text:
How can I store and retrieve a custom list in a blend file?
I am trying to create a script that will allow me to generate a list and store it in the blend file. The list starts out blank and then strings get added to the list, resulting in:
["test1","test2","test3"]
I create a PropertyGroup Class for the enum, define a new scene property as a CollectionProperty type with access to that enum Class, before appending a new item into the enum:
import bpy

class item_set(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):
    myItems = []
    enums = bpy.props.EnumProperty(name="My Items", items=myItems)
bpy.utils.register_class(item_set)

bpy.types.Scene.myItemSet = bpy.props.CollectionProperty(type=item_set)

newItem = bpy.context.scene.myItemSet.add()
newItem.myItems.append("test")

I need to be able to add items to the list, save the blend file, re-open the file, run the script again and retrieve the list from the scene.
However, the documentation states:

One thing to keep in mind is that after saving and reloading your blend-file, your new property will have disappeared...

...To make the values you assigned in a previous session available again, you need to redefine the property. So after reopening the blend-file you need to rerun:
bpy.types.Object.myProperty = bpy.props.StringProperty()

I can do the appending into and retrieval of the property values absolutely fine upon an initial run, but as the documentation states, the property is unavailable when trying to view it's contents on a reload of the file (after having run the script, saved and re-opened the file), but I am unsure how to redefine it without clearing all it's values.
If I redefined the scene property, it would presumably also need the enum Class to be available, which would currently set myItems back to [] (empty).
Do I need to change the way I am initially setting the items in the class or am I on entirely the wrong track with all of this? All I need to do is store a list in the blend file, so if there is a better way please let me know.
Thanks.
(I would hope, eventually, to be able to store sub lists [["a","b"],["c","d"],["e","f"]], I'm just trying to get normal lists to work first.)

Can you elaborate what Items you want to add or what the script should do, just for testing purposes and to make sure I understand it correctly... ?

I'll simply be adding small strings like the example shows to result in ["test1","test2","test3"]. And hopefully, if I got that working, I would then be able to store sub lists ie. [["test1","test2"],["test1","test2"],["test1","test2"]]

Note: The question I originally asked (and answered) was for 2.79. I have now updated this code to work with 2.8+. For 2.79, when defining properties on a class, you use = instead of :, so the custom string line would be customString = bpy.props.StringProperty() for 2.79.

Part of the confusion with my question came from the fact I presumed that defining an EnumProperty was the correct, and only, way to store a list.
What I didn't quite understand was that the CollectionProperty itself would act like a list. I can have much the same code as I had before, minus the enum:
import bpy

class customPropertiesGroup(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):
    customString : bpy.props.StringProperty()

bpy.utils.register_class(customPropertiesGroup)

bpy.types.Scene.customLists = bpy.props.CollectionProperty(type=customPropertiesGroup)

And every time I want to add a new item I do:
newCustomItem = bpy.context.scene.customLists.add()
newCustomItem.customString = "test1"
newCustomItem = bpy.context.scene.customLists.add()
newCustomItem.customString = "test2"
etc..

I can then access each custom item with:
bpy.context.scene.customLists[0].customString
bpy.context.scene.customLists[1].customString

If I want nested lists I can simply have the PropertyGroup Class' property as another CollectionProperty:
import bpy

class subcustomPropertiesGroup(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):
    customString : bpy.props.StringProperty()

bpy.utils.register_class(subcustomPropertiesGroup)

class customPropertiesGroup(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):
    subLists : bpy.props.CollectionProperty(type=subcustomPropertiesGroup)

bpy.utils.register_class(customPropertiesGroup)

bpy.types.Scene.customLists = bpy.props.CollectionProperty(type=customPropertiesGroup)

newcustomList = bpy.context.scene.customLists.add()
newcustomList.name= "List 1"
newSubList = bpy.context.scene.customLists["List 1"].subLists.add()
newSubList.name = "Sub List 1"
newSubList.customString = "String 1"

This allows me to have an arrangement where I can access lists and sublists like so:
bpy.context.scene.customLists['List 1'].subList['Sub List 1'].customString

I can add or remove items (with customLists.remove(index)) and print them out like I would a normal python list:
for customList in bpy.context.scene.customLists:

    print("List: "+customList.name)

    for subList in customList.subLists:

        print("Sub List: "+subList.name)
        print("Custom property: "+subList.customString)

And because I am not clearing the list each time I define it (as I was in the question) the properties become available again after reloading the file and re-running the code.

I had trouble getting the other answer for the nested lists to work without the complete code. Here is an example of the answer that should work directly pasted into the text editor:
import bpy

class subcustomPropertiesGroup(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):
    customString = bpy.props.StringProperty()
bpy.utils.register_class(subcustomPropertiesGroup)

class customPropertiesGroup(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):
    subLists = bpy.props.CollectionProperty(type=subcustomPropertiesGroup)
bpy.utils.register_class(customPropertiesGroup)

bpy.types.Scene.customLists = bpy.props.CollectionProperty(type=customPropertiesGroup)
bpy.types.Scene.subLists = bpy.props.CollectionProperty(type=subcustomPropertiesGroup)

bpy.context.scene.customLists.clear()
bpy.context.scene.subLists.clear()

bpy.context.scene.customLists.add().name = 'list1'
bpy.context.scene.customLists.add().name = 'list2'

newCustomItem = bpy.context.scene.customLists['list1'].subLists.add()
newCustomItem.customString = "test1"
newCustomItem = bpy.context.scene.customLists['list1'].subLists.add()
newCustomItem.customString = "test2"
newCustomItem = bpy.context.scene.customLists['list2'].subLists.add()
newCustomItem.customString = "test3"
newCustomItem = bpy.context.scene.customLists['list2'].subLists.add()
newCustomItem.customString = "test4"

print('_______________')
for customList in bpy.context.scene.customLists:

    print("List: "+customList.name)

    for subList in customList.subLists:

        print("Property: "+subList.customString)

Hope this helps other beginners.

This no longer works. I get
line 20, in
AttributeError: '_PropertyDeferred' object has no attribute 'add'
Error: Python script failed, check the message in the system console

Both methods below only work on dicts that can be stringified, so they can't contain Objects.
json
A general Python solution to this involving JSON writing and reading. JSON can easily be constructed from a dictionary and written to bpy.data.texts as a string.
Imagine you have some dict of information, call it my_dict. To write that dict as a JSON to the .blend file you do:
import bpy
import json

my_dict = {
  'key1': 'some string storage',
  'key2': ['some', 'list', 'storage'],
  'key3': 5
}

# dump string
m = json.dumps(my_dict, sort_keys=True, indent=2)
text_block = bpy.data.texts.new('my_storage.json')
text_block.from_string(m)

bpy.data.texts['my_storage.json'] would then contain:
{
  "key1": "some string storage",
  "key2": [
    "some",
    "list",
    "storage"
  ],
  "key3": 5
}

to read this back in at a later stage:
import bpy
import json

text_obj = bpy.data.texts['my_storage.json']
text_str = text_obj.as_string()

my_json = json.loads(text_str)
print(my_json['key1'])

dict and ast.literal_eval
import bpy
import ast

mydict = dict(deb=["two", "three"], far="booo", foo=34)

# write the string representation of the dict to a text datablock
# this assumes you know how to create text datablocks, it is shown in the other method anyway.
d = bpy.data.texts['dict_storage']
d.from_string(str(mydict))

# read from the datablock
d = bpy.data.texts['dict_storage']
stringified_dict = d.as_string()
my_read_dict = ast.literal_eval(stringified_dict)

for k, v in my_read_dict.items():
    print(k, v)

There have much more better solution, if you want use you own property and make it store to blender file every time even "Undo" and "Redo", you can use Custom Properties which is bpy.context.object["YouOwnProperty"] = {}
if you use you own CollectionProperty like what you create, you will find out every time you "Undo" or "Redo",the Property you create will not change to the value in the corresponding time

I don't think this works for saving and reloading

This answer is pure gold! Just wanted to add: if one wants to store some data "at blend file level" the best place is probably bpy.context.scene["YourProperty"]. Also it is possible to store whole lists etc. For example: bpy.context.scene["YourProperty"] = [1,2, ..., 1000000]


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Missing texture paint option in blender
My cube object is appearing pink. I want to paint on it but blender is saying that texture files are missing.
How do I correct it?
Is there anything I need to import?

You should add a screenshot to help describe the actual problem you're facing

Are your textures missing? Make sure the paths are pointing to the files correctly.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Hide axis of linked objects?
Is there some way to hide the axis of linked objects?  I'm working on a model that's a composite of a bunch of others and all the crosshairs are making it really difficult to work with as most of the work has to be done in wireframe just to get the positioning right for internal objects. The image below demonstrates the issue:

The crosshairs are empty objects, right?

No, the crosshairs are linked groups from other .blend files.

Go to Viewport Overlays, and under Objects, click Extras

You can try to set size of the crosshairs to 0:

To do this for multiple objects set the active one and copy to all the selected with right-click on property-field and Copy_To_Selected option.
This will only scale them and not eliminate them.
You can also set the viewport properties panel > Display > Only Render property:

authors: Артём Якименко

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/


text:
Access a property in python from a menu
I tried to answer a question on blenderartists from what I already know, and then it was pointed out to me that I should be able to use the property directly in the panel menu instead of creating the operator for it outside the menu like I did here:
import bpy

class AutoMergeBool(bpy.types.Operator):
    """Automerge Toggle"""
    bl_idname = "mesh.automerge_toggle"
    bl_label = "Automerge Toggle Operator"

    @classmethod
    def poll(cls, context):
        return context.active_object is not None

    def execute(self, context):
        #main(context)
        merge = bpy.context.scene.tool_settings

        if merge.use_mesh_automerge != True:
            merge.use_mesh_automerge = True
        else:
            merge.use_mesh_automerge = False
        return {'FINISHED'}

class CustomMenu(bpy.types.Menu):
    bl_label = "Custom Menu"
    bl_idname = "view3D.custom_menu"

    def draw(self, context):

        self.layout.operator("mesh.automerge_toggle")
        self.layout.operator("mesh.primitive_cube_add")

def register():
    bpy.utils.register_class(CustomMenu)
    bpy.utils.register_class(AutoMergeBool)
    bpy.ops.wm.call_menu(name=CustomMenu.bl_idname)

def unregister():
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(CustomMenu)
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(AutoMergeBool)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()

Can anyone give me a single line example of how the property should be accessed in the layout so that it results in the bool? I already tried searching here and elsewhere and haven't found anything that works.

Instead of adding a layout.operator you would add a layout.prop, which would look like this:
self.layout.prop(context.scene.tool_settings, "use_mesh_automerge")

The first parameter in the parentheses is where the property is stored and the second is the name of the property you wish to access.
This results in this menu, with a property that can be toggled on and off:

Thank you, your explanation is worth as much as the solution itself.

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


text:
Model is multiple colors and renders with artifacts
A couple days ago I decided to try Blender.

Why on screen do some faces have a different color and some "scratches"? How do I make all of the 3d model one color?
And after rendering I have some artifacts (see screenshot). What is the reason of this?

related or duplicate of: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/21/how-do-i-avoid-rendering-glitches-from-overlapping-faces, http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/5441/cause-of-black-artifacts-in-render?lq=1

There are many different reasons, a few fixes:

In edit mode, Press A until everything has been selected. Press Ctrl+N, This re-calculates normals and corrects them.
Press T Inside the 3D view, and on the left you should see a button that says "Remove Doubles", click that and it could possibly fix your problem.

Thank you. I will try your advices. If anyone have some another idea about this tell please

If it works , be sure to give this answer a tick so people know it has been answered

The explanations on how to fix this are probably correct, but here's intuition for WHY it's happening.  Likely, you have accidentally duplicated your original object, but left the duplicate in the exact same location as the original.  This means that the faces are "fighting" with each other for visibility (as faces are infinitesimally thin, only one face can prevail.  However Blender doesn't know which face prevails) and so that's where you see the artifacts.
I believe this is referred to as "z-fighting".
Deleting the duplicated object will probably fix your issue.

Thanks! Thanks!  It was because of no re-calculated normals and because of dubles. After  Ctrl+N and "Remove Doubles" all problems was fixed.


text:
Is there a selection tool that will select everything towards the cursor?
So the tool I'm looking for is basically something that I would expect to see in the Select Menu but I'm not sure it's there or where else to look.
Basically, something like the following-> Select a loop, then everything else towards the 3D cursor.
Here is a visual.
Maybe there is python script that someone is aware of.

I don't think there exists any selection tool that uses the 3d cursor in this manner but there are a few that work in a similar way.
There is Select > Side of Active.

Selects all data on the mesh in a single axis

If you select at least a vertex or an edge, it will select all the faces to the positive (right) or negative (left) axis mode of that selection based on the axis you choose in the operator settings. You can also of course just invert the selection to get the other side.
There is also Select > Loop Inner-Region.

Converts a closed selection of edges to the region of faces it encloses

I would say this is almost the opposite of select side of active. Depending on where you select, it will select all faces to the side that has the lesser amount of faces to the end of the mesh.

Never knew about side of active, thanks :) You can change the axis used + - etc. in the redo panel (F6 panel).

I just noticed that the tool options stay active even if you make more selections in the 3D Viewport.  This is the only mesh tool in Blender I'm aware of that can do this.  I hope that becomes more standard.

@MarcClintDion It is just working with selections and not actually modifying the mesh, there is nothing to apply etc.

I don't know of any tool which selects based on the 3D cursor, however 3D view > Select > Select loop inner-region does pretty much does the equivalent.

It selects the side with the least geometry, so if that's not the side you want, invert the selection with CtrlI, or enable Select bigger in the redo panel immediately after running the operator (F6) or at the bottom of the tool shelf (T).
I think this tool was originally designed to select boundary loops which formed a ring like this, which might make the behavior of this tool appear more clear/intuitive:

Note that you can use select boundary loop to select the ring around the selection (the exact opposite behavior of select loop inner region). See the above gif.

There are only two possible selections based on such a boundary loop (one side or the other side), so IMO using the cursor is probably overkill.

Note that there is a bug with select bigger with equally sized regions, so you might just want to use invert.

This is pretty much what I was looking for but I had to mark iKlsR's answer as correct just because it does all this and more from the look of it.  Cheers


text:
Why does my displacement map have jaggies
Can someone help me determine why my displacement map has jagged edges. The steps i took in Gimp were black dots on a white background and used a gausian blur filter assuming the black dots would give me the indentation i was looking for, although i'm getting the desired effect the edges contain jaggies

I should also add that i'm exporting the uv into gimp as a 2049x2049 image but that hasn't seemed to eliminate the jaggies.

It still could be the pixels that are causing the jaggies.  Is smooth shading on?

yes sir, i have a subserf applied and smooth shading but as far as the subserf goes i have it set simple instead of ctmul-clark if that matters at all.

maybe try a higher value in the subsurf subdivisions?

First in first, EEVEE is not ready for fully support of displacement in 2.81 and below.
The node connect to displacement socket will become bump only solution. And there doesn't exist the displacement setting block inside the material panel with EEVEE. When you switch back to cycle, you can choose the type of displacement.

Using cubic interpolation might get the best result in cycles

Once upon user zoom-in into a ridiculous close place to look into mesh, linear method will become pixelated for some reason(smart will adapt linear in scaling up). But cubic retain smooth detail.
There might be some case that I don't know, so you should try it yourself to test what cause the situation.
Oh, and 2049x2049 might be the worst case that a map can be use in computer graphic. Try to let the map resolution in exponential of 2. e.g. 2048


text:
How do i twist two objects together
I'm trying to do a candle stand which has two twisted pieces merging together, how do i take my ]two twisted pieces and then twist those around one another?.

Add an empty between both objects

Add a simple deform modifier to each object

Set origin to the empty
The axis to Z
At deform you can chose the twisting angle

Edit: Of course Simple Deform is the easiest way to do it...
If you don't like the easy way you can do it with a spiral and a Curve modifier:

Create your twisted object with a Simple Deform modifier.

Array it if you want to make it longer.

Create a Curve > Curve Spirals > Archemedian. Make it 360° or several times 360°. Put its origin on its bottom.

Put your object at the same position as the spiral with a shiftS > Selection to Cursor.

Give your object a Curve modifier with the spiral as Object.

Link-duplicate both your object and your spiral with an altD, move it a bit so that it twist around the other. You can edit the object or the spiral the way you want, the modifications will be duplicated on the other object and spiral.

This solution has a big advantage: using twist/simple deform will twist the base meshes eventually more than wanted. Here the curve allows to avoid that and to start with meshes that are not "twisted based" themselves.

mmh yes maybe, actually I tried with the Simple Deform but I gave up, I don't remember why...

You can do it using a plane and adding it a screw modifier then a twist simple deform modifier:

The screw modifier need to have enough 'steps' (here 64) so that the shape can deform.
The simple deform modifier, twist mode, is set with an empty as axis origin. This empty is rotated 90° around Y.
We can notice that the twist enforce the screw effect, so that the twist is finally a combination of the angles of both modifiers (to be tune as you want).
Now, if you just duplicate the mesh and place the dupli on the side of the first one, the dupli will turn around it:

And if finally, you move the empty just between the two meshes, they twist around each other:

Thank you, this worked beautifully and was exactly what i was looking for.


text:
Can someone tell me where I've gone wrong?
this is my first ever time working on blender. I'm following a tutorial and I made a dog house for the sims 4, I'm at the stage where I need to start baking but I have loads of layers, I tried to join them all together but some of walls disappeared.
Can someone help please :) ?
Thanks.
You can download my blender file here >>  http://simfileshare.net/download/5UT56PXIYey45CwzcPdPJetv6Wh1eLqjHK71SCVqgpMJaAski5ohs665AMNMDEh3/

It would be easier to tell, what mistakes you've made, if you'd give a link to the tutorial you're following.

Please use https://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/ for blend files.

@RayMairlot the file was too big (nearly 19MB) and, btw, on that link it's already gone... I have a copy

Some walls are "disappearing" during joining meshes because you have set Backface Culling in 3D view shading options. This makes faces, which normals are not directed towards viewer, not visible. What you need to do is, after joining meshes, Tab into edit mode, choose Face select, select "invisible" faces (you will be able to see black dots in the middle of each, even "invisible" face), Click on Flip Direction in left Shading panel or go to Mesh>Faces>Flip normals or press CTRL+F and choose Flip normals.

the @Mzidare answer points you to solve some issues, but I saw also other ones:
some side faces are not correctly positioned, at least, eg:

then some other object mesh is 2d, ie has no depth (Z dimension here), eg:

this could or not be a problem importing or using this in "sims 4" but just for you to know this, even joined, will not be a "properly modelled" 3d object, imho, and issues like those could give you issues with some blender tool, if it expects a connected, proper (manifold) object to execute some operation... (eg: booleans)
I suggest, try to import what you have, then if it doesn't work well, come back here with another question to solve those issues. Let's hope it works well, though.


text:
file size increase in blender
I make a bus model in blender a month ago. Now when I import this file in blender and then export it without any change its size changed from 2 Mb to 17.7 MB and the file is in fbx format and I export it in fbx also. I am using blender version 2.79.
kindly guide me in this,

What is its original format? Did you maybe apply any modifiers? Specify the fbx formats, there are many versions (ascii/binary, 2014/15, 2016, ...).

fbx 7.4 binnary .not apply any modifier just import and export

FBX  7.4 BINARY DIDNOT APPLY ANY MODIFIER JUST IMPORT AND EXPORT

can you add screenshot of the import and export settings?


text:
Glass shadow/ see through problem

[][

I am trying to make some colored glass blocks but on the image below the shadows are render like it's the block is solid.
On the top image, the shadows are rendering fine, but the seethrough makes that weird effect...
Anyone knows the solution (The only change i made was the Ambient Occlusion effect)
*(I Also render it on blender render)

Step 1: switch to Cycles. Blender Render is going down, and I am guessing it will be deprecated in a few years.

But cycles is soo heavy, it takes 6h to render a simple thing like this, i have Geforce 1070 and i-7 and still takes soo long

Then you're doing something wrong with Cycles...hardly anyone uses BI anymore, and if you want your work to be worth much in a few years, I'd highly suggest switching to Cycles. Of course, that's just my opinion; use whatever you want ;-)

Here, you should get answer on all supported features, and Blender Render is still one. Anyway..it should work, I just tried: you should have transparency switched off... if you can share the file (eg: using http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/) we can take a look at what's not working. Otherwise show transparency settings for those glass objects.

If I recall correctly you have to enable something like Receive Transparent or similar in the shadow receiving object (not the glass ones) so that transparent shadows are cast


text:
A difficulty using rigidbodies
So basically i'm trying to do a ring attached to small chains...
However when i press Alt+A to animate, the "ring" detaches from the two bottom "chain"
Mass of "ring" = 30kg
Mass of each chain link = 4kg...
Scale are x= 2.376m
          y= 1.422m
      and z= 28.431
I learned the chain thingy from Blender Guru and he said something about the object being big...i'm not sure
Also the top 2 chains(left and right) have Active Rigidbodies but arent Dynamic, the rest is dynamic (even the ring)  Someone help pls...

here is my file:

it may be related to subdivisions, or bounding shape, solver settings... having the file would help us to help you better (if you wish so, use http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/ then paste the provided link into your question or in comments)

There you go @m.ardito

thanks for the file, it was easy: it's the unapplied scale for all chain rings (even the bigger one). They all have some scale like 1.846...
applying each (with CTRLA then "scale"), it becomes 1.0 and it behaves well...

Ty for the fix...i saw the scaling thing in another video...but completely forgot about it...xD ty once again


text:
Why is the ring at such an angle when animated?
So I was doing a ring attached to chains... I've been helped before and decided to start over again... however this time when I animate by alt+a this happened: the ring stays at this angle... I've included the blend file... any help would be appreciated... thx
And also...can someone tell me how to increase the preview animation in the timeline (so that its longer than 250 frames) setting the end frame to 300 doesn't animate it further than 250... it's like the 50 frames were never there...

Here is the file:

To not to have any issues with Rigid Body Simulation remember to always apply Scale and Rotation for your objects - Ctrl+A and also keep in mind that really small objects will behave strangely.
In your case, after applying Scale and Rotation you will need to change ring Mass to something like 1.
Secondly, to increase Rigid Body Simulation time you will need to go to Scene tab and under Rigid Body Cache set the End value to match your Timeline value.

ty for the answer...it helped


text:
How to edit inset face after executing inset command
I have a mesh with an inset face which looks like this:

The reason I have inset the face is to make a nice edge when adding a subdivision modifier. But if the edge ends up too sharp for my taste, what do I do? I can no longer move the inset face the way it did when executing the inset command... is there a way to easily edit this?

Select the vertices which compose edges and scale.  S
You probably know you can scale in two dimensions.  Lets assume XZ in
your model.
SShift+Y
You probably know you can choose the center point of the scale if
necessary.  Moving the cursor to the bottom middle might be your style. Otherwise you might move the points in z direction.
Otherwise undo or delete your work and inset a second time

Was looking for the answer to this but for a more complicated scenario where the inset is not along an exact plane so you can't just scale it along an axis and I ended up finding another way.
You can use the Edge Slide command.
You have to be in edge select mode, select just the edges (not the entire face like you'd do for an inset), then use the Slide Edge command, not sure what the default shortcut is but it's under Mesh > Edges > Edge Slide or Tool Shelf > Tools > Mesh Deform > Edge Slide.
It's not 100% the same, but it's pretty close. In your case for example it would be more accurate making the inset bigger instead of smaller (the circle will start to curve/deform), so it would be better to scale it like the other answer suggested, but for when that's not an option this works pretty well.


text:
3D-view controls missing
As silly as it sounds, my 3D-view controls are missing. I'm not sure that's what it's called, but its the bottom part of the 3D view where I can select viewmode, layers and object modes.
How can I get it back?

Probably you have a little "+" symbol on the bottom of the view : drag it up

What you're talking about is the Header of the 3D view - this can happen sometimes if you accidentally click on the top of the header and drag it downwards.
You can bring it back by clicking the little plus icon at the bottom right of the 3D View:

OK I found out what the problem was... I was in some kind of "mode" where the header dissapeared and I couldn't click anywhere outside the 3d-view. Do you have any idea what this setting is?

Many modal operators enter a kind of blocking mode, where they often display some options in the 3D View header. Pressing escape or right clicking will usually leave the mode.


text:
Particles are not in contact with object
I've been watching Andrew Prices tutorial on "how to make a cave in blender". So now I'm trying to put mushrooms in the cave as a particle system to spread them along the floor of the cave.

Unfortunately, as shown by the red arrows, some of the mushrooms are not in contact with the cave at all, and are hovering either above or below the cave floor.
Is this some kind of setting that makes particles placement random? Anyway, here's the .blend file if you wanna take a look.
Also, I wouldn't mind if I got some overall feedback too!

This isn't the place to ask for feedback on an image, but I have answered in respect to the rest of the question.

I just wanted to point out that I don't mind if you would like to comment on other flaws in my scene, know what I mean?

I know what you mean, but that sort of discussion is better suited to http://blenderartists.org/

no problem! I gotta get good connections on the blender community anyway...

It seems it is the child particles which are being placed above or below the surface. I found that changing the 'Children' type on the particle system from 'Simple' to 'Interpolated' created a more accurate result, though I'm not quite sure why 'Simple' children wouldn't respect the location as much:

Thanks for the help! The mushrooms are stuck to the ground now but... In the tutorial Andrew uses simple children yet the mushrooms are on the right place... I can't tell for sure since his mushrooms are much smaller.

If this answer solved your problem feel free to 'accept' this answer by clicking the checkmark on the left. See: http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5234/how-does-accepting-an-answer-work for more information.

alright! thx for the help :)


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Gaps appearing in rigged humanoid model form zbrush?
I imported an .obj model of my character from zbrush into blender.
After import I joined all the different objects using Ctrl+J and started rigging, all went well until I saw that the deformation cuts the object at the strands where they were joined while animating.
Any advice on how I can make the character into one piece so that it doesn't cut or separate?

Probably because they have multiple vertices on the same location, which are not connected.


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How to move the 3D manipulator widget itself
I've uploaded an obj file and the widget is waaaayy far from the object I've inserted.
Again, I'm not trying to move the object, but the widget itself.
Is there a way to reposition it?

@someonewithpc The OP said that they do not want to move the object.

Most likely the origin of your object is off. To recenter it, select the object and press ⎈ Ctrl⎇ Alt⇧ ShiftC> Origin to geometry.
If you want to move it to a more customized location, you can move the 3D cursor where you want it to go, either by clicking with  LMB or by snapping the cursor with ⇧ ShiftS, then pressing ⎈ Ctrl⎇ Alt⇧ ShiftC> Origin to 3D cursor.
Note that the manipulator widget is located at the pivot point, which is set in the header of the 3D view:

It's also possible that the pivot point is set to 3D cursor (.), in which case the manipulator will be position at the cursor. To switch it back to the default setting of median point, either select it in the drop down or press ⎈ Ctrl, (comma).

I once modeled an object and moved all the geometry while it was still in edit mode.  Then when I switched to object mode, the center point/origin/gizmo thing remained back where I modeled it in the scene.  All I had to do was go back into edit mode, and return the object to the center point by moving all faces.  Then when I returned to object mode, the center point was again "joined" to my object.  Then I could move them together while in object mode.
Hope that helps.


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Garnet Cloisonne Effect Advice Needed
So, I'm working on a bit of concept work for a story project, and rather than drawing it I decided to model it in blender. It's going to be an Anglo-Saxon era sword with a garnet cloisonne pommel that will end up something like this:

So, as you can see there are shaped pieces of garnet set inside cells. Additionally, inside each cell is a piece of stamped foil. This foil is rotated at different angles, which affects how the light interacts with each cell. I'd like to replicate this effect in the model I'm working on, and plan to model the cells with a normal map at the bottom of each one, rotated in slightly different ways, for the stamped foil effect.
I'm running into two problems making that happen:
The first is keeping my shading smooth, and the second is maintaining the corners.
So, this is what my topology currently looks like:

The red line shows roughly where the cell walls will be. The mesh has a 1x SubSurf modifier applied. A mirror modifier is also being applied so I don't have to do the entire thing at once.
This is the mask I'll be using to cut the cells:

So clearly there's going to be issues with how the cuts affect the topology, which will contribute to problem #1.
There's also a matter of the corners, and keeping them properly sharp. ESPECIALLY that front left corner, which has a tendency to overlap from the subsurf, though in tests I've done in advance of doing the entire thing adding supporting loops can clear that up.
I'm of two minds how to proceed. One solution would be to add more edge loops before cutting. However in which case, why bother with the subsurf?
Which brings me to thought #2: Simply apply my subsurf to the mesh and add one at the same level to the mask BEFORE doing the knife project, which will give me those additional loops, anyway. Downside being now I have to work with a lot more polys at once.
Anyone have suggestions on the best way to proceed?

Suggestion: a retopo like approach. Draw the contours as a mesh snapping on the global surface mesh. (so don't start with a grid and knife).

Can you show me an example of what you're suggesting?

Just an example/quick test (won't have time to write an answer today), hope that help: https://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/b/ZYlNQgSL/ Look at the modifier and snapping options to see the principles.

Ok, I see what you're doing there. The problem is that while the shading is preserved, it doesn't solve the other problem I'm dealing with of maintaining clean corners. While there are a few softer corners, there's also places that are a bit sharper.

The other thing to keep in mind is I still need to have the cell floors, as well as the garnet surface. I suppose I can do the surface of the garnets as one piece using the mesh being used for the shrinkwrap, however that still doesn't give me the cell floors. And those I need to have as individual cells so I can set up the normal map for the foil at the bottom.

So, I've been playing with a variation of what you're doing. I applied by SubSurf modifier on the main part. I created the frame for my cells, added an applied the SubSurf modifier, an used Shrinkwrap to project it. I then applied the Shrinkwrap. When this was done, I took the parts of the surface that will be my garnets, made a hole for the cells to fit, and welded the vertices into the new topology. I now had the cell outlines in place, so extruded to create the walls of the cells and added bevels. So far so good. The problem is how to do the cell floors so I can apply the normal mapping.


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How to get the filepath to an imported mesh?
I wanted to add some additional functionality to this Texture Map Batch Bake Addon (it's not mine, no longer maintained, and I take no credit for it whatsoever).
By default it exports baked textures to a //Textures/ folder in the same folder as the .blend file:
path = StringProperty(
    name='Bake Folder',
    subtype='DIR_PATH',
    default='//textures/',
    description='Save baked images from this object in this folder',
    )

In my case though I'll be using this addon on an imported fbx and it doesn't look like the addon keeps track of where it was imported from.
Do I have to somehow use the fbx_io operator to get access to the filepath of the fbx it imported?
I couldn't find any threads about how to get the filepath of an imported fbx post-export, and was hoping someone knows of a way to get it.
Thanks in advance!

Here is a "hack" that will work in the UI.
The following defines a filebrowser panel, that will never poll, but the poll method looks at the active operator, and if it's fbx import, writes the import directory (could use filepath for filename) into the class property "hack"
import bpy
from bpy.props import StringProperty
class SimplePanel(bpy.types.Panel):
    bl_label = "Panel"
    bl_idname = "simple_panel"
    bl_space_type = 'FILE_BROWSER'
    bl_region_type = 'TOOLS'
    hack = None
    @classmethod
    def poll(cls, context):
        op = context.active_operator
        if op and op.bl_idname == "IMPORT_SCENE_OT_fbx":
            cls.hack = op.directory
        return False
    # needs a draw method
    def draw(self, context):
        pass
def register():
    bpy.utils.register_class(SimplePanel)

def unregister():
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(SimplePanel)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()

Ok we've registered this dummy panel, let's test it in the console.
>>> bpy.types.simple_panel.hack is None
True
# imported an fbx
>>> bpy.ops.import_scene.fbx('INVOKE_DEFAULT')
{'RUNNING_MODAL'}
# check again
>>> bpy.types.simple_panel.hack is None
False
# there's the directory fbx was imported from
>>> bpy.types.simple_panel.hack
'/home/batfinger/'
# this one I cancelled
>>> bpy.ops.import_scene.fbx('INVOKE_DEFAULT')
{'RUNNING_MODAL'}
# what do we get this time
>>> bpy.types.simple_panel.hack
''
# ok can do something with that.

PS was hoping to use bpy.types.Macro but have never had any joy with getting operators defined to macro after import fbx to run.
Conversely, Could use something like this to import your fbx. Creates a new scene, imports fbx and sets the path of the objects for bbake if installed.  Would need to edit in the settings you use for import. (and fix paths)
import bpy
context = bpy.context
screen = context.screen
scene = bpy.data.scenes.new("fbx_import")
screen.scene = scene

# import the fbx
# do this properly i suppose with os.path
directory = "/home/batfinger/"
filepath = "/home/batfinger/untitled.fbx"
# add other import settings.
bpy.ops.import_scene.fbx(filepath=filepath)
for ob in scene.objects:
    if hasattr(ob, "bbake"):
        ob.bbake.ob_settings.path = directory

Is it possible to get this hack working with that addon?  I just now tried to add it to the init of it.  Got the register/unregister calls set up.  I'm not quite sure where to stick that simple_panel.hack call though.
Before the bake there's a place in batch_bake_operators where it checks to see whether there's a valid director or not.
Edit:  Thanks a lot for the hack!

Gotta admit haven't tested this.  Assumed you can set the path with obj.bbake.obj_settings.path = bpy.types.simple_panel.hack for each object in scene.objects after import and before you batch bake. (ie No need to alter the addon source)

I'm not an expert but the import addon gets the folder of the imported file (eg: "basedir = os.path.dirname(filepath)"), but its use is probably temporary to just read the file and other files (original textures?) in the same path, at import time. see 2.79's import_fbx.py "load" method, line 2273.
This original path, if I got it, could be saved in some imported object custom property, to allow later usage, like saving baked texture where the original file was when imported, but I guess it is not, now, so it is lost after the import operation.
So, unless you request (and get) this to be done by the importer maintainer, you could patch it yourself to read that path and save it into a custom property (unfortunately I can't help you with this, I'm not into this).
Another way could be to write a (custom) import log to a text file (maybe even inside blender text datablocks) so that you can later access it to know where/what you got when you imported the file...
Although, the original folder could (easily) not be "there" anymore, removed or renamed, or it could be readonly... so you can't take it for granted to be able to write there, unless you are following a well defined after-import workflow...
for sure you'll have to check if that (still) exist, is writable, and decide what to do if either things are false.

Thanks a lot for the help!
I'm really inexperienced with python (have more experience with VBA).
"This original path...could be saved in some imported object custom  property..." This sounds like the best option to me. Unfortunately, I
wouldn't really no where to start to get it implemented in that addon I
linked. The after-import workflow would be well defined and required.


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How do I use Hairnet properly?
I have Just got the Hairnet extension but everytime I try to add the hair it says somethings missing, have I done something wrong? Could someone tell me how Hairnet?

Hi, I honestly know nothing about this addon, but here https://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Objects/HairNet#Sheets the wiki says "A rectangular mesh used to make a hair system must have one boundary edge marked as a seam. If an example mesh 4 faces wide and 3 faces tall is to be used, the bottom row of edges could be marked with a seam", so, did if this applies to your case, you set that seam?

I did add a seam but it didn't seem to work

I tried the addon, here it seems to work.
If you set a seam on the "plane hair guide", like this
(note:I highlighted in red the "plane hair guide", in blue the "emitter")

then, in object mode, be sure to apply all transformations to the objects (location, rotation, scaling)
then you select those two in that order, and press this button

you should get something like this

which renders like this in blender render

I noticed though, that if you select the "emitter" (eg the head) first and after the "plane hair guide" (eg a custom shape) you get an error like "no seams were defined in plane", because it needs to be selected in the opposite way: first the "plane hair guide" (eg a custom shape), and then the  "emitter" (eg the head).
Otherwise, please describe how you set it up, or share the file on http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/, then paste the provided link editing your question: I'll take a look.

That seemed to work, sort of, except the hair is in the wrong spot, its in the middle of the circle, not on the edge.

Yes, that happened to me, but I forgot, as suggested, to apply all transformations (location, rotation, scale). After doing that, it was OK: try and report the result. I added this in the answer, too.

OH YEAH, I forgot about that bit, thanks heaps.

How do you do it when the mesh guides have different lengths?

I never tried, I just installed this to help you :) But this is also a different issue, and it needs to be explained in a different question, as this site requires a single question for each post... Open a new question, and there if you can share your file (see the end of my answer) I could take a look, and hopefully find a solution... meanwhile, if my answer helped, consider upvoting it, and if it solved you issue, you could accept it, so to show others, in the future, if it was helpful content.


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How to model a wheel (tyre)
This is how far I got:

But the tyre is not smooth and has some artifacts on it. If I use more subsurf, it gets more weird.
The steps I took:
The bump map tyre will be of high poly, right? This is what I did:

Make a base mesh with high subsurf.
Model a patch of seamless pattern (this is very hard) and shrinkwrap it to the base mesh. Here it is:

Array it using empty as offset.

More info: https://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?442524-Modeling-a-motorcyle-tyre
Can anyone help in in this regard? I am modeling a wheel for harley davidson sporster.
I also tried the Blenderguru's tutorial. Didn't help as his tutorial aims toward different bump.

Could you clarify exactly what you need help with? The tyre looks good to me, it is not clear exactly what you are asking.

@DuarteFarrajotaRamos I am really sorry if I sound rude, but I am baffled how people cannot read and understand simple question.
First, the title of the questions speaks the question itself: How to model a tyre.
Second, the I wil quote myself: But the tyre is not smooth
Maybe I chose the words wrong, but if you see my first image, you can see it has some sharp edges. This is surely not present in real tyres. So I will be very thankful to anyone who provides me with an answer as to how to model a tyre well.

"How ot model a wheel (tyre)" is a pretty broad and encompassing question to cover here, according to the rules. If your issue is simply smoothings and sharp edges then it should be worded simply as so. If all you want is a curved shape you may want to model your tire surface with curved surfaces instead of what appears to be two flat planes

How are you duplicating the pattern? Are you using Array modifier on curve? If yes, do you check Merge and First Last in modifier settings?

@MrZak I did that. Anyway, I figured it out. I used different technique: using lattice to deform. The new tyre is much better.

I would try using a bevel modifier and add it to the top of the modifier stack. It adds more cuts to the edges giving it a more defined look to the overall shape you may be looking for.


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Blender how to install builds
Hi I have a Windows 10 and have Blender 2.78c installed on my computer but just recently downloaded blender -2.780-git.a372638 build dated for 8/1/2017. After I extract the file I don't see an installer or setup executable. How does a person use the builds for Blender?

could you please add the link of the page where you got that "build"? could it be a source release? usually windows binary (compiled) releases are in a .zip archive and have a blender.exe ready to launch...

Here is the link https://builder.blender.org/download/blender-2.78-a372638-win32.zip

Whoops hit the wrong key. But this is that link I am talking about but the 64 bit instead.

After doing some research I discovered that the Blender builds don't have a install file but instead they just have the Blender symbol which is called "Application" with just a click a person can open Blender. I was used to running a set up install file which would load in the program. I just downloaded Blender 2.79 and after extracting the download just clicked on the Blender Icon and the program starts up the application.


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I'm solidifying a mesh and want to bevel just the cap. How can I avoid that the bevel also rounds the outline of the mesh?
I have a flat mesh of the letter 'A'. I would like that the front face has a nice bevel. However, I would also like that the shape of the letter (when seen from the front) stays the same. With the bevel modifier, this is not the case. It will round the shape of the letter (as indicated with red circles on the picture below).
I'm already using a Angle limit method on the bevel, or else it would add a lot of unnecessary vertices.
I'd like to stay in a non-destructive workflow, and would like to avoid applying the modifiers.

I found how to do it. First, in edit mode, you select the edge of your flat mesh, and go to Edge -> Edge Bevel Weight. Then you press 1 on the numpad or drag your mouse to set the weight. The edge will become blue.

Then, in the Bevel modifier, you change the limit method to "Weight".

And this has the desired effect! I thought that it would work the same as the "Vertex Group" limit, but with the vertex group, you add unnecessary bevels in a lot of places because you're almost selecting all of your vertices.


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Sun is not casting shadows
I am at the very beginning of my blender journey, so dont judge me xD
i have tried this very basic model of a apartment like room.
I am using eevee and i have 2 questions.
First im wondering why my sun is not casting any shadows. It had before but now it doesn't anymore. Shadows are on.
Second how do i change my glass material so the sun can shine through it.
but even if i delete the window the shadows are not coming back :/.
Thank you for your help already <3

This is due to two aspects: your scene elements are large and the sun is far: change the shadow 'clip end' value of the sun to 300m. Secondly, the glasses are opaque: change their shadow mode to 'None' (don't think other shadow mode can work here)

First tank you for your quick response. changing the clip end does not work for me but downscaling the whole scene did. but now i cant zoom in far enough to work with how do you manage this problem? Also you cant see my glasses from outside anymore

Have not reopened the file, but if I remember well you'll need to set the glass material to alpha blend (it was opaque).

Hm i did that. It doesnt solve the problem unfortunatly. Also you can see through the windows from outside but youre not able to see the outside from inside. My camera will be placed inside so i need to fix that xD Any ideas? 'This is the updated file

Have added the blend file in the answer below. Don't know why yet yours does not work.

Obtained with:

For the sun:

Shadow clip end set to 300m.

For the glass:

Blend mode to alpha blend.
Shadow mode to none (or alpha clip, but with a threshold of 1... so).


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Animation-Copy And Paste Pose
I've been trying to copy and paste a pose from the character's right arm (Suffix: .R) and left arm (Suffix: .L) I copy the pose from the right arm (This is a walking animation) and paste it reversed (Shift Command V) But then this happens: https://i.sstatic.net/9rPlj.png
 I don't know what to do, and if you guys want the .blend file, go to
http://pasteall.org/blend/index.php?id=52230

It's a problem of bones orientation, in Edit mode select your left upper and lower arms and rotate them (ctrlR) 180° and it should work.

Omg! Thank you so much, I've been getting so frustrated. Im only 12 and I've been blending since I was 10, and I never came across that problem. Thank you so much!

Wow if you are only 12 you gonna be the master of 3d!!!

Thanks! I really appreciate that!

Ill try and send the final video. I kind of need some feedback.


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Why I don't see the volumetrics in eevee?
I have a very strange question:I don't see any squares near the volumetrics bar in Eevee in 2.8.What can I do to solve this problem?

Hi and welcome to BSE. Could you explain a bit more what the problem is? You'd like to have a "square" for volumetrics in the setting, but what do you expect if had one?

Hi,I'm working with smoke simulation right now and as I know to see It in render I need to turn on volumetrics,but I can't, because I don't see anything what can help me.

You just need to feed volume part of material output and that should work without other settings.

Thank you,I will try

authors: Орест Левчук


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Resize object in Blender as in Unity
Is it possible?
I'm talking about this scaling method from Unity, where you press T and then you can grab the edge of the object and drag it.

It would help if you clarified what T does in Unity for Blender users who don't know. What does "grabbing the edge" of the object do after pressing T?

when you press T in Unity,  4 lines will show up around the selected object (see the second photo i attached in the op) and you can drag by one of those lines to scale the object in a certain direction

You can press S and thenx y or z to scale the model along a specific axis. Is that what you mean?

I know about that, but it's not quite what i want. Pressing S and then scaling on a certain axe witll scale the object on both sides (up and down, left and right).

@FaraNume you can achieve that by setting a Pivot Point to Active Element and then you scale the object will be scaled towards the last selected face, edge or vertex.


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Odd black specks in Render
I've been recently trying to do a render of a cliffside with a lighthouse, water, and some fog. For some reason whenever I render the image, black and white specs will obstruct some of the little boxes in the scene, instead of throughout the entire scene.

Thank you for any insight and help.

What renderer are you using?

Possible cause: http://blender.stackexchange.com/q/5441/599

I am using Blender Render. I dont know if I can use anything else because then my render will look different, right?

Does it look like you have multiple faces in the same place?


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Use Proportional Editing for whole faces not individual vertices
I've made a tile grid where every face is disconnected from other faces ( no common vertices ). I would like to get a following effect:

But instead I get following:

How can use proportional editing for faces only, not vertices ?

First you need to extrude all the faces individually.

Then select all the bottom vertices and hide them using H button to leave visible only the top faces and use proportional editing to move the faces up.

Then select all the faces, change Pivot Point to Individual Origins and scale on Z axis to zero using SZ0 buttons.

Then unhide hidden geometry with Alt+H shortcut.


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Select inner edge of solidified mesh
I am following this tutorial, but I just can't get past step 10. No matter what I try I cannot select inner vertices.
Here is my mesh after hitting A-KEY, it looks like the inner edges are not selected. They are not bright orange like the outer edges even after doing a select-all.

Blender ver: 2.68
Any idea what's going on?

To select the generated vertices, first you need to apply the solidify modifier.

It won't likely affect this situation, but you might want to update to the latest blender version (2.76 at the time of writing)

@Denis, that was it!

You will have to apply the Solidify modifier. This will generate the inner vertices.
Or you can do this without modifiers. Select your mesh, go into Edit mode. Select all the vertices you'd like to solidify and do one of the following:

hit Space, then type "Solidufy";
or press Ctrl+F > Solidify.

After execution of the operation you can adjust the thickness either pressing F6 or opening bottom of the N panel, where 'Last Operator' scroll located.

Note that you would like to do this instead of adding modifier, so it should be deleted if it's already present.

Ensure "on cage" is selected in Solidify modifier.
Using blender 3.6.2


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How to import Zbrush brushes(files .ZBP) to Blender
I wonder if there is an add-on to use Zbrush brushes in Blender sculpt mode.

i think you were locking for this ? https://github.com/JoseConseco/GoB

In fact there is a pack of ZBrush sculpting brushes for FREE on the BlendSwap site which could be of your interest...
https://www.blendswap.com/blends/view/86419
Hope it helps buddy, Jan


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Warning! Legacy WGL is unable to select between different OpenGL versions
I was using blender 2.76b on a Windows 7 Ultimate, and nothing really weird showed up when I opened blender and the cmd window appeared, before the blender window appeared.
I updated it to 2.77a, and now in the cmd window, it says:

Warning! Legacy WGL is unable to select between OpenGL versions.

Is this a big issue that I would want to fix, or would it not matter?
If I should fix it, how should I fix it?
System specs:

 Laptop: Samsung Sens R410
 OS: Windows 7 Ultimate, was Windows Vista Home Premium OEM (according to the sticker on the underside)
 CPU: Intel Pentium Merom T2390 Dual Core 1.87 Ghz
 RAM: Installed 5Gb, but can only use 2.75Gb 667 MHz
 GPU: ATI Radeon X1250 with 256Mb memory with a weird driver that has OpenGL  issues. The 3d cursor moves when I drag the arrow to move an object in the 3d viewport. I think this is because I am using Vista drivers, and there are no drivers for windows 7.

I know it's not a blender problem, and I can't fix it. I either have to use the generic driver from microsoft or use a vista driver(which I am using), both of which result in crappy performance.

I did try fedora 64 bit, but there were opengl issues. My computer teacher(who loves fedora btw) installed it for me, and he gave up on my computer as well.

I reported this as a bug here, and the answer I got was this:
"Your GPU is too old. You may be able to still use it if you update your drivers."

This is a non-answer.  My Geforce Nvidia GTX950Ti is not too old, and it's using current drivers.

Well, I have nothing to tell you. That's what one of the blender developers said, not me.

I found out, for me, the issue was a workaround I tried, that didn't work.  I had left a copy of opengl32.dll in the blender directory.  You might look to see if you have an old copy of an opengl32 library on you system that might be pre-empting your graphics card drivers.
Or if your system is really old, you might want to place an updated opengl32.dll into that directory which 'might' fix the problem.

I don't have opengl32.dll. There was an old issue where the 3d cursor would move instead of the arrows that move a mesh, and the developers told me to put opengl32.dll in the blender directory. However, it was too laggy, and I deleted it and stuck to hotkeys instead.

I have solved this problem by following method:
Open windows explorer and type in %appdata% find the Blender Foundation folder and delete it.
This might be happened due to some conflict in startup application preference.

Do note that doing so will delete your startup file, user preferences, and some addons.

That is wild.  I was looking everywhere for the solution to the same issue.  Everywhere mentioned that you had to choose 'integrated graphics' with an Nvidea card.  However I had an AMD card and it was not that old.  The sluggish GUI of Blender was driving me nuts.  It was the latest download (2.79).
Turns out it was because I had issues using 2.78 with remote desktop, due to the version of OpenGL.  I put a 32bit version in the same folder and it would work while using RDP.  When I installed the new Blender, I had not removed that DLL file.  That was it.  I deleted the file and the problem cleared right up!


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Scale Faces in UV/Image Editor
I want to scale a lot of faces in the UV/Image Editor, If I select all of them and scale them the center of every face moves.
Is there a way to scale all faces and keep their position, except selecting them seperately and scaling them down?

This button in the UV editor is what you are looking for:

You may need to edit the actual faces in 3D view to Edge Split all the faces first. Otherwise they will remain attached to each other when you scale.


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Can I set the default number of vertices for a cylinder?
Is there any way to set the default number of vertices for a cylinder?
Every time I create one I get 32 as default but I usualy work with low poly models so I want it to be something like 8.
How to do that ?

Add a cylinder then look at the Last Operarotor panel at the very bottom of the Tool panel you will find options for the new cylinder.

Secocnd option:
Add a cylinder then hit the F6 key, a popup panel will appear. Here you will find the same options.

how this answers on how to set DEFAULT vertices count?

@m.ardito, good point . I should read a question twice before posting an answer :) .

Interestingly, followed the comment of the question, I was able to override the default setting for Cylinder, Circle and UV Sphere.  But following the same principle, trying to import the class for Torus and Cone returns some errors.


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Smart UV Project: the sequence of the faces is wrong and has inconsistent width
I’m new to Blender, been using it less than a month. I created a small tower, and am now trying to apply a texture.
My issue is in the Unwrapping, I get the best result from Smart UV Project. When it unwraps however the sequence of the faces is wrong and the width of the face panels in the UV/Image Editor are incorrect. It makes my seamless texture not so seamless.
Scale is set to 1.000 for X,Y & Z. The doors and windows were created using a Boolean Modifier.
Seams Layout and Face selection order

Unwrapped Cylinder

So how do I go about unwrapping it in order and scaled correctly? Any help solving this would be greatly appreciated.

did you try other uv unwrapping modes? if you can, provide the file through http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/ then post the provided link in the question, it would help to find the best way.

I did try others. All of them. The closest I got was with the Smart UV Project. I tried to add the link to the post but it would not let me. Something about Reputation Points? This is the link -->

Smart UV Project does not guarantee consistent scale at all, nor do any other methods. Your model has ngons which are largely regarded as bad topology and will only make it worse. See https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/56748/help-with-smart-uv and  https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/73419/texture-appears-differently-across-surfaces-of-a-complex-object

I think you can work a bit on this: I tried with your file and got some decent result, imho.
The first thing is: I isolated just the exterior walls.

then I set the front view and unwrapped cylindrical

I got an (extremely high) quite nice square unwrap

but helping with 2d cursor and the pivot choice, it's easy to scale it dow to make it a bit more manageable

then I loaded a brick wall image similar to yours

and aligned and scaled the uv map to the image
what about the face sequence? it seems ok, look them while I select (in top view) all faces...

Hth..

Thats Awesome. Works very well and with a bit of work you can get really good results. Thanks for the shove in the right direction.


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Cinema4d R19's new viewport and Blender's EEVEE
Cinema4d R19 version has a nice viewport update.
Is there anything different from Blender's EEVEE?
Or are high-quality viewports now becoming mandatory for DCC software?
Thanks.

Were 3D games have been getting better, we are now seeing these techniques being used in the 3D viewport. So yes they have similarities as they are both using opengl to get close to realistic results in a realtime display. I'm sure that they will use some similar techniques, which will be based on what has been used by game developers.

@cegaton Exactly my question means that is the development trend of 3D software.
And the C4D viewport and EEVEE seem to be similar to me, but I wondered if there is something different.

R19 only have preview rendering mode (or advanced OpenGL). Where Eevee is a game engine view (close to UE4) Afaik, C4D have no plans on making an actual game engine view. But I could be wrong of course.

I think you are wrong with EEVEE, BGE is only considered by now to use it. And EEVEE itself is especially not an Game Engine. For now it is just viewport.


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Toe Bone Doesn't Appear To Be Weighted Properly (But It Is)
The proper vertices have been weighted 1.00 to the one bone, they aren't weighted to any other bone. The other toe bone, identical, works just fine. There's only one Armature modifier attached to the character. I've checked, the IK and copy rotation constraint does not affect the bone in this way. And yet they behave like they are 0.5 weighted. I've tried duplicating the bone several times and simultaneously weighting the vertices to each bone to make it move quicker and not even that works.
Here is a link to the file: https://files.fm/u/at43v96p?k=a36b860b

please, use http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/ to share files (free, dedicated and permanent) then edit your post and paste the provided link

Your vertices are not weighted to toe.L only. If you remove all weights from all other vertex groups, everything will work as expected.


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Texture disappear on joining
I am making a tree, in which I have a texture for the central tree object or bark, and branches have a different texture.
I applied the branches on tree with particle system.  Till then the textures were fine.
Then I convert the particle system and delete the particle system.
Then ctrl+j join to the main bark texture with the branches, with the bark or central stem as parent.
Doing this, texture from my branch material disappears.
Please anyone help me out.  ASAP.! Thanks

Check if you have UV maps named differently on each object

@Denis yes..  I have named uv maps differently on each.  Still doesn't work

the UV names should be exactly the same before you link the objects

@Denis man you saved my life..  I was busting my ass on this thing for last 2 days.  God bless you buddy..

Be sure that both UV Maps have the same name, otherwise the textures will not share the same space when they are assigned to a single object.

I switched over to RizomUV and my workflow collapsed. This SINGLE sentence saved me so much misery I can even begin to explain.


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Increasing compression in animations over time?
iMac High Sierra
I've tried a few different containers (some fail) and
a few different quality settings and the animations always
look worse frame by frame.
Frames look fine when rendered alone.

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what your problem is, are you having problems with your rendered videos looking low res when you view them from a video player?

It's always better to render frame by frame and then to use the video editor to stitch them together. It often gets corrupted if you try to render the animation as a video straight from the viewport.

Thanks.
Never had this problem before 2.8.


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'Toggle System Console' is not in the window tab
v2.82a mac osx high sierra.
Anyway to turn this on elsewhere?
I've tried the search menu and check earlier versions.
Thanks

This option is only available on Windows. On macOS you have to open a terminal and start Blender from there.

@RobertGützkow Thanks! Had to do this to get my old Adobe CS5 to work. Same solution to a different problem.

Additional info as I ran into the same problem: you need to go to where Blender.app is located (normally in /Applications). If you execute >open Blender.app you will see nothing. You need to navigate deeper to Blender.app/Contents/MacOS and execute >open Blender from there.


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Drivers seem to only use radians
Simple driver:
15+(15*(sin(frame)))
Should return between 0 and 30 but forces 180 most of the time.
I've tried both:
15+(15*(sin(degrees(frame))))
15+(15*(degrees(sin(frame))))
Neither work and yes I have changed to degrees in units. Does nothing.
Is there any fix?
I would be able to do more intricate animations if I could control the numbers effectively,
otherwise I have to keyframe or settle on something looking horrible.
Thanks.

Describe why it doesn't work.  Surely 15+(15*(sin(degrees(frame)))) is 15 on frame 0 and 30 at frame 90.  If you are driving an angle (and 0 to 30 is the degrees result) may wish to wrap the whole thing in radians radians(15+(15*(sin(degrees(frame)))))

Related: About driver rotation Degree and Radian, Rotation Value ist not the same as given in the driver output,

oops, degrees should be radians in comment above.15 * (1 + sin(radians(frame)))  `

Yes! Your numbers are correct, but it's still not working.

I tested this 15+(15*(sin(i))) on Khan academy with a for loop just to verify and it worked 1st time. I need to learn how to do this in python, I guess.


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Copy to selected not available or doesn't work when highlighted
Having problems with copy to selected across the board.
I'm trying to add a modifier to all selected objects. It's Greyed out.
They are meshes in their own collection, no other objects.
(skip to the end for main question)
Yesterday, I was selecting all objects and trying to add a material.
Copy to selected was available but wouldn't do anything.
I had to join every object and then separate (which isn't the worst),
but the objects were tied to shrink-wrap and probably had to use copy to selected to get them working again...
How do I add a modifier to All selected objects?

select all your object, then at last shift select the one with the modifier, then ctrl L > Modifiers?

I think I did that, but with Link Data from the search menu. You get a list of what you want to share, and then it works somehow. I will try with ctrl L! Thanks!!!

by the menu bar, it's Object > Make Links > Modifiers

Select all your objects, then at last Shift select the one with the modifier, then ctrlL > Modifiers. By the menu bar: Object > Make Links > Modifiers.


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Constraint grease pencil strokes
I am a scholar of using blender. I have a situation-i'am using a grease pencil on surface and alembic sequence. So here is the question. Can i constraint drawn strokes to mesh for several frames and redraw shape of it. You can watch a clip from Spider-man: Into to Spider-verse to understand exactly what i mean.
https://youtu.be/vDjvhwgbsP8
Thanks for support!

I think I am in a similar situation. Wanting something between the old 2.79 "stick to surface" system crossed with the slide projector image thing from the manual (to create 2D facial expressions on a 3D mesh)?


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Blender 2.8 on an Old PC notebook
My question is,I am running a HP Pavilion dv7 windows 7 64 bit  AMD A-6 34000 H D graphics 1.40 GHz can I  download and create with Blender 2.8
Thanks
Ace 59

You can always download and create with blender, the question is how much you will be able to handle. For example, I use blender on a laptop, and it runs fine, but it will run really slowly if I have too many vertices in any scene, whereas on my pc i can have much more complex ones.
So it really depends what you want to do. If you are looking to create simpler stuff, you should be fine.

You likely won't be able to run Blender 2.8, since your hardware doesn't seem to meet the minimum requirements (https://www.blender.org/download/requirements/). There is no harm in trying it anyway, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work properly.


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How to rig this puzzle
I've been trying to make this fidget toy and am having difficulty rigging. Would anybody know a way to rig this. Its a closed loop like a chain. and the pieces connect with a little peg so these can only rotate on a 360 swivel. Ideally id like to be able to pose the toy with freedom like using it if possible. cant get my head around how to go about this. I had been adding two bones per segment at a right angle to one another. Or would i be better doing this using physics simulations?

I am not sure with this but what about curve, place those pieces on specific offset with constraint and rotate each of them around that curve?

not easy as each segment is supposed to have 2 axis I guess...

Here is a simple setup, what I have made using IK:

Every bone is corresponding to one segment and one rotation:

Last bone is IK target

Last important thing is blocking all axis except Y in IK settings for every bone in chain:

Note, Rotation in IK constraint useful to detect last segment

Thank you Crantisz. This is the type of thing I'm after but making it so the segments connect so its one continuous loop  im having difficulty with and would it also be possible to have interactive points of control on each segment or possible once is connects/closed when you rotate a segment it affects the overall shape like the real model would. Thank you for your help

It is not possible to make a loop in parents, so you can make, for example, 4 chains like this and add 4 independent bones, each one to target one chain and beginning for another one.

What you can do with hooks on bones so they stick to an empty, then if its the last (or the first) doenst matter, and thus you can make loops. or use bone  constraints for it.

Thank you guys, for your reply, Crantisz, sorry i got the IK section part working fine but struggling to get the targets to work, do i create a seperate bone from the IK Target, disconnect it, and setup the beginning of the next chain to reference IK to it? cant seem to get it working. or do you just  different constraint like stretch to?
Thanks Peter. Sorry i'm not very familiar with the hooks modifier to do the distortion on orientation. sounds like a good option. but I'm not sure how to go about it, cant seem to find much on the net on something similar.

IK target should be un-parented from other bones (Alt+P)

sorry Crantisz, struggling with this, I have made the chain the same as your IK rig, and extracted a bone down from the target head, uparented it and then added an IK from the start of the new chain to this bone but cant get it to work

Hi @Crantisz,
I've been trying the multiple sections and having the referencing each section to a target so I can get it to work that way, all works ok but on the joint where the two sections meet, this part doesn't honour the rotation rule only along the "Y" axis and tend to break causing the two pieces to intersect.
Any help much appreciated

Hi @Peter
I tried the hook method but couldn't get the hook to swivel at the connect point they just tend to move the segment, couldn't find much on the net, would you mind offering a little advice?


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UV Textures being distorted on rendering
I have a model of the TARDIS from the TV series 'Doctor Who' and I'm trying to apply a UV texture to one of the panels. In the 3D view it looks like I want it to. (if you ignore the pink textures)
The correct mapping in viewport

But, when I render it, the UV texture becomes distorted like this:

This part is important: I got this model from the internet and I don't know how the textures were applied to the model (I know it isn't UV mapping) and UV mapping is the only texturing method I know in Blender. There was originally a texture on that panel but I wanted to swap it for a better one (the one I am applying now)

You should add which renderer you are using, cycles or blender internal? This is indeed a strange issue however.

The blend file is here if you want to take a look at it: http://cydialstream.x10.mx/dl/TARDIS.blend
And I know the UV is correctly applied becuase I've checked the vertices of the map against the texture and it matches up. I don't know how the other textures were applied though, that was what the original author did.

@beiller I'm using the 'Blender Render' rendering engine. I never knew how to use Cycles.

Your problem appears to be the UV coordinates you have assigned.
Select your "Panel" material. Click the textures tab. Scroll down to "Mapping". Set coordinates from "Generated" to "UV".
This will solve the issue.
To clarify the problem:
When you generate UV coordinates, you also have to go into the Texture's settings, and say you want to use those UV coordinates to map it, not the default generated coordinates.


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I have a model which I need to separate its head from body
I am very noob with Blender. I started playing VRChat and discovered that we can create our own avatar.
I had 0 skill with Animation programs, but I watched some tutorials on how to upload my own Avatar model to VRChat.
So I downloaded an Avatar from the net, used Unity to upload it to VRChat and successfully did it right, but there was no lip sync.
Therefore people advised me to use blender to do that, so I downloaded Blender and imported this avatar to it: I noticed that it has over 40k polygons which is double the polygons that Avatar needs to be to be uploaded to VRChat.
The problem is that the whole body including head, body, hands and legs are under one mesh, but I want to reduce only the body's polygons so that the face doesn't look messed up in the Chat.
Is it possible to separate the head from the body and have it separated mesh so that I can decimate only the body without changing the head and by keeping everything in tact without messing something like the bones and/or the lip sync ?
I will be very appreciated if someone helps me with that.

yes you can "separate the head from the body" but you'll want them to be connected again, and that will be difficult because you'll have reduced much geometry only on one part...  I would try to keep it as one mesh, but act on different parts (imho it needs experience). Blender has a "decimate" modifier that can act mainly on some specified (vertex groups) part of your model, but it deeply alters your model's geometry... If it was mine,  I would try to act manually, to be sure to not alter too much the original shape and geometry. If you can post an image of the model (editor > image button).

Sounds like instead of decimating, you should dissolve unneeded edge loops. Keep your topology manageable and still reduce your poly count.

Thanks m.ardito and Mentalist for your replies. It sounds complicated to me, to be honest as I mentioned, I have like 0 skills about blender specially that I need something a bit complicated. Anyway, here is the link to the model I am trying to decimate https://www.deviantart.com/download/714687339/mmd___barry_b__benson__dl_by_freezyfreezymeloetta-dbti8a3.zip?token=de87134a7d8e12e5b15caa834067f92557c3b70c&ts=1515254819

BTW I was able to reduce the quality of it using Unity, but as I mentioned above, because the head is in the same mesh as the body, I couldn't only reduce the quality of the body alone, and this led me to have a bad looking face of the model inside the VRChat itself. If I can just keep the same quality of the face and ignore the other part's qualities which aren't that important, I would be more than happy. P.S.: The Tris number is over 45000 , it has to be less than 20000 to be uploaded to VRChat. Thank you again!

I tried the above link but it gives me a non-existent page... if it's a paid model, it could be not available to others...

I'll try showing you some simple way to simplify (by hand) your model body: I downloaded a full body human mesh from this site.
The archive is compressed with .rar format, so you have to unrar it before (it's like a .zip archive, just different): find a suitable program for your computer system (eg: http://www.7-zip.org/, free and open source).
The extracted model itself, is in .obj format so you can't open it in blender directly, you have to import it: blender has a "Wavefront (.obj)" importer by default, use it with default settings, it works well.
You get this model:

how to simplify it body without touching its head?
example: select a "loop" of vertices (this is a particular one that goes over all the model'storso)

how to?
select two vertices sharing an edge, like in the picture below,
and in edit mode use the
mesh > edges > edge loop
you can also get the same menu floating, like in the picture,  using the shortcut CTRLE

anyway you can select loops in any way, with the many selection tools of blender...

tip: a useful simplified way to select a loop is to select one of its  edges while keeping pressed the ALT key (and, as always, SHIFT if you are adding to a previous selection)

now the loop is selected,

now press X to get the "delete" menu, and use "dissolve edges"

and you get

you can also "dissolve" several edge loops together:just leave some loop between them, like here:

and you'll simplify it faster

that's it, you reduced you vertex count without ruining your shape!
you can do this on arms, legs, torso, just be sure to do it simmetrically, and just where it don't alter too much your body shape and... don't loose your head :))
Hope it helps.
edit:
after importing your real model into blender (using mmd_tools addon), I saw it's quite dense, but made of triangles instead of quads...

as said below in comments, loops work only on quads, but fortunately blender can convert triangles (tris) to quadratic shapes (quad) - 2 tris become 1 quad. with this menu command:

after which you get your model almost entirely in quads

Then I noticed another problem: there are doubles (how I noticed? some loop was still not working, so I guessed that... experience)
So you have to remove doubles first: in edit mode, press W to get the "specials" menu and press "remove doubles"

you see there were some

Now loop tools work as expected, and you can try my suggested path above

You may have noticed that converting 2 tris to 1 quad has reduced total faces count (of course) from about 45k to 25k. But exporting back your "quad" model to pmx, triangles will be restored by the exporting process (so 1 quad will become 2 tris). So, based on your question info, you'll have to reduce your "quad" model below 10k quads, acting on body obnly, I guess. It's a lot!
I also noticed your model is fully rigged, so it could be ready to be animated in VRchat? ...if yes, of course, reducing body vertices could make it move differently than intended, who knows.
It's not as easy as those people that advised you to use blender thought perhaps. It can be done, imho, but it will require a lot of tries and patience, and restarts if it becomes a mess...
Last, about this comment:
"Is there a possibility just to make the head in a different part of the body's part so that I can decimate only the body using Unity? Because I have nice Unity plugin for reducing the Tris but need to make the head a different part or mesh than the whole body. "
you can split your mesh easily in blender, too. select head vertices, the press p, and select "selection", Done. And you can act on body only. But if you later need to join that head with the simplified body, it will be worse. And if the model is to be animated in VR chat, using the full armature that the model has, it will be even worse, trust me...
But you can try different things, at least!
edit2:
about your last comments, and the fact  that you can't reduce much triangles... yes, it is impossible to get below 20k triangles if you don't want to edit the head...

as you see, your head alone (selected) is made of over 12.2k quads, ie: around 25k triangles... that does not deend on blender tools, it's just how this bee is done.
If you want to go below 20k for the entire model, you must edit the head also... sorry...

I am speechless after your answer, I really can't thank you enough for this awesome explanation. Thank you very much. I will try and follow your steps carefully and hope I won't ruin the model.
BTW about the link, weird it was working yesterday, it is a free model, but maybe because the site requires registration.
Anyway I uploaded the file to google drive in this link if you are willing to check it out
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TaflwseoA6rY5T1JoFj2j4SjAy0XI2vu/view?usp=sharing
Thank you again and again for your help and time!
Best regards!

You're welcome! Not needed at all, but if you think this helps you, consider upvoting my answer (see near answer title), and if it solves you issue, you can also mark it as accepted. This may help showing other users what is useful, what solves an issue like yours. Have fun!

I followed also your steps, they are nice but I couldn't reduce the "Tris" number that much.
Is there a possibility just to make the head in a different part of the body's part so that I can decimate only the body using Unity? Because I have nice Unity plugin for reducing the Tris but need to make the head a different part or mesh than the whole body.
Best Regards!

I have now your "bee" model in blender. Te problem is that this model is made of triangles instead of quad (better topology, as the model I used above). Loops work only on quads. I'll try to find something easy for you.

Edited answer with more info, using your model.

Thank you very much for all this effort and time you take just to teach me how to accomplish what I am seeking.
I tried reducing the polygons, but sadly I couldn't reach below something like 38k Tris, the head has many Tris.
And when I splitted the head from the body as you explained to me, so that I can reduce the Tris numbers of the body alone inside Unity, when I just import the model while having Head and body, I notice that the mouth is distorted and looks bad.
So that means there is no way in blender to reduce more Tris to max 20k ?
I may look for other model, but need to know how

to add mouth movement and eyes closing and opening to a model so that I can have lip syncing when talking in VRChat and have some animation with the eyes.
The model I was working with is nice and ready, just doing few steps in Blender then Unity and I am good to go, but the problem is the Tris over 45k and reducing them makes it bad uality inside the chat (distorted mouth when lip sync etc..).
Thanks again for all your work.
P.S.: The file needs to be exported as "FBX" to be imported to Unity, and not PMX.

BTW I found a long tutorial for bringing a model to VRChat, one of the steps was "Decimation" which I tried to follow but got errors, here is the link to this specific part of this whole tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P0ljQ6hU0A&t=2160s

The desire not to edit the head mostly comes from decimation advice, because decimation refuses to work if there are shape keys on the object, and the head almost always contains shape keys for alternate expressions. If there were a way to reduce the detail without destroying the shape keys, I'm sure more people would be happy to do it. I myself am not entirely sure why decimation would destroy them.

M.ardito answer is a really good option. Use his method if you want a precise editing done by hand. It will take time and patience, but you will surely get a good result. I have instead a more automated method, limited dissolve, which is more rough (and evil).
Since you said you don't have experience with Blender, I'll show every step (I used a model made in 5 seconds because your link doesn't work):
Step 1: Press tab to enter edit mode (or click on Object mode and then select Edit mode)

As you can see from top right, my cube has got 30730 vertexes.
Step 2: Press "A" to select all the vertexes

Step 3: Deselect the parts you don't want to simplify
Press "C" to select the Circle select tool. With this on, click middle mouse button to deselect.

You may find difficulty selecting some vertexes, for example if some parts overlap or are near. To workaround this, you can hide vertexes, by selecting them and pressing "H". If you want to show them again press "Alt"+"H". You can also use vertex groups in the object panel to help you:

Choose the method which you find most comfortable. In my case, I would select with Circle tool the vertexes I don't want to simplify, hide them, see if I want to change something, unhide them, add/remove vertexes, and once you have all the vertexes you don't want to be optimized press "Ctrl"+"i" to invert the selection, and proceed to next step. Notice that you can change the circle tool size by moving your mouse wheel.
Step 4: Simplify
Once you have all the vertexes you want to delete selected, go as shown in the image to "Limited dissolve":

The Limited dissolve tool optimizes based on an angle, see next image (if you don't get this menu, move the mouse cursor to the screen where your character is, and press "T"):

As you can see it optimized my vertexes to 40. This is both minimal and maximum optimization, because there were no angle at which there were more or less vertexes, my cubes basically had 6 faces each, with no curves, just some straight 90 degrees angles, so the tool gave me this result. With your character instead it will work better, optimizing the position of the vertexes. I recommend not going under the 20000 vertexes you said, since it may cause problems to the rigging system (I actually never tried this on a rigged object). Keep changing the max angle according to that. I hope this solves your problem :) .

Thank you F. Alessandro for this great post, so this is another method and I have to pick one. Thanks!
BTW I posted a new link by myself in the comment under M.ardito's method, is it also not working? Or did you mean the first link? Yes the first link isn't working anymore.
Best regards!

No I completely missed the other link, and this one works. Thanks for making me notice.

I did your steps. But maybe you understood me, actually I want that the Tris number (and not the Verts) to reduce from 45000 to 20000 or else I couldn't upload it to VRChat.
After I followed your steps, and deselected the whole head, the arms and the legs, and left the body selected, then applied the last step ( Mesh --> Delete --> Limited Dissolve ) the "Tris" number has been decreased from 45000 to only 43000.
Is that normal?

Here are screen shots of what I did...
Before:
https://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo/full?photo_id=500474520902
After:
https://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo/full?photo_id=500474520904

I can't see the photos. Whenever I click on them it redirects me to "https://www.photobox.co.uk/". Anyway have you tried changing the angle? I can't convert the 3d model to try with my own method. Maybe you can upload your .blend file on "blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com"?

Since I could't edit my last comment, here is the edit:
I can't see the photos. Whenever I click on them it redirects me to "https://www.photobox.co.uk/". Anyway have you tried changing the angle? I can't convert the 3d model from .pmx to .obj to try with my own method. Maybe you can upload your .blend file on "blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com"?

Thank you or your reply.
I uploaded the Blend file of my model's body being selected in this Google drive link:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VjGXoKuu0syhE8RZOzXwpkMpr2tyyBJt
THanks for your time.

Ok so I used another tool, called "Decimate Geometry". I made a video so you can see what I did:
VIDEOLINK (going to upload that after it ends uploading)
Video recorded with Vokoscreen.
This probably destroyed the entire armature system, but give it a try. If this doesn't work, then I don't have any more options.
Oh and here is the .blend file:
https://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/b/4374/

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15IrMgyYBnOh3PXLcGsTngLjwqeLBYcbt

I thank you very much for all what you did for me. I learned too much from you, the way to select and deselect parts and all sort of things in blender were just very useful for me even if it didn't do the job I was asking for.
I watched your video and found it very useful. I tried the model after your editing, but sadly the "Eyes Blink" and the viseme (lipsync) are totally destroyed, like when I test the "Blink" other parts of the body get raised, the same with the viseme.
But as I said I learned too much from your methods and how you deal with a model in blender.
My best regards!

Well unfortunately my methods did not work, I expected that but giving it a try wasn't a bad idea either. Thanks for the attention. I hope you will be able to finally reduce tris count on your model, good luck!


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Straight knife cut in perspective view?
Here are the methods I use to make a straight cut

switch the view from perspective to orthographic
just make a cut then straighten it with s+x+0
shift+7 to align face to view then make a cut
use bisect tool then change the angle
vertex connect pressing J key and then straighten it

There are many other methods too but nothing is as fast as knife cut.
Is there any workaround to make straight cut in perspective view ?
I know we can snap knife tool to vertex & midpoint but it doesn't help in many cases.
Thank-you and sorry for my bad English.

maybe an example image would help to understand some of those "many cases" where knife tool snapping doesn't help, but if I got what you mean, "loop cut" tools (ctrl-r) sometimes help, and also after cutting "snapped" knife cuts, you can "edge slide" (ctrl-e option) the new edge to another location...

press "c" on the keyboard, then you can make 90 and 45 degree cuts, combine width ortographic view


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Bezier masks for use with groups of shapes?
I'm using Blender to do some 2D, shape-based animation.

Everything you see here is a Bézier shape. To animate the mouth and eyes independently, I add holes to the head shape and then stack the eye and mouth parts below it with an orthogonal camera.

This works OK, but it's not perfect. For one, I have to make sure that none of the inner shapes peek out from behind the head shape. I also have micromanage the hole shapes whenever I change the outer head shape, e.g. to prevent edge contact and self-intersections. Instead of making holes, I wish I could simply add a mouth-shaped mask to the mouth group and then animate the mask independently, but it seems impossible to do this. I know that I could convert the paths to meshes using Alt+C and then add a boolean modifier, but this would no longer allow me to modify the control points. I've also seen approaches that use the compositor to create masks, or that use render layers to create portals, but they all seem far too heavyweight for use as simple masks.
Is there any way I could apply a Bézier mask to a group of shapes in Blender?

Apart from compositing, there is nothing like masks in Blender As far as I know. Being a 3D program there is no concept of masking anything except for render layers. Is your background always blue, or at least flat colored? You could use a blue mask around the yellow object to make sure nothing "got out".

One thing that could work, or at least give you inspiration, is adding control points hooks, perhaps, I tried this setup:

Here I created two stacked bezier shapes, the upper "Holed" similar to yours.
Then I selected each upper shape control point, and created a hooks to a new empty.
After that I hooked also lower shape control points, one by one, to the nearest empty created before.
Note: here the lower shape control points had same x/y position than the upper "hole" ones, so it was easy, you may need to arrange things differently (more "safely") to allow different setups to work...
See how it works:

And, from the top view:

Here is my example .blend  (sorry, had to edit your question and remove accented char from the title to get the url accepted by the hosting service)

Hth.

That is super useful, thank you! Will make dealing with the mouth and eyeballs a whole lot easier.

Although, in practice, having to deal with the control point handles manually might make this technique more trouble than it's worth... (For example, I would need to manually ensure that the handle points and the control point form a straight line.)

Maybe I don't understand... what you mean by "form a straight line"? You can add hooks automatically on the exact CP coordinates: in edit mode, select the CP and press CTRL-H => new object.

Each Bézier control point has two additional handle control points, which can be modified independently to change the curvature. Usually, they form a straight line. If hooks are added to these handle control points as well, they need to be micromanaged. Your approach works great if the control points are in "Automatic" mode, as they are in your sample project!

Ok, I understand better now. I think blender has not tools that give you such level of control on multiple bezier shapes... I also tried a subdivided lattice object deforming both shapes through modifiers, but that acts on the overall shape, not on CP's individual handles for sure, too...

I found an alternate approach: you can parent objects to the control points and then set those objects as hooks for the lower shape, making it possible to move around the control points in the upper shape directly rather than having to move the hook objects. I thought maybe I could do the same for the handle control points, but no dice. It seems Blender doesn't really treat the handle control points the same as regular control points, so you can't parent anything to them. What a shame... it would have solved the problem so cleanly!

The last thing that comes to mind could be adding shared hooks also to each pair of handles'  control tips that need to move together... it seems to work here, but you would have 3 empties (or other objects) to control: CP position/transforms, and left/right handle position/transform... it could be not that practical...

To clarify the above comment, here is another sample .blend with hooks to handles... two examples_: on the right 3 hooks for the CP, with empties, on the left  just one hook just to one handle, with a small cube... http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/b/2988/

I updated the above link, since I parented handles' empties to CP empty, so they are more manageable