The Ultimate Guide to nSolve for Blender - Part 1: nSuite Tools

[@YazdaniPlays]

I was searching for this type of explanation since yesterday, Every video on nSolve was either too large or too small. you always make the perfect explanation video on all the features of addon. Thank you

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@YazdaniPlays That's very generous of you to say. Thanks so much 😁 It's always a challenge to know how much detail or content to put into a video on such a big addon as nSolve so it's great to know when you've got it right.

[@masterxeon1001]

yay!

[@danyarfan5384]

your not alone, the creator of the addon is doing a bad job marketing and making it ez to get his addon, i always refer to AOV for modeling addons tutorials

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@danyarfan5384 I think everyone will have things they are better at. I can paint models pretty well but I suck at photography to then show them off....

[@paulthomann7911]

I have now gone through all the NSolve tools twice. Your videos are of course brilliantly concise as always. I hate to keep telling you that but I continue to marvel at your teaching abilities. I now feel comfortable with both Construction Lines, BoxCutter and NSolve because of the methodical way you went through each of these tools. I still do not feel comfortable with Hardops and this is precisely because with that tool you did not do a series in the same way. Hardops is a massive tool and any tutorial series would be challenged to cover it all but I still feel I have only scratched its surface. Anything you can do to fill in the gaps would be immensely appreciated. Again thank you for all you do. You have no equal in this space. Period.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@paulthomann7911 I will be adding HardOps bits over time, as you say it's so huge it's not possible to do everything in one go. But it is definetly something I wanted to cover. I've got some videos on nFlow coming too

[@paulthomann7911]

@@ArtisansofVaul Thank you. I don't want to pester you. I look forward to videos on either or any videos you choose to make. I just like hearing that opening. "Greeting Hobbyists. Its Artisans of Vaaaaaul!"

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@paulthomann7911 Not pestering at all. It's great to know what people are looking for /interested in. So thanks so much! 👌🏼

[@zhasilo]

This add-on will save my time! TeamC always make a wonderful add-on, and Artisans of Vaul always make a wonderful video, thank you!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Cheers and totally agree. TeamC are doing great things!

[@dcb.creative]

Great video. You should be recruited by TeamC to create introduction and novice tutorials for all their tools. I had no interest in nSolve before your video, afterwards though I was. Affiliate link utilized. Thanks for all the comprehensible Blender videos.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@dcb.creative Thanks so much! That's really kind and a very generous compliment 😁😁😁

[@masterxeon1001]

I am honored by your video! You made nSolve look so good! Im buying a copy! (joke) *adds every complaint to release log* *joins patreon for year*

[@masterxeon1001]

about edit mode. I think that choice is on you. I keep nsolve in edit mode and boxcutter in object and blender respects it. I can't do anything "harder" to that or else i will lock people in. I think machin3 is putting you on select with the selection of face. Tabbing into edit mode is probably the blender way. I'll have to ask lordMachin3 about that.

[@masterxeon1001]

circle rotation is next up. Sorry about that! About circle. The highlight of it is F to match the vert count of face. The goal with the circle is to make the right circle always (same vert size as edges). So the base is still being formed. Sorry about circle rotation. I realized the other day that we goofed. You have a hell of an eye. The F9 discussion was a popular one with selection. In the end I wanted user select to be perfect everytime but the option is for the flexibility is in the nsuite offering.

[@masterxeon1001]

20:18. I need that fixed immediately. You just told me I am "sullying the bevel" which is a dishonor by me. I will have that fixed now. I never want to mess with blender's bevel. I am firm believer in being separate and weird. *apologizes* 23:30 The exploration of the choices. I love that moment. I am obsessed with that moment and its analysis and who is right and who is wrong!

[@dcb.creative]

Yep, they did. I wasn't interested in nSolve until I watched this video. Afterwards, I purchased nSolve with a clear understanding of how it works and how it can aid my workflow. No joke. :-)

[@masterxeon1001]

@@dcb.creative *posts to sales page*

[@kevinm3751]

Super useful tool and I had seen it but glazed over it until now. For me the speed you recorded the tools is just fine. Thanks for the review, it is now part of my toolbox.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@kevinm3751 😁👍🏻 Awesome. Hopefully you'll enjoy the upcoming videos on the other tools too!

[@juliaalder2007]

O my god. I saw your second upload (control modifiers...) and was so deeply desperate, because I was afraid you'll skip nSolve this monday. But yeah, here it is!!! 💃💃💃💃💃 Now we have two reasons to celebrate. 🥳

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Woops, that second video wasn't meant to be up until Friday. I must have messed up on the scheduling in order to get the nSolve video out a bit sooner. Hope you enjoy the video and find it helpful! :D

[@juliaalder2007]

I hope you mess up your schedule more often. 😉 Your videos are always enjoyable and helpful. ☺️

[@Leevy27]

Congrats dude. A very better explanation of the tools as MX101 did. Very useful. Thanks

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@Leevy27 Glad the explanation is clear and easy to follow 😁

[@Leevy27]

@@rationalrama Yup. They made wonderful tools, like BoxCutter and Hardops. Unfortunately, their videos are awful. Just my opinion. I learned a lot more through the videos of the tools made by Artisans of Vaul

[@masterxeon1001]

*cries*

[@masterxeon1001]

@@Leevy27 it's an art!

[@Leevy27]

​@masterxeon1001 I know. I'm sure that pros loves your videos, but for the beginners I think there are to much technical information. Artisans of Vaul is explaining the features in a understandable manner. Sorry, just my thoughts. It was not my goal to offend you.

[@taerog]

wow, just wow.... thank you! This is amazing! a must have! And the practical examples are extremely useful the more the better!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@taerog 👍🏻😁 Great to know people are enjoying the video and agree, the addon is awesome. And this is only some of the tools!

[@kompaktkat]

Its...beautiful. Highly considering picking these tools up. I'm obsessed with having quad topology and these tools will make my life so much easier.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@kompaktkat The other tools are a HUGE boon for creating quad geometry. The videos on those are coming next week 😁👍🏻

[@kompaktkat]

@@ArtisansofVaul Looking forward to it!

[@bolteddisenoindustrial-rg4bi]

this toolset blew my mind, best addon for blender. Great explanaitions !

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@bolteddisenoindustrial-rg4bi Cheers. Totally agree on the tools. Absolutely awesome.

[@philjpark]

Thanks for this! I just wish some of these were hotkeys but the interface has so many tools I guess so understandable. Looking foward to the improvements TeamC will make in the future.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@philjpark Oh but thay all are hotkeys, or they can be 😉 Basically that's what nFlow does (and WAY more). Videos on those will be coming really soon, starting next week on the Patreon and the week after here 👍🏻

[@alvoltta]

i'll need to buy this. this addon is a killer!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Its SO good.

[@wizendweaver]

Purchased via your link. Thank you for the video.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks so much wizendweaver, thats really appreciated 😁👌

[@richardconway6425]

A great introduction to a very useful tool set. Perfectly paced, and very instructive. I read the description when this add on first appeared on Blender Market, and it didn't really help very much. It wasn't exactly very clear, but this video has really piqued my interest. I'd really like to try some of these now, like the loop-cut through ngons, hard bevel and offset tool. All really good mesh editing stuff. I'm really liking your matcap and green selection colour scheme btw, that really works well. I'm looking forward to seeing you do more stuff with this toolset, thank you.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks so much Richard. Lovely to hear the video and addon are of interest and clear to listen to 😁😁😁

[@khalatelomara]

Very concise and nice video , of course it is excellent modeling addon and the tools are time savers but I prefer always to work with addons that doesn't affect my original workflow so it doesn't affect my muscle memory specially I was a former 3ds max user , specially that addons in sometime it becomes obselete or a new paradigm kills it like an update for bevel function in blender itself and better remeshing , that will make these tools something from the past and blender is very quickly updating

[@ArtisansofVaul]

While I agree in a way won't that always keep you behind on the fastest way to work? We need to learn new workflows as new possibilities become more efficient? For example if this is the new paradigm (this is the created of Hard Ops and Boxcutter, some of the most popular addons for use in Blender after all) you're missing out on it?

[@Blendercage]

Nice I just bought this yesterday

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Hope the video helps out a bit. A lot more videos on the other tools coming.

[@emmamarx9284]

Yayyyy!! You’re the best!! Thanks!!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

My pleasure. And you're always taking the time to watch and comment on my videos so I would like to return the "You're the best!!" back at you. It's hugely appreciated 😁

[@emmamarx9284]

@@ArtisansofVaul aww thanks! 😊 your channel is, imho, the BEST resource online for modeling/designing with 3D printing in mind. I haven’t come across anything like your channel so I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into this, it’s been an absolute treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration for me. So genuinely, thank you 🙏

[@katana2665]

Nicely done.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@katana2665 Cheers 😁

[@9b8ll]

Thank you so much for this vid. This is so worth the 23 buck. One thing that I love about this tool is the multi join in Nsolve. It save time. I talked to mx2, and I really hope for a multi edge slide soon. The edge slide only slides one edge at a time in nSolve.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@9b8ll Totally agree on all counts and thanks so much 😁👍🏻

[@mr.sandman1217]

This addon is a game changer! I hotkeyed nsolve to Ctrl+Tab in both object and mesh mode so I don't have to enter mesh mode and then hit the nsolve icon.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Oh cunning. I like that a lot.

[@mr.sandman1217]

@@ArtisansofVaul In Object mode you have to CTRL+TAB and click the object to enter into nSolve, CTRL+TAB while already in the edit mode works as intended. Another really handy hotkey is ALT+Q. if you need to switch to a different object, instead of exiting edit mode and selecting the new object. hover over the object and press ALT+Q while in edit mode. this works both in edit mode and in sculpt mode.

[@WiseOakDakota]

Great new tools and a great video explaining them, thank you! Can I ask a general question about HardOps/ Boxcutter since I've been trying to learn them with your tutorials? I don't plan on using my models for 3D printing at all, but definitely for exporting to things like Unreal and for video creation in Blender itself, are boolean cutters the best way to go for things like that (at least where hard surface objects are concerned)?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@WiseOakDakota Cheers. So for most game engines you will need quad geometry or triangles. Some will work fine as you can just add a triangulate modifier and you're all set. For those this doesn't work for something like nSolve is going to be a total blessing as you can get everything applied and fixed more quickly.

[@WiseOakDakota]

@@ArtisansofVaul i definitely marked Nsolve as my next pickup, I’ve been doing a lot of tutorial learning and am trying to master modeling before moving on to things like materials, animation etc. So you’re saying use boxcutter/ hard ops for the modeling and then use Nsolve/ suite tools when it comes time for retopology? Or just use the N tools instead of Boxcutter

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@WiseOakDakota Use Hard Ops/Boxcutter for the modelling and then clean up with nSolve. There is also now a free toolset called nd thats really good (especially for something thats free) but it's not got as much to it as Hard Ops and Hard Ops works better with boxcutter. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eafLfn9_ftdkbac

[@francoislozach866]

Hi … excellent videos series.. I am back to your first one to ask something… how do you change the size of the icons… find them very small and did. Or find a way to get the tool bar bigger… any thought on that please? Thanks

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@francoislozach866 I will have a video on customising a lot of this as nSolve is REALLY customisable. But for now: click and hold on the rectangle that let's you drag the tools around, while holding down hold "s" and drag to the right.

[@francoislozach866]

@@ArtisansofVaulexcellent and I just see that also on your last video… as usual very informative clear and nice to watch!! Excellent Chanel and fantastic work from you!! Thank you so much

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@francoislozach866 My pleasure.

[@sherlockhomes9919]

Looks cool! But hows the performance with production models around 100k polys and up? Is it sluggish then?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Ive only tried it on a model at just under 600k faces (an STL I had downloaded) and it had a very slight decrease in speed compared to a simple model but not very much at all, and exactly the same as using a standard Blender tool like merge or edge slide.

[@sherlockhomes9919]

@@ArtisansofVaul good to hear. I will be buying it then. The "hard" toolset is extremely useful.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@sherlockhomes9919 Do let me know if you find a "breaking point". As I say I haven't yet but it will vary from computer to computer and the complexity of the task.

[@mixchief]

Have they fixed the quirk requiring to reselect the same tool to use it multiple times yet? Like the Mesh Cut shown here.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@mixchief That bit is quite intentional from their PoV for the nSuite tools and then ones they think that are likely to be needed a lot can be kept on using nSolve. But if there's something you'd want to be able to be kept on drop them a message to request it, they are generally very good at listening to requests that make sense.

[@mixchief]

@@ArtisansofVaul At this point I'm only contemplating a purchase and was just curious whether they might've come up with an option for this behavior since the video was published, although that was fairly recently. (But if I end up buying the add-on and find this cumbersome, I'll send them some feedback. Right now weighing between nSolve or Rig UI, two addons for polar opposite purposes, but equally appealing in their appearances, oh decisions ...)

[@yar3613]

Is it possible to add hotkey for each function in Nsolve? i hate mouse clicking , i prefer hotkeys or pie menu

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@yar3613 I'm going to do a video on this. Yes and more so! If you look in the top left you can see you can custom set tasks to keys but there is also part of it called nFlow where you can make whole profiles of shortcuts for what you want and even add in other functions not part of nSolve. It's amazing. Almost like you program the best parts from different addons!

[@hdduong4221]

I have one silly question. Is Click and Drag function to weld nearest vertex in Nsolve? Thanks

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@hdduong4221 So that's one of the tools on nSolve (not covered in this video but next week) were you can drag to merge. You can also (and this is amazing) do a merge by distance from an individual vertex really easily, it's called the collapse tool and it's bloody brilliant

[@hdduong4221]

@@ArtisansofVaul Thank you for your sharing. So much interesting things.

[@2011manbeast]

I just got this. Maybe it's in the preferences, but I don't have an option to show both Nsolve and Nsuite in the viewport at the same time.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@2011manbeast 👍🏻 Open nSolve in an edit mode. Press D to open the helper and then turn on the eye icon for nSuite that's there. Then you get both 👍🏻

[@crimso1313]

how to make icons as big as yours?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

I will cover this in a later video to show how but hopefully this will be a clear enough explanation. For each set of tools there is a rectangle you can click and hold to move it. Click and hold that (check its moveable to know you have got this right) then hold down "s" while still holding down the mouse button and drag to the side and it will change the size.

[@crimso1313]

@@ArtisansofVaul Thank you. everything worked out

[@waberoid]

This reminds me of something like Hardops/Boxcutter

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@waberoid It's made by the same creator. What I really like is that there isn't an overlap with HOps or Boxcutter where you double up on tools, instead they really compliment each other for when you want to move from one stages of modelling to the next.

[@waberoid]

​@ArtisansofVaul Reeeealy!? Well maybe that's enough to convince me lol

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@waberoid Haha. Its exactly the thing that convinced me as well.

[@WillValentino]

Collapse Vertex? Is that an addon or something? How can I enable it?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@WillValentino It's also part of nSolve. NSolve contains three tool sets, nSolve, nSuite and nFlow. It was too big to do one video on so all the nSolve tools will be covered next week (including the collapse tool).

[@WillValentino]

@@ArtisansofVaul Thanks AoV, keep up the good work!

[@Bluejohn]

How do I get both menus to come up, I can only seem to get one ?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@Bluejohn I will cover this specifically. But open nSolve specifically when you're in edit mode. Then press D and in the helper menu add nSuite but clicking the eye icon next to it. Hope that helps.

[@Bluejohn]

@@ArtisansofVaul Thanks AV. So simple when you know how

[@evilotis01]

i 'm prob missing something super obvious here, but is there a hotkey to activate it? like for Boxcutter and Hops?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Either the icon on the side or you can use alt+4

[@evilotis01]

@@ArtisansofVaul thaaaaaaaaank you!

[@eitantal726]

Other than hard bevel, everything else is basically enhancements on knife tool

[@eitantal726]

basically knife tool, loopcut, bevel but with *fewer* steps :)

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@eitantal726 I think that's a bit of a simplification but that they are all "there" without hot keys is going to be a maddove boon to many. Personally I will probably remove some of the options as I'm so used to the hot keys and keep the ones I'm not used to or don't work with hotkeys. I really love how customisable this is (I'll do a video on that). Also it's important to mention this isn't even half the tools. It's got so many I had to break it down 😅

[@eitantal726]

@@ArtisansofVaul I was about to comment "There's nothing new under the sun", until I got to see the hard-bevel. Apparently there IS new under the sun