text:
How to properly bake action for armature
I just learned bake action with rigacar. I thought it would be the same for rig-ify .I click armature to be baked, go to the last layer (where I think are the def bones not really sure). I select all then - object mode.  I used space bar to bring up search bar and then type bake action, I select everything in the menu except the last one (overwrite bla, bla) then I click bake "pose". I click bake and it bakes animation but when I try to delete any of the other bones that I don't need anymore  the whole armature and character deletes with it..How do I this correctly for sending off animated character to render farms?  Thank you for taking the time to answer this.

Update for 3.0 and more info about baking or exporting:
Baking for exporting
If you are baking deform bones for exporting, it is often better and faster to let the exporter do the baking for you:
Put your rig in a collection (1), select only that collection, then in the export option you can choose to export only the active collection (2), and bake only deform bones (3).

This procedure saves a lot of time and doesn't impact your rig in your .blend file. In a way, this is a non-destructive procedure.
Baking manually
If you want to bake manually and destructively, make sure you are in pose mode and have only you Def bones selected.
The layer containing Rigify's deform bones is the last third (1). If you are unsure, enable the display of names (2) and you should see all bones named with a Def prefix.

Most likely, you want the baking to be permanent and not impacted by the rig controllers and mechanics. So in the baking options, make sure you're baking into pose data (1), and enable visual keying and clear constraints(2) (perhaps even clear parents depending on what you do afterward, but in which case do remember to always check that option at each export so to keep the exports compatible with each other).

This is the correct layer for selecting deforming bones in Rigify, they all have the "DEF" suffix on their name.


text:
How to import materialX into blender 4.1
Comming from this post:
How to import MaterialX library into blender?
But since I can't comment, I would like to ask the same question again.
For my surprise, I couldn't find any addon, or updated content on that topic. I know about Hydra Storm renderer, but yet, how one can simply import a MaterialX without a USD file?

heading for my new tumbleweed badge ;o;

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Blender 2.9: Problem With : Flip Normal Faces
When I Export (.fxb) file to (unity 5) i find out faces was flipped,

when i go back to blender to fix it , i found out when i do (Alt+N) for flipping normals its just flip one face side  and the other face side is not visible
[![enter image description here][2]][2]
enter image description here

You need to disable backface-culling in Blender and Unity.
Blender

Unity
I have not used Unity in a long time; but I think you need to toggle the option cull-off found in the SunShader section I believe?

I am so sorry for not responding early, I have a hard couple of days of work.
Ok Mester I will do a little google searching about the (SunShader), I'm really thankful for the unity community, guys your so helpful and nice persons I really appreciate for lighting my mind

No problem, glad to help! If my post does indeed turn-out to be the question's answer, please consider marking it as the thread solution if you deem it appropriate.

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


text:
Using blender to animate and annotate pdf
I'm trying to create commentaries on bad research articles and I'm not sure i'm using the right tools. My method so far:
convert pdf to images
import images as layers
animate camera movements to the regions i am reading in voiceover
The rendering seems very slow even on the most minimal settings. I get the feeling I am using completely the wrong tool given that most pdf readers can render pages instantly.
Is blender completely the wrong thing to use for this task? Would anyone suggest a better tool? many thanks

I think it's the wrong tool, yes.  I would use a PDF reader that allows annotation and something like OBS to record.  Have OBS record the window with the PDF reader as you scroll and annotate using the PDF reader's tools.

thanks. I'm really looking for an editor so i can align my voiceover with highlighted text segments

You can record your takes with OBS and then use it as a video editor to assemble the takes you like.  A lot of YouTube videos are made that way,


text:
Ideas on: Realtime Mist Pass via Shading Nodes?
Wouldn't it somehow have to be possible to get a depth gradient into one's material nodes? This way you could have a realtime mist pass in the viewport (like in the picture).
I guess one would need the distance between object surface and camera somehow...
Any Ideas?

There is this Camera Data node:

As you can see, you need to map its Z-depth value to a meaningful range to be a visible color.


text:
Is it possible to add images to existing node or node group?
Is it possible to add images or interactive graphs like color ramp or RGB curves to UI of existing node or node group?
example:

Hello and welcome. Please don't post the same question more than once. If your previous question was put on hold, address raised the issues by editing it so it can be reopened rather than post a new one, otherwise see What should I do if no one answers my question?

Short answer is you can't unless you're willing to modify the source code.


text:
Creating a hole using mirror, solidify, subdivision modifers
I want to create a hole at the top of this golf club head on this face. There's a mirror modifier along the y axis.  With the face removed, I use solidify and subdivision but see some artifacts. The same is true without the mirror modifier. How can I make this smoother?
Screenshots.

You need to delete the extra edge after removing the top face

I'm not sure what you mean by extra edge.

Your club has an edge along the YZ plane that you don't need. You probably used "Only Face" when you deleted the face.

After deleting the edge the modifiers work better.

The edge was the problem. Deleting it was the solution.


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How can I extrude these faces together?
I want to extrude these faces together to form a nose shape.

But when I do this with a subdivision modifier, the bottom four faces extrude seperately.

You somehow created internal faces while extruding. Try doing a merge by distance bevor you extrude.

I fixed this by pressing the On Cage button in the subdivision modifer.

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.


text:
handle vertex property changes with msgbus.subscribe_rna
I want to trigger a function when any mesh vertex is selected. After alot of research, using msgbus.subscribe_rna seems to be the way to go, unfortunately even though i can use it to trigger a function when say, objects are selected, when i try the same for changes in vertex propterties it has no effect.
import bpy

handle = object()

#subscribe_to = bpy.types.MeshVertex, "select" # Doesn't do anything
subscribe_to = bpy.context.object.data.vertices[0].path_resolve("select", False) #Doesn't do anything
#subscribe_to = bpy.types.LayerObjects, "active" # Triggers when an object is made active
#subscribe_to = bpy.types.Object, "location" # Triggers when an objects location is changed in N panel

def notify_test(*args):
    print("Notify changed!", args)

bpy.msgbus.subscribe_rna(
    key=subscribe_to,
    owner=handle,
    args=(),
    notify=notify_test,
)

bpy.msgbus.publish_rna(key=subscribe_to)

Interesting. Perhaps at issue here is akin to selecting vertices of Mesh.vertices has to be done in object mode. Running code above with MeshVertex.select triggers the message by running >>> C.object.data.vertices[0].select = False in console in object mode.

Hmm that is interesting, presumably manually clicking the vertex to select it changes the .select attribute the same way as doing it through python so I can't imagine what the problem might be.

The only other method i found was to generate an event for mouseClicks, which was extremely clunky and even so i would have to cycle through modes just to access any properties of the vertex.

There is some "voodoo" seems like an instance is created to edit, then written back when mode toggled.  Have done something similar by looking at  edit bmesh select history active in a draw callback.  see links in recent comment https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/160877/sync-the-active-paint-slot-with-the-active-texture-slot?noredirect=1#comment272417_160877  Make a dictionary of edit bmeshes from all meshes of objects in edit mode by mesh name, clear it if object mode changes.  Works quite well.

Hmm i'm not too familiar with that, but i'll look into it and see if i can make it work. Thanks

An alternative using bmesh and a draw callback

As mentioned in comments, here is an alternative using a draw callback on the 3d view.
Simply prints the active element.
import bpy
import blf
import bmesh

bmeshes = {}
#from gi.repository import Gdk
class DrawingClass:
    def __init__(self, context, prop):
        self.prop = prop
        self.handle = bpy.types.SpaceView3D.draw_handler_add(
                   self.draw_text_callback,(context,),
                   'WINDOW', 'POST_PIXEL')

    def draw_text_callback(self, context):
        font_id = 0  # XXX, need to find out how best to get this.
        # draw some text
        blf.position(font_id, 15, 50, 20)
        blf.size(font_id, 20, 72)

        ob = context.object
        meshes = set(o.data for o in context.selected_objects if o.mode == 'EDIT')
        if context.mode == 'EDIT_MESH':
            for m in meshes:
                bmeshes.setdefault(m.name, bmesh.from_edit_mesh(m))
        else:
            bmeshes.clear()
            return
        me = ob.data
        blf.draw(font_id, f"{bmeshes[me.name].select_history.active}")

    def remove_handle(self):
         bpy.types.SpaceView3D.draw_handler_remove(self.handle, 'WINDOW')

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # test call
    dc = DrawingClass(bpy.context, "Auto Layer Running......")
    dns = bpy.app.driver_namespace
    dns["dc"] = dc


text:
How to declare global variables for use in an addon that aren't stored in the blend file
How can i cleanly declare and edit variables for use in an addon the don't need to be registered like a PropertyGroup but also aren't stored in the blend file?
I'm working off of the basic addon structure like so:
def boolPropVarAccess(self, context):
    # Test accessing a 'global' variable declared at some other point in the addon structure

class MyProperties(PropertyGroup):

    my_bool: BoolProperty(
        name="Enable or Disable",
        description="A bool property",
        default = False,
        update=boolPropVarAccess
        )

class OBJECT_PT_CustomPanel(Panel):
    bl_label = "My Panel"
    bl_idname = "OBJECT_PT_custom_panel"
    bl_space_type = "VIEW_3D"
    bl_region_type = "UI"
    bl_category = "Tools"

    @classmethod
    def poll(self,context):
        return context.object is not None

    def draw(self, context):
        layout = self.layout
        scene = context.scene
        mytool = scene.my_tool

        # Declare some 'global' addon variable like an object reference

        layout.prop(mytool, "my_bool")

        layout.separator()

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------
#    Registration
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------

classes = (
    MyProperties,
    OBJECT_PT_CustomPanel
)

def register():
    from bpy.utils import register_class
    for cls in classes:
        register_class(cls)

    bpy.types.Scene.my_tool = PointerProperty(type=MyProperties)

def unregister():
    from bpy.utils import unregister_class
    for cls in reversed(classes):
        unregister_class(cls)
    del bpy.types.Scene.my_tool

if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()

The window manager
If you set up properties on the window manager using bpy.props they are available globally for the session, are not saved and revert to defaults on next.  PRO: simple to add a UI, a lot of UI for operators uses wm.
>>> bpy.types.WindowManager.foo = bpy.props.IntProperty(default=444)
>>> wm = C.window_manager
>>> wm.foo
444

>>> wm.foo = 3

The driver namespace
The driver namespace can be leveraged.
class Foo:
    def __init__(self, x):
            self.x = x

dns = bpy.app.driver_namespace
dns["var"] = Foo(3)

then anywhere
global_var = dns.get("var") # None if not set

Make a module
from my_module import my_global_variable

Declare a global
max_something = 10000

def update(self, context):
    global max_something

Using lists and dictionaries here often removes the need for the global declaration.
Getter Setter on bpy.props
In example in question code, if using a global instead of using update would set up properties with a get set method. See docs.
As in this example, Internal "get/set" function of property?
let the get or set methods retrieve or set your global respectively.  The set method is akin to an update in this scenario.
Example of saving to a text file to avoid undo operations.
How can I avoid Undo/Redo on StringPropery or bpy.props in general?

Hello could you please describe how to set up properties on the window manager using bpy.props?

The driver namespace just works properly !


text:
How to calculate world position of offset point based on rotation of an object in python
I have a sphere parented to another object, offset on the Z axis so that when i rotate the parent i can get the world position of the top part of the parent.
How can i calculate this without needing the child sphere object in python?
Parent rotation: 0, 0, 0
Sphere World position: 0, 0, 0.1

Parent rotation: 12.4162, 39.7934, -16.6971
Sphere World position: 0.0537, -0.0386, 0.0750

Some matrix math.
Rotating the vector (0, 0, 1) by the euler rotation described in question (assuming default order 'XYZ')
>>> R = Euler(radians(a) for a in (12.4162, 39.7934, -16.6971))
>>> R
Euler((0.21670356392860413, 0.6945258378982544, -0.2914193570613861), 'XYZ')

>>> v = Vector((0, 0, 1))
>>> R.to_matrix() @ v
Vector((0.5369226336479187, -0.38553091883659363, 0.7503865361213684))

Ooops didn't see the point 0.1, notice though that each element is 10x the result in question, as is the length of the vector
A child object at (0, 0, 1) can be considered at the local coord (0, 0, 1) of the parent.  To get global coordinate of a local coordinate we multiply by the objects matrix world.
Consider the following from the python console.  In this case the "Circle" has no parent, so its origin, local coordinate (0, 0, 0) will be at its location.
>>> C.object
bpy.data.objects['Circle']

>>> C.object.location
Vector((1.0, 3.0, 2.0))

>>> C.object.rotation_euler
Euler((0.5235987901687622, 0.7853981852531433, 1.0471975803375244), 'XYZ')

>>> C.object.scale
Vector((2.0, 3.0, 3.0))

Ok lets look at the world matrix
>>> C.object.matrix_world
Matrix(((0.7071067094802856, -1.7196698188781738, 2.2175967693328857, 1.0),
        (1.2247449159622192, 2.2175967693328857, 0.8409903645515442, 3.0),
        (-1.4142135381698608, 1.0606601238250732, 1.8371171951293945, 2.0),
        (0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0)))

>>> C.object.matrix_world.translation
Vector((1.0, 3.0, 2.0))

>>> C.object.matrix_world.to_euler()
Euler((0.5235987901687622, 0.7853981852531433, 1.0471975803375244), 'XYZ')

>>> C.object.matrix_world.to_scale()
Vector((2.0, 3.0, 3.0))

The global location of local coordinate (0, 0, 1) of circle is
>>> C.object.matrix_world @ v
Vector((3.2175967693328857, 3.8409903049468994, 3.8371171951293945))

>>>


text:
After importing an obj file, I cant enable smooth shading, or at least it doesn't do anything
Blender version: 2.8
Windows 32-bit
Click Here to get the project file, you need in order to help me.
Thanks in advance!

This question needs a bit more meat on the bone.  Please read [ask] and take the [tour]

Every verts are duplicated, you have to remove the duplicates. Select everything in Edit Mode then choose Vertex>Merge Vertices>By Distance.

So the problem you have here is that the entire model is ripped. If the mesh is not connected cant be smoothed out. In order to solve this, you have to select everything and remove doubles or as it is called now (merge by distance) by pressing Alt+M. Done that the mash will be messed up, with everything still selected press Shift+N to recalculate the Normals. Now if you press smooth shading the mesh should be good to go.

Thank you so much! It works!!!!


text:
Weight paint attached objects
Hi I like to know how to weight paint the whole attached object on a single bone without separating it from the mesh. For example, I want to paint the whole flower to a bone without affecting the mesh behind. In Maya you have the option to select the vertices that you want in edit mode and assign them to a bone, but I cant find anything like that in blender. Can someone help me please?

Related: https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/204791/weight-painting-mozzarella-effect/204840#204840

in edit mode, just select the faces/vertices, you want to paint on

in weight paint mode, just click here:

then it only paints what you selected

Usually I just select the verts and then adjust their influence in the vertex groups panel, but like Chris said, masking is a good way to keep the ability to paint.

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.


text:
I want to mirror without merge
Is there any way to apply mirror modifier without merge the 2 objects?
I know that I can separate it later, but I need to use it in several pieces and all need to be separated at the end.

You can make a linked copy of your object with Alt+D, and mirror it in one axis Ctrl+M. As the object is linked, all changes will be applied on both objects at the same time (except modifiers).

Thank you but this way only works in edit mode. They should implement this, I think it's very simple to just add an option in the mirror modifier with merge or not merge

@franmahalem It is not simple. Modifiers are not generating objects. Even Geometry Nodes modifier doesn't add new objects into scene, but instead add instances inside the object. Such big shift in paradigm as you suggest not only hard to implement due to creating completely different workflow in modifiers, but also may affect performance and stability


text:
How to hide green faces selection in UV editor?
The green faces remain even when I'm not selecting, is there any way to avoid this?

And even when I'm not in UV Sync

Without UV sync, you have to deselect the 3D model to make everything dissappear, just select the faces that you need on the 3D model, or press H to hide faces

I know but that doesn't make the green selection go away

Disable Faces in Overlays Menu (two circles in header right) ?


text:
How to have less channels in vse standard view
In VSE, 8 channels are displayed in the default view.
So if I insert one or two strips in separate tracks, press TAB to clear the spaces, I usually get by for small edits with 2 tracks that I use alternately, plus a third, at most a fourth for effect strips, and maybe even an audio track.
As I said, this is not about large projects that quickly require a lot more tracks, but small edits that I like to try out quickly on the side.
If I now select all strips and press the pos1 / home button, then Blender conveniently zooms in all editors to an optimal position that shows exactly everything.
But in VSE this view is always at least 8 Channels high and looks like this:

I like the thumbnail preview strips and want to be able to see them well.
With strg + mmb I can zoom by hand, but I don't know a method to limit this to the vertical, so that I regularly shift in width.
But i would like to have it more like this, to have better use of the vertical space for the thumbnail preview:

Is it somehow possible to have the standard view with less than 8 Channels, so that the home button zooms in accordingly?

Now that you ask, this might be a good question - maybe not for this site because I'm wondering if there is a bug that needs to be reported. I know how you can have Blender start with only e.g. 4 channels, but I don't find any setting for how many channels should be shown when pressing Home. But: in the View menu of the Sequencer Editor there is the (by default enabled) option Limit View to Contents. The mouseover info and the Blender Reference Manual explain: "Limit the timeline height to the maximum used channel slot." However, it doesn't do that or I misunderstand the given info.

Sounds interesting. So maybe its a bug.
Anyhow, you also mentioned " I know how you can have Blender start with only e.g. 4 channels". Now i didn't find  this setting, where do i find it?

That's not a setting. When you startup Blender with the general default layout, go to the Video Editing workspace in the top menu, change the vertical scale of the sequencer, go back to the default workspace called Layout, then go to File > Defaults > Save Startup File and after clicking confirm again that you want to Save Startup File. Next time you open Blender, switching to the Video Editing workspace should open with 4 channels (at least it does in my Blender). But Home unfortunately takes you back to 8 channels. Saving the startup file allows you to change multiple things.


text:
Blender Cycles network egpu rendering
i have some extra eGPUs on other machines in the network, i'm on Macosx, and i was wondering if there's a way to force Cycles to use these extra cards. I'm used to Octane which is great for this, but i'm not use if it's possible, or it WILL be possible, with Cycles.
Thanks a lot
Marco


text:
How to add Transparent texture image with another texture
I am trying to mix two different materials together, I want to add one with texture, and another one with a transparent image texture.
I made the first texture called wood.001
than I assign new texture on the faces texturee
the issue is that the new texturee make the wood.001 transparent too, I want to keep the wood texture and add a new transparent image on the top of it.
Texture

Node

Resulet

You can do it all using one material. Use your Wood Texture instead of the Transparent BSDF in your node setup (you will have to run it through some shader first such as a Diffuse BSDF or another Principled BSDF). The alpha from your 916-01 image will define the mix between the two textures (no need for a Transparent Shader).

For reference, this is the checker board texture (showing the alpha) that is being overlayed over the wood:

Awesome, thank you so much~ that's helping me a lot


text:
How to use "Landscape Eroder" on non-procedural landscape?
I recently discovered the A.N.T. Landscape add-on and find the additional „Landscape Eroder“ tool very helpful to create a realistic impression.
Now I’m using an imported image to create a non-procedural landscape with the displacement modifier. To add some realistic details I want to use the „Landscape Eroder" on that mesh as well. But when I go to Weight Paint mode I can’t find the option.
So is there another way to use the „Landscape Eroder“ on a non-procedural landscape? Or is there another add-on for that reason?


text:
Multiple bones stay at the same place when I move in the timeline
Multiple bones stay at the same place when I move in the timeline.
enter link description here
Here is a video wwhere I show the problem a bit more.
Blender problems
Here is the .blend file.

You have to keyframe the rotation too.

Thank you a lot. I hope it will fix it.


text:
Can't mirror weight paint even with X mirror
I know there is an X mirror option, and I found it. But it doesn't work. My vertex groups have .L and .R at the end.
But X mirror seems to be switching of or doesn't work.
Does anyone have an idea on how to solve it?

Does this answer solve your problems? https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/163450/weight-painting-mirroring-issue/163460#163460

Yes it solves it. Thank you

If so, please give it an upvote, thank you.


text:
Object doesn't show when trying to use boolean modifier
I made a model by joining multiple objects. now I want to remove the intersected parts. I've read that you can use the boolean modifier for this but now it doesn' work.
Does anyone know how to make this work?

Why not trying the remesh, booleans can be temperamental

I am not shure if it was the best solution but I found a way with the help of a person on reddit. I seperated the parts again. And used the union modifier. That solved the problem.

Yeah, breaking Ng it to small parts and doing each Boolean individually usually works. Good luck


text:
Can't select bones in weightpaint mode
I watched a lot of tutorials but I don't know what to do further.
When I go into weightpaint mode it looks lie in the picture or the bone have an orange outline.
I tried to select the bone by right clicking, left clicking with ctrl and shift. I even tried to select the bone by name.
But it doesn't work.

The easiest way to change "bone" during weight paint is to select the corresponding vertex group.

Thank you. Helped a lot

You cannot select the bone when the object you are trying to weight-paint is selected. You must first select the bone.

But then I cant go to wieghtpaint mode

You select the bone in pose mode, and then select the object. It should show up.

Thank you it helped.


text:
Add lens distortion to a camera object
I have a simple scene with a cube and a camera. I can save an image from the camera view, export intrinsic and extrinsic camera parameters, and use them with other software. In the camera lens section, I can see few parameters, as sensor size and fit.Now I want to add some lens distortion to the camera, like radial distortion.I don't want to correct or distort an image in the Movie Clip Editor, but apply it to the 3D scene.Is it possible to do this?

afaik, not in current versions of blender.  you could add camera distortion in the compositor, but you'd have to modify the render engine to add it to the camera.

Is there any example of how to add some custom behavior to an existing engine (I.e eevee)? I just found this.


text:
How to make swishy skirt without cloth sim?
Im trying to make that moves like this one:
I would use a cloth sim but my computer would explode if i used one.
I'm open to anything other than a cloth sim.
I've tried using a soft body sim but it doesn't look right.
Any suggestions?

What doesn't look right and which settings have you used for the softbody?  Quick test:  https://i.sstatic.net/7mBfX.gif It wobbles a little up and down at the beginning. Alternatively, a cloth sim with a very low-poly skirt and a mesh/surface deform modifier could work, maybe?

@Blunder when I do the softbody sim it just wobbles up and down instead of swishing. Could you share the settings you used?

there's an addon called Wiggle Bones that can make this kind of things, maybe try it? (Blunder's solution is the best though)

if you don't mind about interactivity (ie. move when the body moves, simulate physics and collisions), you could keyframe manually and add noise for similar effect.

Here an example with a model to test the collision detection. The Softbody simulation requires a short "settle down" phase to move the mesh into place (30 to 50 frames). The skirt is a low-poly cylinder (448 verts), rotated faces and a Bevel modifier.

Softbody settings for the skirt
Created a vertex group named Softbody (or whatever you want to name it) and painted the weights in Weight Paint mode to adjust the strength of the goal. The Gradient brush works well for this. Make sure the top area has a weight of 1.0 to "pin" it.

The settings for the Softbody physics are the following:

It's the Goal > Vertex Group = Softbody that you need to set, and

Goal > Settings > Stiffness = 0.999,
Goal > Settings > Damping = 12.000
and Goal > Strength > Default = 0.850 that you need to increase.

And you might need to adjust the Collision Settings for the body:

Increased the Damping, lowered Thickness Outer and Inner. Keep in mind, these values depend on the model size and can vary. The model here has real-world size.


text:
eevee holdout white outline
I rendered two images with holdout mask but when I was to assemble them in photoshop I notice there was a white outline around the masked out object (in my case the trees). If I put a background under each of them I could see there was no white outline. So I figured out it's because Blender somehow rendered the masked out area bigger than it should be. So after I put the trees on top of the grass I could see a white outline which was not actually white outline but transparent outline. How could I solve this problem?

I don't think this is a Blender problem as such, but a problem with how you are combining the images. At the boundary you will be combining two part-transparent pixels, but expecting a non-transparent result (otherwise the default white background shows through). Consider the images as being on two transparent sheets of glass and you can see that you could result will light passing through both panes rather than blocking all light as you are expecting.
In your particular case, you can probably get away with just using 'black' as the base colour - to prevent any additional light shining through any residual transparency at the boundary.

I understand transparent pixels+transparent pixels = transparent pixels. But Isn't the problem rendered one of them 1 pixel smaller? If they are rendered precisely then there won't be overlapping transparent pixles?

Hi Ken. By default the rendering uses anti-aliasing and so multiple samples are taken around each pixel. This means the pixels on the boundary could be part transparent - and their counterpart on the other image also part transparent, triggering the problem.

Thank you very much, now I understand what you mean. But is there anyway I can turn off the anti-aliasing in the blender rendering? Also, I noticed that if I use a compositor in blender, the problem is gone. The reason why I need to holdout them is I need to render the trees and grass with Eevee but there is one juice stand which I didn’t put here I need to render in Cycles so I get more realistic lighting effect. So I need to render them separately and assemble together.

You look like an expert XD. Please also check this question https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/297290/how-is-this-grass-made

I guess you could set the number of samples to '1' and make sure you use the same 'Seed' in the 'Advanced' Cycles settings for each render, but you'll lose a lot of quality. Better to combine the images properly, taking into account the transparency for both layers - eg, by removing any transparency from the first image first.


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how do i animate one mesh turning into another
Im doing a small project for a friend where im animating a logo in the style of the logo at the end of the transformers prime opening where at first it is a blocky, cubic random shape that turns into the logo, i already have the logo modeled and i animated its movement, and i will model the cubic shape next. I would just like to know how i can make one shape turn into the other.

You are probably looking for what Blender calls Shape Keys. They let you morph a mesh into another mesh which is why they are also called Morph Targets or Blend Shapes.

Hello and welcome. Instead of having users go through links and external sites please use the builtin tools to embed images in your post. See How to upload an image to a post? or GIFs


text:
how to make gaps of light between objects?

It is necessary to make gaps of light without separating the objects of the clouds from each other

Use AO as factor for Mix Shader ... ?

If you don't know what AO is that @vklidu mentioned, the node is called Ambient Occlusion. I just mention it because not all newbies might know the abbreviation and if you enter AO in the search bar, you'll get AOV Output as first result (at least in my Blender).

I would say there's a light inside with subsurface scattering applied.

Thanks @GordonBrinkmann :) ... weekend run. Since JagJB's answer I'm not sure if image is reference or issue of current state ...

@vklidu Yes, I understand what you mean...

One way can be Ambient Occlusion as Factor of Mix Shader node ... just inverted by Colour Ramp node (or by Map Range node).

thanks, it worked. I would never have thought to use AO

Great if worked for you ... Consider mark as accepted https://blender.stackexchange.com/tour

If I understand your goal correctly, here is a proposal with shaders:

I think it's going to rain soon ;-)


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"Apply scale" to object breaks its size when I reload the mesh
I'm currently using blender 2.91.0
I was wrapping the UV's of the different objects of my mesh, and in the middle of the process had to apply the scale to some objects so the UVs were sized correctly. After loading my mesh again, the objects that were not at (1, 1, 1) scale (and that I did apply scale to) were all much smaller than normal, and with the scale not applied.
I rolled back to a previous version of my mesh to try replicate the issue, and isolate it to apply scale only. I have the size and scale parameters of the belt object open as an example of the original size. The Horn, Teeth, and Body are all at (1, 1, 1) scale, while the armor and clothing have all different scales. This is the example:

The affected objects have an unnaplied multiresolution modifier only. I checked for Delta Transform and none of those objects has it. What is happening here?

You've keyframed your scale at the values 0.041. You need to re-keyframe them to the values 1.0 (after you've applied scale again). Currently, every time you refresh your blend file, the applied scale of 1.0 is reset to the keyframed values of 0.041.

Yeah, that was it. I added the keyframes by accident. Cleared them, and now it is working correctly, thank you

No problem, glad to help!


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How to paint the edges of an object?
I kindly ask you for help with my project. This is one of my first models and I would like to finish it, however, I suck at materials and texturing.
My model:

Reference:

-How do I create this yellow detail running the edges all the way of the guitar body and around these cut-out holes?
-How can I add these white details at the top? "Ibanez" and this little symbol
-How to texture this dark-orange part in the center?
-How to create ivory-like material for fret indicators? (multiple white rectangles across the neck)
-Do you have any idea how to create good-looking knobs? (these 4 cylinders at the bottom of the body)
-Why does my lightning/render suck?
If you can help me with 1 or more of these problems I would be very grateful!
Thanks in advance! Have fun modeling everybody.

Hi Alexander. Welcome to SE. Your question is really excellent and also it is pretty clear what you want - this is not a matter of course. But...a small improvement request -> because i don't want the moderators to close your question, you should only ask one question here. Not 5. Just open 4 other questions with copied pics + text, but just one question. Then you will make good experience in this nice community.

and you should hurry up with this -> you already got one close vote. A bit motivation: i got this [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/nfhnJ.png, with these nodes: [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/i6EeE.png but i think, you are not happy with this, since your guitar is already looking pretty perfect. But maybe it is a starting point to experiment with...

Hello and welcome. Please don't ask more than one question per post. Use the [edit] below, to break this into multiple posts so that each focuses on a single issue. Make as many separate questions as necessary.

The yellow detail looks like where real life beveling cut away real life paint, and thankfully the bevel modifier in blender allows you to change the material for what it bevels. However, you might have to undo some of the beveling you’ve already done. If that isn’t practical for you, I would use Select Edge Loops to select the appropriate faces, and then assign a yellow material to them.

To create the white detail, I would advise you to create a Text object, convert it to mesh, join it with the current mesh, and use Intersect (knife) to put the faces on the guitar mesh. Then you can assign a white material to it.

Use a Color Ramp node set to mostly black with a little yellow, and control it with a Noise texture.

This looks like a job for Subsurface Scattering, but I’m not sure. You may try using a noise texture to alter the normals, and then turn on Clearcoat on top of that (Principled BSDF only). The clearcoat in Principled BSDF has its own separate normals, so this may be your best shot.

Difficult to tell since the knobs are being viewed directly from the top, but I would start with drawing the profile of the side of the knob, then spinning it. Getting the grip into the knob would probably then be a matter of intersect (Boolean), and some beveling. However, this may not work for you.

Your material roughnesses look like they are at the default 0.5, and the top of your guitar is perfectly flat. I might try turning the roughness down, and maybe using a custom normal map or actually editing the guitar face so that it is curved. Most electric guitars I’ve seen actually did not appear curved, but they were definitely very glossy. If the roughness setting doesn’t work like you want, try using clearcoat (Principled BSDF shader only) to simulate a glossy finish on the guitar body.

More information on Shader Nodes
More information on Materials.


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Blender exported mesh extremely deformed
After exporting my mesh to FBX form to test out my sails in physx clothing, I noticed my mesh was terribly deformed. There were a lot of random spikes and abnormalities that appeared in the main hull part of the ship.
exported version

blender version:

In order to cut my holes in the main outside part of the ship I would Boolean it with a cylinder. Since the exterior was solidified, it has like 4 walls for some reason, so I just moved one interior side to overlap another to cover up the hole created around.
Sorry if i'm not making sense, this is my first blender project, and I really don't know what's going on. Will I have to redo the exterior?!?!?

Just to reiterate I am very very new to blender. I think the problem may be how I was covering the holes between the exterior and interior walls (simply moving them together to overlap).

Booleans are a lazy way of modelling and will always produce bad topology that will invariably lead to problems like the ones you show above. I'd advise re-modelling that hull using proper topology

Oh... It's just how somebody on youtube did it. Is there anyway to fix what I did with booleans? Anyway to undo them? I would rather not trash the hull and start again, as everything is aligned for it.

Did you apply the Boolean modifier? If not then just remove or disable it, they are non destructive, that is the big advantage of modifiers. Otherwise no easy fix you will probably have to start over, unless the damage is localized and you can erase just the affected faces and rebuild from there

Yeah I applied it all, but the question still stands: Why does blender render everything perfectly but exported version is so messed up?

I have no clue, without looking at your file or mesh topology it is a blind guess. Most likely is because Blender supports NGons, which are faces with more than 4 sides, and most other applications don't really like those. Bottom line here is the same: use proper topology. Avoid Booleans, avoid NGons, avoid Triangles, prefer a mesh with quad dominant topology. Follow the guide linked above.

So should I not have circular openings in the hull, only square?

Use a subdivision surface modifier

To solve this try to add a Triangulate Modifier and apply it. If this doesn't work well I don't know what will.

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


text:
Blender export fbx file holes in mesh deformed
After learning that booleans were apparently "bad" in my past question of this same problem, I decided to learn to use the knife tool instead to cut windows and doors in my ship.
Old thread: Blender exported mesh extremely deformed
Unfortunately, despite using the knife tool and everything looking allright in Blender, when exporting to fbx and using in ClothingToolCHECKED of the Nvidia apex cloth simulation, the cut outs were extremely deformed. This is the second time this has happened, even though I'm not using booleans!
This is very frustrating, as it took me a long time to redo the parts of my ship that had booleans in them.
Here are images of what I mean:
Blender:

fbx export:

The problem are the faces with more than 4 edges (ngons), in your case, most of them have 6 edges.

What you can do is select all the faces around the windows, the press CTRL+T to convert them to triangles and then ALT+J to convert them to quads.

Notice how I set Max Face Angle and Max Sharp Angle to 180º.
You also should remove unnecessary vertices like these:

By pressing ALT+M to merge them before converting the ngons to tris then to quads.

Wow, this is so amazing, exactly what I am looking for, you are a hero, Thank You.

I'm not used to FBX but it look like you have some inverted normals or overlapping faces. It would be easier to help you with some screenshot of your topology or the blend file.

I created a link (it is the blend file), hopefully this works: https://ufile.io/vhqr8

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


text:
Why does the same material looks brighter/darker on another object?
I have applied all transforms, recalculated normals, unwrapped every piece. While trying to maintain pixel density (first ever modkit so correct me if I'm wrong but it is the faces' size on the UV map).

Still, the two corner piece on the left are brighter. Driving me crazy...!
Edit: tried both eevee, cycles
Any idea as well as comments, critiques are welcome! Thanks a lot!

Hello and welcome, if i may ask, can it be that the first two lighter parts are in smooth shading and the rest is in flat shading? The edges of the first two kinda look a bit rounded while the other ones seem rather sharp. Not sure if that can cause your problem, but if you do not mind, sharing your file with all not related parts removed could help finding your problem. You can use Blend-Exchange, where you will need the address of your question to be able to upload and generate a download link.

Thanks for mini guide about blend share :)  Appreciate the shading idea, unfortunately did not work :(

I'm positive it's got something to do with the UV-map. I've simplified your meshes into two identical cubes and, though the difference in brightness remained the same, it could be altered by re-unwrapping the objects. When both object's UV-maps were equal, however, the difference in shade also disappeared. What's been puzzling me is that unwrapping the cubes via smart or cube projections yields different brightness levels on the applied texture.

Thank you #impresso! You were right about uv, but I still could not get it work

The problem seemed to come from the orientation of the UV unwrapped faces.
I didn't have the same textures, but replaced the missing 2 textures with concrete and stone wall textures to check. First i could not find the problem, as shading, normals and even custom normals did not help. Then i unwrapped the 2 parts from scratch and gave them more seams to have a clean unwrap, not the "Smart UV Project".
I then made sure the selected areas were given each the materials to have a similar result as was shown in the question:

Using a sun light to check the shadowing of the wall sections, the smaller one always seemed to be reacting exactly the opposite way then the big one. When i pointed the sun on the walls the smaller one became dark, and when i directed the light away it became bright.

As of that moment, considering that i tried all the other options mentioned, i had only one other idea: UV map.
I selected the UV map of the small corner wall and rotated it by 90° by selecting all with A and then pressing R followed by typing in 90 and confirmed it with Enter, the process shown below:

The result was this:

Also regarding the pixel density, i believe the easiest way would be to select all involved objects after they are unwrapped, go in UV Editing and select all elements A, to then use the "Average Islands Scale" function in the UV menu:

Happy Blending

Wow! That's awesome #Xylvier!  I appreciate your detailed answer, solution and the tip as well! I will get back to it ASAP and finally carry on with a clear mind :)


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Baking Blender textures to object and importing the objects into unity
I have several objects which are close to one another but not joined to "one object" They  all have their separate UVs unwrapped nicely and I would like to export the objects with the textures and materials attached to the object into unity without sacrificing the quality of the texture or making any difference in the way light reflects off of the UVs, could someone guide me through this process please?


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Audio to affect Material noise / texture values
I am attempting to make a procedural material and have audio files affect different elements of the material. Examples..
I would like to have audio.01 to animate the scale of a noise texture node.
I would like audio.02 to animate the rotation of another noise texture that is mixed in.
I would like audio.03 to animate the depth of the displacement.
Been watching videos and having the hardest time finding the best way to do this. Thanks for your help!

Go to the Shader Editor, with your mouse over the value you want to
animate press I.
With your object selected open a Graph Editor and
expand the options (left) until you see your keyframe and select it.
With your mouse still over the graph open the tool menu. (Either
Space, or F3 depending on your settings) and type Bake Sound, you
will see the option I posted. Click that, locate your sound file and
play with the options on the left.

It will replace your keyframe with a curve that you cannot edit after baking, if you want to change it, you'll have to bake again.


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Convert armatures to empties while retaining animation data
I have a fully animated model that uses armatures. However, in order for it to be exported (using a DTS exporter in specific for Blender 2.78), I need to use armatures instead of empties.
Is there a way to turn the armatures into empties without having to reanimate everything? I've tried exporting this as a .bvh file and importing it as a .bvh with the target as "Object," but that just puts it far away and it just isn't in the right position.

If I got you correctly you may transfer the animation data from bones to empties and then bake it to keyframes.
Add an Empty in the same location as keyframed bone and give it a Copy Transforms constraint. Set the Head/Tail value to 0.500 to place it in the middle of a bone.

Select an Empty, go to the Animation bookmark of a Tool Shelf (T) and press the Bake Action button. Check all the checkboxes there and set the Object as a bake data type. Delete the bone finally.


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how do i export face normals?
Is it possible to retrieve the vertices's of every face in a mesh?
Also is it possible to get the normals of those faces?
I want to store them in a csv file

A mesh objects data contains lists for vertices, edges and polygons. Each edge and polygon has a list of vertex indices that it uses.
Python's csv.writer is included with blender's python install.
import bpy
import csv

obj_data = bpy.context.active_object.data

with open('out.csv', 'w') as csvfile:
    data = csv.writer(csvfile, delimiter=',')
    for f in obj_data.polygons:
        face_data = []
        for i in f.vertices:
            face_data += [obj_data.vertices[i].co]
        face_data += [f.normal]
        data.writerow(face_data)

how do i get rid of the vector part? "<Vector (-0.0000, 0.0000, 1.0000)>"

A vector is a list containing three numbers, you can access each number directly f.normal[0], f.normal[1], f.normal[2] to stop the vector describing itself.


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3d co-ordinates from UV map
i want to use a Uv and occlusion map to generate a new mesh over the top of an existing mesh but with different topology.
My logic goes like this:
Create an occlusion and UV map from an existing model.
Generate a new UV map over the top of the old one with a different shape.
Use the old UV coordinates to project new UV map into 3d vertices.
In other words, i want to use the old useless topology to provide the x,y,z info for a new topology via a UV map.
Is it possible to get the x, y, z info from the UV map?
heres a before:

Heres an after:

I'm not at all an expert at this, but that sounds like a convoluted and imprecise method for something that sounds like a simple retopology. Why not use a Shrinkwrap modifier instead, and make the new mesh conform to the old one?

so i can make a new 2d UV mesh and shrink wrap it to the old mesh?

the reason i need the mesh in 2d is because i am generating the mesh FROM the occlusion map

Is it an occlusion map or a height map? Anyway, yes, you can make one mesh conform to another through a Shrinkwrap Modifier

im using the occlusion map as a feature to a machine learning algorithm that will generate topology based on the attributes of the occlusion map


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Prevent particles from intersecting with a mesh used as a container
I am new to Blender 3D and am trying to model a garden stone pavement using a particle system.
What I desire to achieve and what I already did are attached below.

I need to limit the outer volume of the stones so they stay inside the base mesh. As it is unnatural that some parts of the stones be cut by other bounding meshes.

What is your question? it looks like you are doing quite well.

Yes, could you clarify what about your solution doesn't please you? Are you trying to make stones stick inside the mesh limits only?

Particles are probably not gonna cut it alone, I'm afraid. I'd go with a rigid body simulation to make it work.
Add a temporary mesh roughly shaped as the final distribution of the stones, but add it some walls to confine falling stones as below.

Turn you stones placed above said object into Rigid Body Active, and the container as Rigid Body Passive.

Adjust details as necessary, in the end remove or hide the container mesh.

Thanks mate for the time you are spending to help me. Yes I need to limit outer volume of stones to be inside the base mesh.
As it is unnatural that some parts of stones be cut by other bounding meshes outside the base mesh that I am trying to distribute stones on them.


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The shader is not animating
The shader I just ported doesn't work as intented. It should be animating on changing time property. Now it is like still image.
#include "stdosl.h"

float fract(float x) {
   return x-floor(x);
}
vector fract(vector x) {
   return x-floor(x);
}

float snoise(vector uv, float res){
   vector s = vector(1, 100, 1000);
   uv *= res;
   vector uv0 = floor(mod(uv, res))*s;
   vector uv1 = floor(mod(uv+vector(1.0,1.0,1.0), res))*s;
   vector f = fract(uv);
   f = f*f*(3.0-2.0*f);
   float v[4] = {uv0[0]+uv0[1]+uv0[2], uv1[0]+uv0[1]+uv0[2], uv0[0]+uv1[1]+uv0[2], uv1[0]+uv1[1]+uv0[2]};
   float r[4] = {fract(sin(v[0]*1e-1)*1000),fract(sin(v[1]*1e-1)*1000),fract(sin(v[2]*1e-1)*1000),fract(sin(v[3]*1e-1)*1000)};
   float r0 = mix(mix(r[0], r[1], f[0]), mix(r[2], r[3], f[0]), f[1]);
   r[0] = fract(sin((v[0] + uv1[2] - uv0[2])*0.1)*1000);
   r[1] = fract(sin((v[1] + uv1[2] - uv0[2])*0.1)*1000);
   r[2] = fract(sin((v[2] + uv1[2] - uv0[2])*0.1)*1000);
   r[3] = fract(sin((v[3] + uv1[2] - uv0[2])*0.1)*1000);
   float r1 = mix(mix(r[0], r[1], f[0]), mix(r[2], r[3], f[0]), f[1]);
   return mix(r0, r1, f[2]) * 2.0 - 1.0;
}

surface energy_crystal_wyvern(
   float Time = 0.0,
   float mipmap =0.0,
   point Po = (0.0),
   output color Color = (0.0))
{

   float intensity = 1;
   vector coord = Po;
   float timeOffset = time / 15.0;

   coord[0] +=  (coord[0] / 10)+timeOffset;// - (angle.x * 2);
   coord[1] += (coord[1] / 10);

   float density = 15;//float(int(15.0 * mipmap));
   float brightness = 1;
   for(int i = 1; i <= 7; i++)
   {
      float power = pow(2, float(i));
      brightness += (1.5 / power) * max(snoise(coord + vector(0, 0, time * 0.01), power * density), -1);
   }

   brightness = ((1 - mipmap) * brightness) + (mipmap * 1.2) ;//max(brightness, mipmap);

   Color[0]= brightness * 1;
   Color[1] = pow(brightness, 2.0 ) * 0.4;
   Color[2]=pow(brightness ,3.0) * 0.1;
}

Have in mind that Blender viewport doesn't properly display animated materials, so there is never a live preview.

You need to change this line. You declared your time variable with a capital T.
float timeOffset = time / 15.0;

You should change it to this
float timeOffset = Time / 15.0;

To animate the the time value in your script node and press I to insert a keyframe.  The field should turn yellow.

Yeah. Gotta look for these typos from now on.


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Multiple textures turn to pink
I've downloaded a blender file off Sketch-fab and I knew it was created with an older version of blender. I opened the file and every texture except for some blue emission thing.

Pink texture basically means that the texture is missing. I guess this file doesn't contain these textures.
EDIT: I downloaded this model, and there is separate textures folder.


text:
How do I make these move as one

Both arms have this same issue and the forearm bone for the under and over sleeve has the same pull for the buttons and sleeve, I dont know how I could get these to move as one.

make sure that the weight painting is good, maybe use a Mask modifier to hide a part of the under sleeve. You could also try a Mesh Deform modifier, I'm not sure it's the best for arms though. But maybe share your file? https://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/

https://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/b/ZR64Lo0M

Aside from  fixing as below, would recommend removing, or masking,   the shirt where it cannot be seen when the jacket is on.

The weight is not good, for example the upper arm bone influences the lower arm mesh, you need to use a brush Blend type > Subtract to correct and it seems to work.


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Rendering ocean scene, but ends up as a cube
I am new to blender, and I am trying to render my animated ocean scene. However, when I render only the cube I started with is visible, not the ocean. And the cube does not show in my viewport. Any suggestions on what I can do to render my ocean animation?

Your question lacks the information to be able to help you. Please consider adding more details and upload your scene, or a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimal_working_example  to https://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/ and add the generated link to your question by using the "edit" button

If you are using the ocean modifier, then it would be best to use a plane not a cube. Also, you need to subdivide the plane before you add the modifier. You can do this by adding a subdivision surface modifier, or subdividing in edit mode. You also may need to keyframe the ocean modifier, if you have not done so.


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Get list from Animation Nodes using console
Is it possible to get the outputs of a node from the Blender console?
For example, I can acces to this expression from Animation Nodes in the Blender console:
bpy.data.node_groups['NodeTree'].nodes["Expression.001"]

But I do not find a method to get the list from the console in order to be used in a custom addon.

You can try using Data Interface node to export data outside AN.

It is a good solution. My solution was to write a script at the ouput of the expression that fill a collection property declared in the addon. The collection type is a property group with a vector property. So, each item has a float vector property.


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Distributed objects python script
I'm trying to distribute objects along a curve as an add-on in a modal operator like in this link.
I did it for a line an it works ok.
The problem comes when I want to evaluate a curve with different segments in an uniform way. This is the piece of code that I did:
def calculate_all_points(self, spline):

    if len(spline.bezier_points) >= 2:
        #r = spline.resolution_u + 1
        r = 50
        segments = len(spline.bezier_points)
        if not spline.use_cyclic_u:
            segments -= 1
        points = []
        for i in range(segments):

            inext = (i + 1) % len(spline.bezier_points)
            knot1 = spline.bezier_points[i].co
            handle1 = spline.bezier_points[i].handle_right
            handle2 = spline.bezier_points[inext].handle_left
            knot2 = spline.bezier_points[inext].co
            _points = mathutils.geometry.interpolate_bezier(knot1, handle1, handle2, knot2, r)
            points.extend(_points)
    return points
curve = bpy.context.object
objects = bpy.data.objects
curve_points = self.calculate_all_points(active_spline)
N = len(objects)-1
percent = 1/N

for i, obj in enumerate(objects):
   step = i * percent
   index = round(step * (len(curve_points)-1))
   new_loc = curve_points[index]
   obj.location = new_loc

Can someone help me?
Thanks!


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When applying a picture texture to an object it comes out as kind of cut in half diagonally and distorted, is there a fix for this?
When applying a picture texture to an object it comes out as kind of cut in half diagonally and distorted, is there a fix for this?

What does your object UV map look like? Could it be possible that the triangles that make up that face are overlapping and causing the duplication?

Unwrap your object first and then use UV mapping

Blender doesn't know how to apply the image to the object, so it does all that stuff because it doesn't know what else to do. You need to tell it how to apply the image by making a UV map. The default cube in Blender comes with it's own UV map so you can follow these steps:
1) With the default cube selected open up the UV tab in the top bar

You should see a layout like this:

2) Export the UV map

Make sure you have this box checked and export

3) The UV map will be exported as a PNG. Edit it in whatever photo editing, drawing program you want to use. (eg. Photoshop, Illustrator, Firealpaca)
In your case you would take your tree image and place it in the same spot that I put my blob.

4) Export your edited UV map and go back into Blender. Click the Shader Editor tab in the top bar and you should come up with a window that looks like this:

5) Copy the node setup shown below. In the image texture node press open and select your UV map that you put your picture on.

If everything is done right you should end up with something like this:

Hope this helps! IDK if I explained this very well. If you have any questions pls ask. Blender has a steep learning curve but once you do learn it it's great. :D

Thank you for the tips! I will do that!


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How can I export a model with a normal map
I'm trying to export a tire wall which has a normal map on it, but whenever I export it and open it on another program like 3D viewer for example it the normal map is not visible. Is it possible to fix this?

INFORMATION

Use the glTF exporter for Blender to 3D Viewer previewing.
Note: All of the exported meshes must be UV unwrapped + have UV nodes' attached to each materials' and material textures'.
PROCESS

Blender (2.7x)
The process shown in the screenshot can be accomplished in any version of Blender.

3D Viewer
3D Viewer should automatically show all material attributes (albedo, normal, roughness, metalic, AO, etc) or you can limit viewing of certain attributes in the software.

DOWNLOAD

(2.7x)
https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glTF-Blender-IO/releases/tag/2.79
(+2.8x)

Blender already comes pre-installed with it
If you broke it: https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glTF-Blender-IO

Thanks but could you be a bit more specific on what I have to do, Sorry I'm kinda new to this stuff. Really appreciate it

Re-edited my post to better explain the required process.

As he said, just export as gITF(instead of .obj or .fbx), and it will export the normal map as well if you click the "tangent" checkbox under geometry.


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Extrude along normals not working
I can't seem to get the tool to work. I want to have the mesh extrude inwards like in the last picture (taken from a tutorial) . But it just warps and moves in a random direction (second picture). It does work sometimes however in some cases (first picture)
Is there a setting I need to change?
Thanks so much for your time and help!!

I don't think that you can extrude vertices and edges along their normals (which would be defined by the faces they are part of), in the video you show he extrudes and scale down right away (S), it's not an extrusion along normals (even if it gives the same result)

Thanks for your help I managed to get it working! so I selected the edges (2 on keyboard) then pressed extrude (with normals selected) then pressed s (like you said) and it worked!! thanks a million

Finding this issue as of 4.3.0 and it looks like they might have changed how the E key functions-
If so, press Middle mouse and it locks to Normals direction.

That's odd.. your tool icon is showing 'Extrude along Normals', but your F9 'Adjust Last Operation' panel is showing 'Extrude and Move'. If I invoke the tool in 2.92 or 2.93, this is what I see...

.. 'Extrude Region and Shrink / Fatten', which is what you want. And you're using 2.93.0.
The AltE > 'Extrude along Normals' shortcut option is not available for edges, but is for faces,  which, IMO, is inconsistent, and needs fixing.
TLDR; Shortcut users would probably E Extrude, + Right-Click : Drop the extrusion in place, + AltS Shrink / Fatten, as represented in  this illustrated version of the  F9 panel.
Taking @moonboots comment into account, note that edge (vertex) normals are not the same as face normals. If you want a perpendicular extrusion, the last move would be  S Scale, not Alt S, along normals. The Pivot would have to be set to scale towards the center of the loop.

I managed to get it working! so I selected the edges (2 on keyboard) then pressed extrude (with normals selected) then pressed s (like you and moon boots said) and it worked!! thanks a million. its my second day using the program so I just wanted to get a good understanding of the basics. Thanks Robin!!

If so, please consider to accept the answer @salvador How this site works: https://blender.stackexchange.com/tour


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How to copy "stop this job" behavior with API?
In a nutshell:

I want to do whatever clicking that "X" button does, except with the Python API (cancel a render in progress).
Hovering the mouse over the button doesn't give a Python tooltip like other buttons do.
Right-clicking the button and then clicking "Edit Source" shows me the location of the source file, which contains:
# C:\Program Files\Blender Foundation\Blender 2.93\2.93\scripts\startup\bl_ui\space_statusbar.py
...
class STATUSBAR_HT_header(Header):
    ...
    def draw(self, context):
        ...
        # Progress Bar
        layout.template_running_jobs()

So it seems that layout.template_running_jobs() is what shows the "X" button. The documentation for template_running_jobs() doesn't give any useful information.
This solution to a different question mentions something called the "job API", which I'm not familiar with but I suspect that it is related with the problem that I am having.
Is there any way to copy this behavior with the Python API?
System info:

Windows 10

maybe not a solution - but a workaround. I assume you are the one who starts the render by python. So instead of render "everything" you could just render e.g. 10 frames...and if noting "special" (like a button pressed) happened, render next 10 frames...and so on.

Thanks @Chris. Actually, what that button does is stop the rendering mid-frame. I was making a script that starts rendering when my PC goes idle, and then stops rendering when it detects mouse/keyboard activity. The best I could do was stop after the current frame is rendered, but I wanted to stop the rendering immediately. I made my own work-around by spawning a new process for rendering using the Python multiprocessing library, and then terminating the process when mouse/keyboard activity is detected. I'm using Blender as a Python module (I don't know if it works with vanilla Blender).


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How can I remove shadows from sides of the objects?
On the sides of certain objects, it would show these ugly shadows on the side. I have tried to disable the shadow option from certain properties but they did nothing. If there is any advice or solutions of this issue, any help will be appreciated.


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strange behavior duplicating objects in blender 2.8
Within a day of installing the molecular script addon, selecting an object in blender 2.8, duplicating it (hitting "shift + d"), and confirming (if that's the right term) the duplication (hitting "enter") results in the two objects becoming linked.  This problem is similar, but not identical, to the problem described in Can not find unlink object data in Blender 2.8
None of the solutions to unlink the two objects works.
A workaround: the second object is able to be moved without hitting "g", and that's enough to unlink it from the original.
The question is how to make a duplicate without having to move the copy of the original?

I think there may be a few problems. Either this is a Blender glitch, in which the answer for that case is to restart Blender, or you may have set the objects to be linked when you duplicate them. You can fix this by looking at the options Blender shows on the left when you duplicate the object. If the box shows "linked" as being checked, then click that to unset linking the objects when duplicating. Also, perhaps, it may be because you hit enter to confirm the duplication. If you left-click the mouse (or track-pad), it will also confirm the duplication's location. Right-clicking keeps the duplicated object at the first object's location, but keeps the duplication.

It would also be helpful if you provided a picture.

Nate, thank you for your prompt suggestions.

The "linked" box is not checked in the options menu associated with object duplication.  However, left-clicking the mouse did indeed confirm the duplication's location, and allowed me to keep it in the same location as the original mesh.  I will mark this issue solved, thanks to you!

I also ran into this problem. Turns out, I had “Proportional Editing” turned on. Shortcut is “B“. Turn it off. It’s a small, concentric-circles icon at the top of the viewport, next to the Snap controls.

In my experience the shortcut for proportional editing is "O" for orange. whereas "B" for betty, is box select.

I have 2.8, and keymaps set to Industry Compatible. Maybe that’s why?

Quite probable. Recommend blender default settings as much as possible for answers

This is 100% another answer to this.  It was exactly the same problem, duplicating and not being able to move separately (confirmed duplicate was created, not using duplicate linked, "linked" not checked in the duplicate settings window).  Turning off proportional editing fixed the issue.


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Add-on won't show up?
I've been trying so hard to add this add-on into blender but no matter how hard I try it just won't show up. I've followed all the tutorials, searched through this site, and restarted blender completely but nothing will work. I'm pretty new to blender but from my understanding it shouldn't be this hard, so what am I doing wrong? Here is the add-on I'm trying to add: https://osdn.net/projects/meshio/releases/
(First image) This is the add-on screen right?
(Second image) And this is where I try and add the file. But whenever I click 'install add-on from file', it takes me to the same screen as before, with no changes.

The add-on seems to be for Blender 2.5x. It might not be compatible with your version of Blender. It also lists Windows XP as requirement.

@RobertGützkow I tried downloading a version that should be compatible with my blender, but it still won't show up


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EEVEE rendering with a weird 'pixel effect'
I have a problem wtih the new version (2.81): EEVEE renders wtih a weird 'pixel effect' on meshes. Even when i render the image i get this effect. I don't know where's the problem. I've already tried to reinstall it but it doesn't change. Does anybody know how to solve it?

What is your node setup for the cube?

Looks like an issue with your graphics driver. Try to update it and check if that resolved the issue. What is your CPU and GPU?

I haven't got a GPU

The node setup is the default one

try activating screen space reflections it some how fixed the problem for me

You need to have a GPU otherwise you couldn't run Blender (or display anything on your monitor). Your CPU likely has an integrated GPU. Please open the dxdiag program and check what GPU is listed in the Display tab. Verify whether or not your GPU meets the minimum requirements for running Blender 2.8x. If it does, try to find updated drivers for your GPU.

Intergrated GPUs have limited support (especially on AMD / vega it seems).
This is a bug for which the only fix is a driver update or switching device.

Turn off shadow, go to light then click off shadow.


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I can't find object control in fluid simulation blender 2.82
In the older versions of blender the fluid physics had the option of making an object a 'control object' to manipulate the fluid flow with its shape. Now in 2.82 i can't find this option and i still haven't figured out a similar solution. Has this option changed location or name?

Hello :). Since 2.82. the old fluid simulation system is replaced with Mantaflow. However, I'm no expert on that :). You can download Blender 2.81 if you need the old system.

You should set it to an effector object within the physics tab


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How to split an object into two different
Ive created an UFO and when it came to texturing I encountered a problem. Ive made this object of default cube so basically these two parts are a one object, so texturing works fo both of them. How can I divide it to two different objects (like body and glass)? Thank you.

you need to assign a different material to each part, go in the Properties panel > Material, create new materials, select the faces you want, click on the Assign button under the materials list


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Can only add a single bone in object mode
For some reason I can only add a single bone in object mode. I want to add a human meta-rig but it wont even let me select it in the menu.

This is expected behaviour. You can also just add one cube at a time. It is one object.
Depending of what you want to do, you could parent the first armature to the second armature.
There are several parenting methods available in the object menu. You could parent the whole armature as one object. Or to the bone of the second armature.
To be able to do parenting, first select the first armature (this will be the child), then hold down shift and select the second armature ( this will be the parent). That way both objects are selected. Then choose your parent method.

This is not what I mean. Yestrday I could add a whole armature in object mode for example a human-meta rig. Now this option is disabled for a reason.

I needed to reinstall the add on riggify


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Cloth behaves strangely when trying to make a coat
I'm trying to make a coat and use the cloth modifier. I enabled colision but the mech of the coat just colapses.

Does anyone know what is wrong?

In physics simulaton anytime helps a lot if you increase the scales drastically.

It only helped a litle bit. Is there another way?

There are many settings. You can increase the Quality Steps or the Collision's Quality. Or try to make more even faces (almost square instead of rectangles).


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How do you make a texture symmetrikal
I want both sides of the wing to be identical. I didn't turn on symmetry before I painted it. Is there a way fix it?


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How to make an object emit light that also iluminates other objects?
I have multiple problems. I wan the wing to emit light. But it doesn't iluminate the body at all. Also is there a way to make the colours visable when it emits light (or only make the parts that aren't black emit light)?


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Fog looks like sparkles?
I want to add some fog to my scene but anyway I do it, it looks weird. I want the top castle to show through the fog. But it looks like a bunch of sparkles instead of fog. I tried to do it with a smoke simulation and a semi transparent material. But the result isn't as smooth as in the pictures. Denoising just smudges the whole picture.

Hello :). You can get decent results using the Principled Volume shader. The current noise and fireflies are caused by too few samples and too strong lights.

Thank you. You are right he problem was the light source. After removing the hdri and increasing the samples it looks more like I want it to.


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.mesh files in Blender
Does anyone know if there is a way to import a .mesh filo into blender? I got some files from a game and i would like to look at them and maybe edit them. I tried some things suggested on the internet but they didn't work. If there isn't one, is there another program that can open those files?

https://fileinfo.com/extension/mesh
https://www.meshconvert.com/
Some links that you may find useful if you haven't checked them before

Thank you. But Medit seems to be something else and I am currently downloading godot.

meshconvert.com gives me an error message when I try it

It's probably unsupported, has godot finished downloading for you?

Nope. I have slow internet. but I hope that I can open it with godot

The good thing is that godot is a really small program so hopefully it doesn't take too long

It stoppped downloading and I didn't notice it. I downloadeed it but it doesn't work with .mesh files. I found something called Ogre Mesh Viewer that I will try next. https://sourceforge.net/projects/ogremeshviewer/


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Error messge: Generation has thrown an exception: list index out of range when wanting to generate rig
i know this question was asked before but there was never an answer. I used a human meta-rig and wanted to use generate rig. But no mater what I do the error message:
Generation has thrown an exception: list index out of range
apears.
Does anyone know how to fix the issue?

My best guess: you tried to partially delete the face.
Unfortunately you can't selectively delete parts of the face (as of 2.82a, later versions may provide more flexibility).
Either keep the whole face or delete all bones that belong to it.
Some info may be found here:
https://developer.blender.org/T53842

You are right, the changes to the meta-rig were the problem. I think that if you delete any bones it wont work. I used a default rig and it worked. Thank you.

You can delete some bones but you have to understand the Rig Types. That will allow you to delete or add any features you want.

I just retoped the mesh with instantMeshes to around 100k to make sure the messy topology wasnt an issue. What makes me wonder: ctrl-P doesnt bring up "Automatic weight" option. I used the object meue ->parenting for that

As I set the original python output and debug, in my situation, looks likes there was an addtional bone within the leg(maybe other limb) bone (there were "lower leg" and "iK" parent to "upper bone")

I have encountered the same problem when I joined multiple armatures together because of a different error. All I had to do was to replace that merged armature with a new one where all of the bones came from the same armature.


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I have a problem with the shading of the glass in my glasses
So I am trying to make my glasses, the lenses have a mirror coat. The problem is when I add a material, as we see on the right lens, is that we ca see the triangle shading happening. The lens are not completely flat, they are a tiny bit round.

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/3199/why-does-subsurf-modifier-cause-weird-deformation-at-the-end-of-a-cylinder https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/70810/how-to-avoid-the-wrinkle-at-the-poles-of-the-uv-sphere

I guess it has to do with your topology, you have stretched triangles, try to add edge loops to see if it gives a better result?


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Boolean doesn't work
So i am new to blender and when i want to use the boolean modifier nothing happens.
The boolean modifier also worked before.
Here is my Blender file.

Objects used for Boolean to Difference have Normals in a wrong direction (inward). You can see that when enabled Face orientation in overlays. In edit mode switch normals outward (Shift+N) ... or use Fast Solver instead Exact ... but what I saw you would have to remodel

Oh, of course, that too. Then he won't have to use "Fast" instead of "Exact", but there are other occasions where "Exact" also doesn't work as expected (at least in some previous Blender versions) so it's not wrong to try it with "Fast".

At first, you have set the Boolean Modifier to Operand Type "Object", this way you can only specify a single object, but you have a collection of objects. Switch Object Type to "Collection" and select the "boolean" collection.
Then the Solver option is set to "Exact". Although exact sounds better, "Fast" usually gives more correct results (don't ask me why, maybe "Exact" isn't properly working).
And afterwards you might want to disable visibility of the "boolean" collection, or else the objects will be obstructing your view on the result.
By the way, you could use the Operand Type "Object" as well, but then you need all your objects merged into one or a Boolean Modifier for each object on its own.
EDIT: As others here pointed out, recalculating the normals would help, too - in this case even "Exact" would work.

You might want to enable the "Auto Smooth" option under Object Data Properties > Normals as well as it makes the smoothed surface look better after the bool.

Exact has problems with self intersecting geometry. Use the 3D Printing plugin to find these problems.

@Gunslinger I guess in this case it's the flipped normals which "Exact" didn't like, there was no self-intersecting geometry.

Ahh, yeah, thanks. I use booleans a lot and am always eager to get them to work better. Also, before and after boolean I always use "Make manifold".

Since you are new to Blender, here the "extended directors cut" of vklidus comment:
Klick on that little caret right of the two circles and it will open the viewport overlays dialog.
Check the "face orientation" checkbox.

In the viewport you will see now only blue and red colors.
Blue means good -> the face is facing outwards.
Red means evil -> the face is facing inwards.
Normally red is wrong, but of course, there are case where red is right. e.g. if you move with the camera inside a cube, of course the faces inside the cube will be red then (if the cube does not have a solidify modifier...).
So you can see that the sword has some red faces.
To fix this, select the sword, press TAB and then A to select all vertices and then click on Mesh -> Normals -> recalculate normals.

you will notice, that some red faces will turn to blue.
Repeat this for all red faces.
After that the boolean should work.
by the way, it is always a good idea to change the "viewport display" -> "display as" of the cutter to "bounds" so that you can see what the result of the boolean operation is.

Actually, although I overlooked the fact that the normals are wrong, setting the modifier to "Fast" instead of "Exact" will ignore this flaw. But then still it won't work as he wants because he set the Operand Type wrong. Or at least it will only work on one object, but I guess he wants all of those in the collection ;)


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How to change a color radially?
I have lots of red dots on a sphere and I would like them to change to blue starting from one dot in the middle and then spreading outwards. Is there a way to achieve this?
I tried playing with the mapping values assigned to a color gradient but that doesn't seem to work properly. Any ideas?

hello, your question is much too vague, what do you call dot? Is the color supposed to spread from top to bottom of from inside to outside? Could you please show an image of your topology?


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Cycles render transparent glossy
this is completed render transparent. I saved it as a png. but I open in photoshop it looks like this. After rendering it showed good but after save not good. who can help me how can I fix it

!this is setting ]3

To save Alpha channel, it's not enough to set file format to PNG.
Also you need to enable RGBA Color mode, where A after RGB means Alpha.


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Best GPU for my Workstation
What would be the best GPU for my workstation? I have a Lenovo P520 with a W-2255 CPU, 64GB 2400T memory. Just wondering what card my CPU will not bottleneck. Currently I have a RTX2070 installed. I wanted to upgrade to a RTX 2080 TI or a RTX 3080. I searched hi and low to try and find out if my CPU would bottle neck these cards but never found a definitive answer.

"I searched hi and low to try and find out if my CPU would bottle neck these cards but never found a definitive answer." Bottlenecking may be somewhat relevant for gaming where both may be stressed simultaneously, but not for rendering, where the load is asymmetrically distributed


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What is a good way to move extruded letters in a mesh
I need to move the letters 2021 in my model a little bit further to the right
 , but I dont know the best way to do this since they are already extruded.
How should I go about this ? Any answers are greatly appreciated.

I think this is one of those times the value of non-destructive workflows is made apparent.  A learning experience we have all been through.

Flatten the year in Sculpt mode and extrude again ... @AllenSimpson +1 :)

As @vklidu said, nothing can be done except flattening it and making it again. We all have been there. I recommend using a Boolean modifier next time as you can easily move it if need be. Try bool tool add-on, it makes things even easier


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How do I move one animation from one blender file to another one?
Okay, so I have two separate blend files and both of them consist of a similar rigged character model with animations. However, one of them has an animation that I want both of them to share. Is there a means by which I can take the animation from one blender file and put it into the other one? Of course, I also don't know how I would go about giving a rigged character model an animation that was copied from another similar character but, I suspect that they're tutorials that cover that type of topic; the main issue here is that I don't know how to get the animation from one blender file to another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rypC0KM6gs&ab_channel=LukasStratmann

@Emir: i watched the tutorial, which is good, but it does not describe how you move/link + assign the animation to an object. It only explains how you move/link it.

In your new blender file, which shall be the target of your animation, you go to File->Append and choose your blend file.
Then open folder action and choose the animation you want to append.
Now select your target object which should get the animation and open NLA Editor and choose Add->include selected objects.

Then tap on Add again and choose your action. Done.

I partially followed the instruction and I got the desired result but, I don't think I knew what I was doing. I think what happened for me is that I already had my rig for the character selected and, so when I appended the animation for the other file, it just seem to automatically go into the rig. Also, is the NLA Editor the same as the Action Editor? I haven't heard of the NLA Editor. If there is any typo in this comment, I apologize in advance as I wrote it in a very tired state.

No problem i often follow tutorials in which I have no idea what I am doing but after you do this a few times, you will learn more and more what you are doing!maybe watch a tutorial about NLA. It’s a great helpful tool.


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Help recreating Sci-Fi PBR texture
I'm relatively new to blender and I'm trying to replicate this procedural texture:

The artist was kind enough to share their node setup on the website, so I have tried copying it, but my texture doesn't look quite the same. Here is the artists node setup:
And here is my node setup:
As you can see my texture doesn't really look like the reference image.
If anyone knows what I've done wrong or a way to make it look more like the reference image it would be greatly appreciated.
Here is my  .blend file if needed.

This isn't an answer, per se, however I have too much to write to fit in a comment box.
The first thing I can see is that the material uses displacement. Displacement requires that you both use Cycles render engine, and have a heavily (and I mean heavily ) subdivided mesh. I don't know about your number of subdivisions, but I can see from your image that you are viewing through the shading tab, which uses Material Preview mode by default, which uses a render engine more similar to eevee. Press Z in the 3D viewport and select "Rendered" from the pie menu (assuming you are using Cycles). You will also have to enable "Bump And Displace" (because you are using Bump too) in the material settings (shown below):

EDIT - here's what your file looks like with the settings/changes I mentioned. As you can see, it's closer, but you will still have some correction to do with the rest. To make the displacement more accurate, I added a Subdivision Surface Modifier to the mesh (to increase the number of subdivisions and give more detail - do not go higher than 3 levels if you use it or you will crash your file).

For the record, if you want to make futuristic tech and stuff like that, but want to go a bit easier than procedural textures, you could try creating Displacement textures - there's a free program called JSPlacement which specializes in making maps like that that can be used easily in blender. Here's one example video showing how to make a spaceship using it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ClYNCvE8sk

Mess with the midlevel of the displacement node to fill out the sphere again

Thanks, it's working now!


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Some Objects are Grey in Rendered View
I'm newish to Blender and am making a dark Halloween scene. Basically I have distributed a bunch of trees using a particle system, and they are textured and look completely fine in Material Preview view:
But whenever I switch to rendered view (cycles), the trees turn grey and look like this:
Does anyone know what's going on or how to fix it?
Here's the .blend file if it helps:

Can you just send the screenshot of the nodes that you used for your trees? Have you just assigned a texture of tree from online or have you made the texture by yourself in blender using the nodes?

When making the texture using nodes I accidentally set it as a grey emit material in the Principled BSDF Shader.
With all the other nodes going on, I just didn't realize. To fix it I obviously just set the emission strength to zero.


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Can I use Blender 3.0 Alpha for some projects and 2.93 for others?
Can I have 2 versions of Blender at the same time?
So if I download Blender 3.0 Alpha for one specific project, will I still be able to go back and open my old .blend files in version 2.93? I just don't want to lose any of my old projects.

There is a 50% chance to mess your file if you use an unrelease version, because is still under development and probably buggy, you could try to make two version if you still want to use and alpha version. One to use and one back up in order to use a with stable version only.

You might be able to just open them but chances are high you're not gonna do much with them.

2.93 files should open fine in 3.0, but 3.0 files might not open correctly in 2.93. So if you open, edit and save a 2.93 (or earlier) file in 3.0 it may no longer open correctly in 2.93.

People who beta test blender do this all the time, and there are even utilities around that let you select which version of blender you want to use to open a file.  It is not unusual to have 3 or 4 versions at a time, because a lot of us are in the same situation you are. (I've got 2.79, 2.83LTS, 2.93LTS and 3.0alpha on this system.)  But @JohnEason is right.  If you ever accidentally open a 2.93 file in 3.0 and then save it, you might not be able to use it in 2.93 anymore.  It's rare than 50% but it does happen.


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Having trouble with complex Boolean Modifier
I'm modelling my first car in Blender, a Porsche 911, and am starting detail work on my base model. I am trying to boolean out a hole so that my tail lights can sit just behind the mesh, just like the real car:
But when I make a shape to boolean and add the modifier, I get a weird result like this:

I'm not sure why this happens, and have spent about an hour trying to fix it. I thought it might be due to the order of my modifiers, but have tried changing them and it didn't help. Maybe it is just my bad topology?
Any ideas on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated.
Here is the blend file if you want to have a look:

I just moved around your boolean in the Y-axis and changed the Boolean Difference Solver to Fast.

I've tried doing that but didn't change anything for me. Maybe its because I'm using Blender 3.1 instead of 3.2? Ill download the newest version now and see if that makes any difference.

I'm using Blender 3.1. I'm new here in Blender Stack Exchange so I don't know how to upload the file I fixed.

The normals of the boolean object are inverted, go in Edit mode, select all and press ShiftN to recalculate.


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Why is my light path shader drawing these cross shapes?
I was trying to make a dispersive caustics shader in Cycles by making a rainbow-gradient glass shader and then mixing it with a normal white glass shader.  I fiddled with the light path node for a while to make it so the camera sees a completely white glass object, while the light that scatters from it is rainbow.  I got this:

But when I rendered it, I noticed these interesting grooves on top of a cube:

Any idea what's causing these grooves?  How can I get rid of them?  Is there a better way to make the rainbow-colored shader not show in render?  I'm not fully understanding why taking the maximum of camera ray and transmission depth makes the rainbow color invisible, but it works.
On a side note - what can I do to make the icosahedron have less dark spots in it, asides from increasing max bounces?

Can't reproduce your grooves.  One potential cause is doubled geometry.  Got a file?  This way of rendering your rainbow is appropriate, but it's kind of an unrelated question-- I think most people around here would rather there be one question per question.  (Plus, if you ask too many questions, some people that can answer one question will skip it because they can't answer all the questions.)

Hmmm ok - I included the shader graph for clarity.  In any case, here's a link to my .blend file: https://blend-exchange.com/b/n0qKrApS

The file didn't show a rendered preview for me, don't know why (versions?) so I copy/pasted to a fresh file and duplicated rendering settings.  Your floor is z-fighting with the bottom face of your cube: they both occupy the exact same plane, overlapping, and so rays may strike the plane directly or may strike the inside (backface) of the cube, it's a crapshoot.  Move the plane down or the cube up by an infinitesimal amount.

I see, thanks!!  I'm fixing that right now


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How do I use the Combine XYZ node with a quadratic curve bezier node?
I'm trying to randomize the control points of a quadratic bezier node.  However, when I try to combine xyz with the random value node, I get this mysterious red dashed line:

How can I randomize the values in the quadratic bezier node?

Attach an Integer node to the ID input of the Random Value Node (Must be an integer - not a float or vector):

I'm sure this has been answered before, but I'm doing it again because I think it's important to "spread the word" so to speak, that a new feature of the updated geometry nodes is that in some cases (such as this one), the Inputs you feed to certain nodes are able to change the Output Type.

Thank you kind sir!  I spent about an hour searching for an answer, but my efforts were fruitless.  Much appreciated!!


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How can I pack procedural textures into a .gltf file?
I have a noise texture like this:

And I want it to be exported into a .gltf file.  However, when I exported this as a .glb, the texture was gone and the cube was just white.  I'd like for this to work, as I'm going to make a few procedural textures with the noise texturing modifier.
If I can't export procedural textures into GLTF formats, what format should I use that will support noise texturing/node map exporting?

Generally you should "bake" procedural textures into image textures, prior to exporting to any format.  The "Bake" panel is powered by the Cycles engine, so is not available if your engine is set to Eevee or Workbench.  It's in the "Render Properties" panel after switching to Cycles.
Doing this gets the work done "in advance."  The software loading the glTF file won't have to work through your set of material nodes for every pixel in every animation frame, instead it will look up the answer from the baked image map, which depending on the node tree can be substantially faster.  It does limit the available resolution, to the size of the texture you baked.
You'll need a UV atlas on the object, to act as texture coordinates for the image being baked.
Also, you need an Image Texture node to act as the bake target, inside the material(s) being baked.  This node needs to be "Active" (Selected with the white outline around it) at the time the "Bake" button is pressed.

Various YouTube tutorials are also available, one in the comments below, and another one here that I might have had something to do with.

I am baking the procedural texture right now.  For anyone reading this in the future - the only way to get a noise/procedural texture into a glb is to bake it.  which takes FOREVER! But here's a good guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYvgFWEiNp8

Remember, "Bake" is a special type of render powered by Cycles.  The "Render Properties -> Sampling" panel is in effect here, and by default "Render" is set to 128 samples per pixel.  For a bake texture like this, you might be able to drop down to just 1 sample, and get a big speedup.  For baked AO, you can get better quality by upping the samples, along with a slowdown.


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Cycles rendering issue
While rendering in eevee, the render comes out alright but in cycles the mesh gets distorted. Can you please tell what could be possibly wrong?

This is in cycles

This is in eevee.
This is how I want the mesh to be like in cycles.
But I'm not sure what is causing the distortion.

We can only guess. Are there any displacement modifiers or shaders, or subdiv on the object? Please show us some settings, if so.

In your material you've probably plugged a Displacement node into the Output, you can cut it off or, if you want to keep a displacement effect, go into the Material panel > Settings > Displacement, choose Bump Only:

That worked! Thanks a lot :)


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Can modifiers, in Blender 2.78, be applied as shape keys?
I ask as I cannot find it. Still, it is in Blender 2.61

what modifier are you talking about? some can others can not.

Yes, for modifiers that don't change the objects topology.  For example, the displacement modifier has an option to apply it as a shape key.

Other modifiers such as subdivision surface can not be applied as shape keys, presumably because the vertex count changes. Shape keys cannot interpolate between the two shapes that have different topology.


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Are matcaps renderable?
Why can't I see matcaps having pressed F12? I have them in the 3D View but the render shows just the "basic" material.

«Matcaps» are images mapped on a normal. It provides a quick way to define visible material properties for modeling and sculpting. Because Matcap rendering fully bypasses the material shader code, it’s a very fast rendering option.Essentially, matcaps are just to help you visualize the shape, reflections and crevices in the viewport and not for rendering.If you wish to use them for rendering check out this post https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/39528/matcap-materials-as-a-material-for-render

What Teja said, plus you can render Matcaps using Open GL rendering option instead of F12. Go to Render>Open GL Render Image.

@Teja: I use pre-installed matcaps. Pressed N, checked the "matcap" option in the Shading part, selected one. What should I do next?

@Mzidare: I prefer F12 rendering


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Sapling addon panel back
When I select another object and transform it the Sapling tree generator panel is gone. I can't get it back when I reselect the tree. Is it possible at all to have the panel back?


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Edge Bevel Weight tool seems to have permanent effect
Is there a way to remove the effects of the Ctrl+E Edge Bevel Weight tool? I can't find the option or hotkey for this.

in the N panel > Item > Edge Data > Bevel Weight?

Just set it to 0, and the thin blue line will disappear :)