I made a tribute IWTV crew teeshirt
In the official Behind the Scenes documentary, Sam wears a slate blue teeshirt with a coffin drawing on the front, which I really liked, so I did a bit of investigating. It turned out that this was the "crew shirt" for the show - a promo item made and distributed to cast and crew only. Usually these are pretty tacky affairs with just the show logo on a tee or trucker cap, but I really liked the subtlety of this one - it looks like it does have the show name on the sleeve and a bit of text on the back that can't be read (my guess is maybe "Memory is a Monster"?), but mostly, I was into the coffin drawing. I did some cursory searches on eBay but with NDAs these days, I didn't really expect to find anyone selling theirs. So if I wanted one, I'd have to make one myself!
Since I sew, it was honestly easier to just make myself the base tee rather than buy one. I started with the fabric, using this "Powder blue" bamboo jersey from Textile Express. It's not a perfect match, but it's close enough for me and it's light enough that the black coffin stands out.
For the pattern, I used the Fehr Trade Versatili-Tops pattern, because I liked that it would give it a little something extra than just a standard teeshirt (there's no side seams!).
The next step was to design and cut the coffin detail. The only thing I really had to go on was the scant footage from the Behind the Scenes videos since the graphic was never used in any official promotion material. So I had to recreate the coffin from scratch, using Adobe Illustrator and some rough ink brushes to make it look hand drawn.
Jacob shared a quick little doodle of Louis ahead of the AMA session on Reddit back in November, and someone on Twitter took his Louis doodle and did Lestat and Claudia in the same style, which I absolutely love (and I wish I took note of who it was that did it so I could attribute - message me if you know!). So I turned this into a vector, as well as recreating the "Of Course!" heart that's one of the most used reactions on my favourite vampire Discord server, and cut these out on my Silhouette Cameo machine in black matte heat set vinyl. I placed the coffin on the front chest, in roughly the same placement as the inspiration tee, with the doodle heads on the right sleeve and "Of course!" on the left sleeve.
I absolutely love how it turned out, and is a totally one-of-a-kind tribute to the show. I have no aptitude for the skill involved in creating fan art or fanfic, and I'm not really into cosplay, so this is a way for me to express my love of the show in my way.
And still look like a fairly normal person (joke's on you - I've never been normal!).
PS: if anyone else has access to a Silhouette or Cricut type cutting machine and wants the svg files, let me know and I'll put them up somewhere to download
102 notes
·
View notes
Blender Tutorial: Extracting Meshes
Before I continue with this tutorial, I want to preface this by saying that I am by no means an expert with Blender. I've learned just enough to do the things I need to do, but I'm not experienced enough to do troubleshooting, especially across different versions of Blender. You'd be better off asking Google.
This tutorial was done in Blender 3.4.1.
With the disclaimer out of the way, let's get onto the tutorial! The models I'll be using in this tutorial are for my Horizon Zero Dawn / Horizon Forbidden West cosplay, but you can perform these steps with any model you have your hands on.
I will be going over the following topics:
Importing your mesh
Scaling your mesh
Splitting your mesh into separate objects
Fixing missing faces in your object
Exporting your object
Read on after the cut for the rest of the tutorial!
Tips:
Save your Blender file as soon as you open it and save often
I am mostly using Blender's default key-binding. If you are not getting the same tools as I am, check your key-binding list under Edit > Preferences > Keymap. You can quickly search for a particular tool with the search bar on the right-hand side
Blender can only import meshes or object files. Make sure the format of the model you're working with is in this list
Collada (.dae)
Alembic (.abc)
Universal Scene Description (.usd, .usdc, .usda)
Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)
Stanford (.ply)
STL (.stl)
FBX (.fbx)
gITF 2.0 (.glb/.gltf)
X3D Extensible 3D (.xed/.wrl)
Section One: Importing Your Mesh
When you open up a fresh Blender file, a cube will always be present. Take the time to get familiar with Blender and know how to pan (Shift+LMB), rotate (MMB), and zoom (scroll MMB) your view. You can also move, rotate, and scale the cube using the tools on the left side of the Viewport Window. Once you're comfortable,
Select the cube in the Viewport Window or its name in the Scene Collection window, and then delete it
You'll know when you've selected the cube when an orange outline appears around it.
Now that you have a blank working space, go ahead and import your mesh(es).
Select File > Import and choose the file type your model is formatted in
I am using FBX so I will import those meshes into my scene.
And just like that, your model is in Blender! Congratulations! I highly recommend renaming the hierarchies/objects in the Scene Collection window to keep things organized.
Double-click on the object in the Scene Collection window and type away
If your model has an armature (a 'skeleton' that moves your model) like mine, you'll need to click on the 'eye' icon next to each armature object to hide the bones
Take the time to save your work!
Section Two: Scaling Your Mesh
Unless you're the exact same height and proportions as your model, you will need to scale it up or down so that when you print your objects, they'll have a higher likelihood of fitting you.
Select a viewpoint on the coordinate frame so that your model is facing you
Switch to the Measure Tool
Measure out your height by: clicking and holding at a point on the 'ground plane' where the feet are standing on and releasing at your desired height
You can edit the location of the points by hovering over a point until a circle of arrows appears. Click and drag to their desired location.
Blender's default unit system is metric. If you don't work in metric, feel free to change the unit system by going to Scene Properties tab, then the Units section, and then select the system you wish to use.
If your model is not all in one mesh, I recommend starting with the head first so you can easily see when the model is at the desired height. Otherwise, continue onto the remaining steps.
Now that you have a reference measurement set up,
Select the object you wish to scale and go to the Object Properties tab
Type in a value in the Scale X, Y, & Z fields until the model reaches the reference measurement
Note the scaling values and input the same values into the remaining meshes
Wonderful! You've scaled your mesh to your proportions and you're ready for the next step. You can delete your reference measurement now by hovering over a point until the circle of arrows appear and hit 'Delete' on your keyboard.
Remember to save your work!
Section Three: Splitting your Mesh into Separate Objects
You're doing great! I recommend a pat on the back and some snacks because this section is the longest one. Give your eyes a break and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds or give your body a stretch with a stroll around the neighborhood; whatever you need to do to take care of yourself.
Prep your work area by expanding all of the hierarchies/objects to reveal the hierarchies/objects nested inside it. Do this by clicking on the small arrow on the left side of the name of the hierarchy/object. The arrow will turn downwards when it is expanded.
Grouping meshes into subgroups is a common practice to keep things a manageable size, if your mesh is all in one piece then you don't need to do this.
Hide/unhide objects to see which meshes have the items you want to extract. Hide meshes that don't have what you want, so that you can stay focused on what you need to work on.
Once you're ready, select the first mesh you want to extract objects from. I'm choosing Aloy's bracers because I want to separate the left from the right side.
Hit 'Tab' on your keyboard
Your selected object will now show a constellation of dots (vertices) and lines (edges). The areas within each border of vertices and edges are called faces.
You'll also notice that you've been switched to Edit Mode (highlighted in image 14). Additionally, there are three small squares next to the object dropdown bar. Those are filters for which objects you'd like to select (vertex, edge, face from left to right). This means if you want to only select edges, activate the edge selection.
Position the part of the mesh you wish to isolate in your Viewport Window so that it's easier to make selections
Switch to the Face Select mode
Select any face
Hit 'L' on your keyboard
This opens the 'Select Linked' tool which will automatically select any adjacent/linked faces that are touching the face you selected. Keep the delimiter type as Seam for now.
The Select Linked tool isn't perfect. There will be faces that aren't automatically recognized. Unselected faces appear as grey while selected faces are orange.
To add additional faces to your selection,
Use 'Shift + LMB' on a face
Hit 'L' to select more linked faces
If you can tell which faces will need to be selected, you can select all those faces first and then use the linked tool.
Select all desired faces with 'Shift + LMB'
Hit 'Ctrl + L' to perform the link operation on all selected faces
Once you're confident with your selection,
Hit 'P' (Separate Tool) and then 'S' (separate by selection)
You should see your selection split off into its own object to which you can manipulate separately from the rest of the mesh. Rename your new object to keep track of it and perform these steps for the rest of the items you need.
When you're done with this mesh, hit Tab to go back to Object Mode, select a different mesh, and repeat the process.
Save! Save! Save!
Section Four: Fixing Missing Faces in Your Objects
You've done it, you've separated out all the objects you need. It's late now and time doesn't feel real, but you're happy that you're finally done. Wait - what's that?
Sometimes meshes are too close together to split into objects neatly. Or sometimes we make mistakes and missed that group of faces hidden behind another object. It happens. Here's how to fix those issues without having to hit 'Ctrl + Z' and undoing all of your great work.
Scenario 1: Missed Faces During Extraction
You've noticed some floaters left behind! However, you can tell which object they're supposed to belong to because you've been doing really well renaming and organizing your objects (right?).
To make your object whole again,
Separate the floating faces as their own object
Exit Edit Mode and return to Object Mode
Select the floating faces object and the object you wish to join it to with 'Ctrl + LMB' ('Shift + LMB' will select everything between the two objects listed in the Scene Collection as well, so be careful!)
Hit 'Ctrl + J' (Join Tool) on your keyboard
Special Note: this only works when your cursor is within the Viewpoint window, not the Scene Collection window
Second Note: objects will merge into the last object you select. So if you wanted to merge PartA and PartB but wanted to preserve the naming of PartA, select in this order PartB > PartA
And voila! Your object doesn't have any missing faces and your floating faces have been reunited with their greater being.
Scenario 2: Open Gaps from Overlapping / Shared Faces
Sometimes you can do everything right and your objects will still have open faces. That's okay! We can still fix that. Take one of the light details in Aloy's skirt as an example. This component of the model just didn't come with the back side filled in.
To fix that,
Switch to Edit Mode and switch to the Edge select mode
Hold 'Alt' and select an edge along the opening with 'LMB'
Hit 'F' (Fill Tool and to pay respects) and the opening should disappear
Some troubleshooting tips:
If you're having trouble selecting your loops, try these methods: Select Loops — Blender Manual
Otherwise, you may have to manually select the edges/vertices
If a face is being filled in unexpected ways, fill in the faces piecewise to help smooth out any strange assumptions Blender is making
Save like your life depends on it!
Section Five: Exporting Your Object
You're at the home stretch! This part is a breeze!
To export your object as its own file, simply
Select the object
Go to File > Export and then select your preferred format
Enable the "Selection Only" checkbox in the 'Include' section of the Options
Name your file and hit Save
Finished!
Congratulations! You've made it to the end and you now have a host of parts to print or use in different projects. Additionally, you're now able to hide and view parts of your model that you wouldn't have otherwise seen.
If this tutorial helped you out, please like or reblog to spread the word! Blender is a beast of a program, so spread the knowledge and help the next person create big things.
2 notes
·
View notes