Emoji. The new pop culture in Internet world. Some people communicate only using emoji. It’s a new code language, even mozilla create codemoji, a website where you can learn about ciphers in fun way, check them out!. Anyway, let’s back to our topic now 🙂
In this new blender 3d tutorial, we will learn how to trace an image, it could be a logo or like what i use for this post a emoji, and make them to a 3d object. The vector feature in blender is limited, but we can use curve bezier tool to trace the image and then add extrude and bevel parameter to turn it to 3d object. In this post we also will learn about fake reflection.
So let’s get started, shall we?.
Add Image References in Blender 3D:
You probably wondering how to bring image references in blender, right?. There are at least 2 ways that I can think of. First, you use the background image tool ( N shortcut ), and secondly, we can create a plane and use the image references as texture. For this learning I choose the second method.
1. So, go ahead make a plane object and add your emoji/logo as its texture. Don’t forget on Mapping choose Coordinated: Generated; Projection: Flat. Look picture below for more details setting:
2. Change your viewport to top viewport and to create a 2d curve press Shift+A —> Curve —> Bezier. Now you will see a weird and short curve place on top of your image references.
3. It’s time to trace our emoji!. Place the bezier on your emoji chin because we will start drawing from there, and enter edit mode. The default bezier have 2 vertex, you can add a new vertex by press Ctrl+left click.
You also can move, scale, and rotate each vertex ( mid point ) and bezier ( handler ). From the picture below you can see the process I’m making tracing the outline of emoji. Press C atau click Toggle Cyclic if you want to close the vertex. Press TAB when you finish.
4. Now, we trace the mouth part. Instead of bezier, choose circle. Press V —> Vector to adjust the corner of its mouth. Apply the same process/method for emoji eye and brow.
Note: If your emoji eye is simple circle, you also can add UV Sphere.
When you done with the curve you will see it’s not smooth. To fix it enter to edit mode to each of your curve and on curve slot change the resolution value ( example 36 ) until it’s looks smooth.
Here’s mine after I trace them all.
Add Thickness to 2D Emoji/Logo in Blender:
Now, it’s time to add thickness to our 2d emoji/logo. Select your curve and then go to curve data slot, change the parameter like my setting below:
Move your emoji’s mouth, eye, and brow a little bit above its face. I haven’t add material on them, it’s for next tutorial post, so my final render is look like this:
Okay, that’s it the end of part 1 of this tutorial. I know it’s not quiet a step by step instruction, but I still hope you find this post useful for your blender knowledge. If you have question, just comment below. The second part of this tutorial will show you how to create a rounded text and add fake reflection. Don’t forget to subscribe and thank you for reading. Cheers!.