, then directly link the objects that are not in sub-groups and the sub-group instances with their offset.

The following script works with the workflow in the question:

make the new file, open it, link the group, select the group instance, then run a 'Make Source' script.

What the script does:

Takes the active object, which should be an externally linked DupliGroup.
Checks if the name of the DupliGroup already exists as a local group and stops the script if it does.
Stores DupliGroup name, and external library path.
Deletes the active object as it is not necessary anymore.
Links the objects from the library '.blend', then links them, makes a proxy object, then deletes the non-proxy objects.
Adds the proxy objects to a group with the same name as the DupliGroup.

Of course the script doesn't actually make this group the source, more would need to be added to do that. It just appends the contents of a group to a local group of the same name.
Forgive lack of convention in the code.
make_source.py, just run the script from Blender's internal text editor after selecting an externally linked DupliGroup:
# A class just for the purposes of stopping the script early without closing Blender.
class ExitWrongInput(Exception):
    def __init__(self, to_print):
        print("ExitWrongInput: %s" % to_print)

def link_external_group(library_path, group_name):
    # In this with statement, the data_to is just a list of strings, but after the with statement, it is actual data, which is what we return.
    with bpy.data.libraries.load(library_path, link=True) as (data_from, data_to):
        data_to.groups = [group_name]

    return data_to.groups[0]

def make_source():
    # Variable setup.
    # ----------
    scene = bpy.context.scene
    obj = scene.objects.active
    obj_dupligroup_name = obj.dupli_group.name

    # TODO Add a proper check to determine if the active is an externally linked DupliGroup object.

    # Check if the group already exists and exit the script if it does.
    for group_iter in bpy.data.groups:
        if (group_iter.name == obj_dupligroup_name) and (group_iter.library is None):
            raise ExitWrongInput('Group "%s" already exists.' % obj_dupligroup_name)

    libraries = bpy.data.libraries

    # Find library which the DupliGroup is in and store the path.
    obj_library_path = ""
    for library in libraries:
        for user in library.users_id:
            if user.name == obj_dupligroup_name:
                obj_library_path = library.filepath
                break
    # ----------

    # Delete obj.
    bpy.ops.object.delete()

    # Link the old source group to the scene.
    # ----------
    group_data = link_external_group(obj_library_path, obj_dupligroup_name)

    # No objects can be selected for the next part, so deselect all objects just in case.
    for obj_iter in bpy.data.objects:
        obj_iter.select = False

    # Link the objects to the scene then make proxies of them by making duplicate linked, and deleting the old ones.
    for obj_iter in group_data.objects:
        # Link the objects to the scene, it will not be possible to move them.
        linked_object = scene.objects.link(obj_iter)
        # Duplicate to a variable, not linked yet.
        duplicate_linked_obj = linked_object.object.copy()
        # Delete the old object that could not be moved.
        bpy.data.objects.remove(linked_object.object, True)
        # Link the new proxy object.
        duplicate_linked_obj = scene.objects.link(duplicate_linked_obj)
        # Add to selection for grouping.
        duplicate_linked_obj.select = True

    # Create new group from the selected objects.
    bpy.ops.group.create(name=obj_dupligroup_name)
    # ----------

    # Update the scene just in case.
    bpy.context.scene.update()

try:
    make_source()
except ExitWrongInput:
    pass


text:
Pinhole Camera?
I would like to know if the default camera generated by blender 2.9 is based on the pinhole model, or if I can apply this model to it? If not, how can I generate a pinhole camera with blender?
I saw a post where someone generated one with Blender like an object. However, I would like to know how to do this using python.
Thank you for your answer. Have a lovely day and weekend.

Related: How to set a principal point for a camera?

"The Cycles camera is a pinhole model that uses the distance between a given point and the pinhole as its Z depth." from: Cycles generates distorted depth.

Thank for your 2 comments. I will look at the 2 links you gave me.


text:
"Domain Type" and other options not showing
(new to blender) I'm trying to change my domain type from smoke to gas, however my smoke domain settings are completely different from the tutorial I'm watching and I'm not sure how to change them.

What version of Blender are you using? This option is available in Blender 2.90

I am using version 2.81

2.8X uses the old fluid simulation, you need to download 2.90 to have the new options

I just updated my version and it's working now, thanks

@Emir This site is no regular forum rather a Q&A site. Please do not add solved to the title, either upvote one of the existing answers, add a new one which can be accepted or propose it as duplicate if you find another q and a. Please read about how this site works: https://blender.stackexchange.com/tour

Fluid/Smoke settings have changed depending on the version of the Blender.
If your smoke/fluid settings are different than a tutorial, get the exact version, the tutorial is using.
You can download any (even the oldest) version of Blender on their download page.


text:
How to wrap paper around an object?
I'm new in Blender and I'm making a jar bottle to start and want to close the top wraping with paper like these ones:

I tried using cloth modifier with a colision object + pressure but I can't find a way to make those folds in the paper like you can see in the picture. I already checked a lot of tutorials and questions but didn't find anything useful to get those folds.
That's the best I get out of it:

Q: Any other idea how to achieve that kind of folds as realistic as possible?

You choose the most complicated thing. I dont think there is an fastest way than to model manually and use normal maps for details. Paper is very specific material. I did few years back wrapping box with armature https://vimeo.com/user8735075, but that is not the case here.

Try adding a few creases before you run the cloth simulation... check this video... https://youtu.be/Jj5nXcq7enQ

1st do a cloth simulation and then a shrinkwrap.

tried the shrinkwrap after the cloth simulation but i get weird poligons (tried increasing the subdivisions but don't get the result that i want)

Cloth Sim

Add Circle 16 sides, Extrude, Scale, Grid Fill
Extrude, Scale outer loop, select vertices for each side and Scale on (X/Y) to zero to get square shape, add extra loops Ctrl+R+3

Add cloth simulation (physics)
Add ShrinkWrap modifier, select one vertex loop next to perfect circles and assign vertex group to these, and use this group for modifier
The illusion that brings cloth more to paper feeling is under Data Properties > Normal > Auto Smooth

To add detail to the lowpoly simulated mesh just add a Normal Map texture of smashed paper

Notes:

Select outer loop and with Proportional editing (O) rotate (R) a bit, twisted topology results in nicer sim

With a few extra loops close to existing folding is a bit closer to your reference.

To let border of paper stick closer to glass you can create another vertex group and use second Shrink-wrap modifier with a subtle Ofset value.

Funny, the best quality answer only has one up-vote (mine). Good example that peps here are just lazy to vote or having a hard time understanding/trying out a more complex setup than using a cheap array modifier for all sort of things. Anyway, nice answer!

sorry for my delay in my answer, incredible result. Don't know the words in english to regards you about this method (masterclass). I'll try this weekend and let you know the result  : ).

@brockmann I'm sure folks will come back to this really nice answer for reference in the future: its score will grow  over time.

alrteady tried, i need to perfect a little the glass now (many polygons so i got some weird points but i fixed manually after apply the modifiers) anyways i'll redo the model to make the cloth simulation more easy to do but it's nearly like the real one that i use for reference with your method.
Do you have some patreon or a paypal? with your explanation i learn a lot of useful tips (the grid fill is a great discovery). Didn't find a way to add a picture to this post to show the result but it's nearly perfect. Once again don't know words enough to thank you for this tutorial

@Tomas Great it's helpful for you :)  You asked interesting question, so ... thanks too :)

@JachymMichal WHAT??? Ehm ... do you have an empty pantry already? The jam has run out and this is your way of order? I hope your life is going well and this is not your inheritance given to a community :) Because I saw another high score at Fork yesterday. What is going on here man?

@vklidu Sorry I missed your comment before, SE didn't ping me :). The answer's top notch, you're gaining a rep here as an expert on simulations. Enjoy the internet points, you can't buy beer with them anyways :).

You could eyeball it using Subdivision modifier and some sculpting.
Once you figure out the crease shape it works kinda nice.
Pickled Suzanne, 1889. Delicious.

Start with a subdivided plane roughly the shape of the crease
(The shape is kinda hard to describe, it's basically an S shaped plane)
Add Array modifier
(Or model the other creases manually)
Add Simple deform Modifier set to Bend, Angle 360°
Add a Weld modifier and Subdivision modifier to smoothen the shape

please could you add a link to suzanne delicious vendor site? ; )

Found them in the pantry, granny used to put them on everything! :))

nice! but is 1889 the year it has been canned?

@moonboots I'd say so! Pairs perfectly with the 1886 LaTour... and works wonders for removing rust.

lol, that's great

wow, that's nice i'll give a try!.thanks for the tip!

This example you posted I believe is likely done by sculpting but simulation may be faster here (for multiple good looking results with low experience. There were many major advances in the last year(s) of Blender development that are worth checking out if you aim for speed.
Sculpting method
The steps you take and the ways you sculpt is completely up to you here.
In Blender 2.80+ you...

Select the cloth (In object mode (switch with TAB or dropdown menu in the upper left corner of 3D viewport)
Go to "Sculpting" workspace (at the top of the UI)
Sculpt the surface to your liking. (with tools on the left - toggle by T, (NUM / to isolate selected object)

For older versions refer to Blender Wiki (Docs) here.
For basic and traditional sculpting I'd recommend starting with official Blender guide here and seeing sculpting walkthroughs in Blender and other software too (you can very well refer in this topic).
For cloth tool sculpting (new, faster) this might help you start.
Simulation method
By creating any shape(s) (mesh) for the cloth to collide against (e.g. during a fall) without making the collision shape(s) visible, you can create many seemingly random and beautiful folds and wrinkles.
I recommend seeing this short video for guidance (different scenario, same base method)


text:
Masking footage over 3d objects in Blender 2.8+?
I don't get how to make a mask and use it properly. What I'd like know exactly is how to make a mask of a certain area of the footage, keep it tracked to the footage and make the mask layered in front of any 3d mesh.

Q: How do I create a proper mask to place any 3d object behind an element of my footage?

Related: Blender 2.8 View Layers - “Exclude” feature

Related: In Blender 2.8, can a object be both masked (Holdout) and Exclude for a given View Layer?

Until the question gets reopened: Do you mind putting a bit more effort into your question and elaborate on what do you want exactly? Just adding a rendering on top of your footage? Including transparency (an alpha channel) while rendering?

brockman, what I need to know exactly is how to make a mask of a certain area of the footage, keep it tracked to the footage, and make the mask be layered in front of any 3d mesh I put behind it - I don't know how to make a mask and how to layer it

Hi @HoofMcPoof :) please add any new/ additional information in the question body text as an [edit] so that it is easily visible to other users. There are many users who do not read the comments, and comments are not searchable content, thus are will not be found easily by future readers.  Thanks :)

Read https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/183081/how-to-have-person-in-video-mask-added-geometry-as-they-walk-in-front/183108#183108

Load the background image in the image editor or the movie clip editor.

Set the editor in mask mode

On the image, click while pressing the Ctrl key and draw a mask for the area you want to use as foreground.

Then in the compositor use that mask to combine the foreground and background elements.

To track elements on moving video, you can parent tracking points to the control points of the mask. Do a search on this site for rotoscoping.


text:
Object looks fine in rendered mode, but appears black in material mode
So I'm trying to learn, but I have a really hard time understanding the relation between materials, textures, UV maps and so on. So right now I have the following problem: I'm trying to make a simple red texture be a bit grainy using a noise texture. The node setup can be seen in the screenshots below. It works fine if I view it in rendered mode (I'm using the cycles engine) or export a screenshot, but the object appears completely black in material mode:

So this is probably a very stupid question, but do you mind telling me how I can fix this?
Thanks!

Just a hunch, but try selecting the red diffuse node

Select it in the node editor you mean? I just did, so?

Yeah, and then switch back to solid and then to material again. If it doesn't help, you can set the material viewport display settings to a specific color, it just won't update. The Noise texture is what is throwing it off I think

Still black :/ In solid it appears with the standard grey-ish white of objects that don't have a texture applied by the way

Alright, it must be the noise texture. I do not know how to do this :/

The object in Material shading mode is black because Diffuse shader with black color is connected to the bottom input. Connect it to the top one and object should become red. Also note that Material shading mode is approximate and preview procedural textures may not work

@MrZak Thanks, now it appears red, but stil without the black noise/grain. I'm assuming that's because the noise is produced procedurally and can therefore not be shown in material mode? .. And if that is the case, the factor of the Mix Shader isn't calculated in the Material shading mode, but why does the program only show the bottom input of the Mix shader?

The Factor is calculated, deconnect your Noise texture, move the Factor slider and notice the color changes (all in Material mode). If you plug Image texture in the Factor instead, you will see basic assignment on mesh (note - texture coordinates should be used too).

Yeah I meant the noise factor isn't calculated or at least not shown in the Material mode. What do I need texture cordinates for?

authors: مروان العتيبي


text:
How can I use colours to separate texture node treatment?

I'd like to do three things:

Make the Red area glossy
Make the Green area roughly diffuse
Make the Green area appear higher than/on top of the red area (bump height).

Basically I'm looking for a procedural/node technique I can use to treat areas separated by color (or alpha). In the pictured set-up I'm using red and green (as I thought splitting colors to RGB could be a solution), but I'd like the solution to be used with any colors required.
Any clues would be gratefully appreciated :)

With two different known colours you can use the Separate RGB node:

The R output of the node already give us a map of the red areas (full white=1)

You can use the mask both in a Bump Node and in a Mix Shader node.

If you would like to implement a similar process with every possible colour you can set up a Node tree capable of recognize where a given color is.

Basically you have to mask where the the color that correspond to the shader to mix is on the map by masking individually each component. Starting from the HUE values we check with math nodes where the subtraction gives almost = 0.

Than we can copy this node also for the Saturation and Value...ehm...values! By multiplying their output we are running an Logical AND operation, so at the and we'll have only the places where all three parameters have the same values.

By making a whole group of these operations you'll be able to match each colour to a shader simply by giving the color to pick:

Here's an example of usage with files made by an external application such as the SciFi Helmet by Michael Pavlovic. You can pick the colour from the Colour Id mask directly from the render preview.

...It's going to take me weeks to get my head around that Blend file, but WOW! The power! Thanks Carlo!

I've written a more in depth explanation at: http://carlobergonziniplayground.tumblr.com/post/128405180147/use-color-id-masks-in-blender-cycles (still working on it)

Hi can we make this work with soft edges ?

the concept is amazing but for hard sodt edges, it dont work at all https://blender.stackexchange.com/posts/136035/edit

Here's a simple set up to do what you asked for:

The noise texture is converted to greyscale (a value between 0.0 and 1.0). Then we test to see if the greyscale value is greater than 0.5. (If it's < 0.5 then we get a value of 0.0. If it's greater than 0.5 we get a value of 1.0).
That value of 0.0 or 1.0 can then be used as the factor in a mix shader, and also directly for the surface displacement. (You could add a multiply node in there if necessary).
(I believe the RGB to BW node happens implicitly - as in your set up above, so you could skip it.)


text:
Check, using name, if a collection exists in blend & is linked to scene
I have a script that creates a new collection but if I run it again it adds a new collection named "Personal Collection.001" and so on, what I would like to tell to the script is that if that collection name is in the scene then don't make a new one.
import bpy

myCol = bpy.data.collections.new('Personal collection')
bpy.context.scene.collection.children.link(myCol) #Creates a new collection

for myCol in bpy.data.collections:
    if myCol.name == "Personal Collection":
        print ("Collection found in scene")

Cheers,
Juan

you can do it like this:
import bpy

collectionFound = False

print("START **************")

for myCol in bpy.data.collections:
    print(myCol.name)
    if myCol.name == "Personal Collection":
        collectionFound = True
        print ("Collection found in scene")
        break

if collectionFound == False:
    myCol = bpy.data.collections.new("Personal Collection")
    bpy.context.scene.collection.children.link(myCol) #Creates a new collection
    print("created")
else:
    print("exists already")

and be careful: you mismatched upper- and lowercase!! String comparison is case sensitive.

collectionFound == False can be "Personal Collection" not in bpy.data.collections.

sorry, i do not understand what do you mean?

Excellent, thank you so much. Yes you are right about the case, there are so many small things that easily can be overlooked.

you are welcome

According to PEP8, variable names should be lower_case: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/#function-and-variable-names

i just used his code...but thanks for the note.

@JuanCarlos: to have a cleaner and more safe solution you should use batFingers answer.

Check it exists and is linked to scene.
IMO Two tests required here, one to test if collection exists, and secondly if it is linked at any level to the current scene.  A quick test for the latter is to see if the scene is a user of the collection.
import bpy
context = bpy.context

# name of collection
name = "Foo"

scene = context.scene

coll = bpy.data.collections.get(name)
# if it doesn't exist create it
if coll is None:
    coll = bpy.data.collections.new(name)
# if it is not linked to scene colleciton treelink it
if not scene.user_of_id(coll):
    context.collection.children.link(coll)

Related
How to get all collections of the current scene?