Blender Chess Bishop - #11 Subdivision Surface Modelling in Blender

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[@fullyleaded]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. These videos are absolutely incredible! The technical knowledge and professionalism is unlike anything I've seen anywhere else. thank you again.

[@ianmcglasham]

Hey Thanks Fully Leaded! I'm really glad you like them.

[@drottningu]

"Advanced just means better, not more difficult." With the way you explain things that is most certainly true!

[@ianmcglasham]

Thanks Dröttningu. That means a lot to me! I see a lot of people making it look really complicated and it gets me down. It really is all fairly simple if you approach it sensibly. Those Booleans leave you with such terrible meshes that the cleanup is the only difficult part. Merging and moving points that should have never been created in the first place. trying to cheat with crazy normal tricks which again should never be necessary in the first place. If the original topology is solid everything will be easy! It is much easier than everyone is making it seem!

[@patricenegros3982]

you are a hidden gem in the youtube universe. straight to the point, detailed and so practical for occasional modeler that I am. thank you. you deserve way more subscribers!

[@mediaman1346]

This is the second time I've made the bishop Lol..cause I've watched every single video you've made and I'm having withdrawals from your level of execution and I'm having trouble finding more of your level of tutorials from any body else and I would love to see how you go about making the train and the dice you feature on your website and other real world models. more please!!! 😁

[@christophschmitt4600]

The way you managed the tilt of the cut by bringing the shrink modifier into play is genius!

[@ianmcglasham]

Thank you. The shrinkwrap modifier is amazing for sure!

[@sirtooby]

Must start using that

[@satglob4839]

It is absolutely fantastic tutorial ,The technique you use is not available on KZbin, and the truth is that we benefited a lot from it. Thank you, and I hope that this channel will continue. Thank you for your good effort, and I wish you all success.

[@juancarlosuribe]

This channel is gold 👌

[@ianmcglasham]

Cheers Juan Carlos!

[@BlenderBob]

Awesome tutorial!

[@ianmcglasham]

Hey Blender Bob. Thank you so much. I consider your channel to be the best on KZbin so I am delighted to get a comment!

[@josemanuelgonzalez816]

Thanks for sharing your Blender skills! One of the best tutorials about good topology I have seen. Great work!

[@channelname8623]

4:00 I understand the statement made here because there are some rare occasions where you cant fix it after a boolean. But with meshmachine addon and boolean cleanup, then quadremesher addon and remesh it, 95% of the time you'll get nearly perfect geometry that matchs the geometry you did manually. I can record a short video if you're interested as I tested it after I heard you say it would be irreparably damaged and quad remesher almost perfectly duplicated the topology you showed in the beginning (it used 1 additional n pole in the middle of the face, though it didnt impact shading). I recommend you try it yourself though. The machine who develops all those blender addons (meshmachine, machinetools, decalmachine) is a literal genius.. Side note: if you want 100% perfect shading can also shrink wrap it if you end up using boolean cleanup and quad remesher. loved the video though, i struggle with manually doing topology and this was helpful.

[@manart6506]

This videos give the kind of tips I was looking for but couldn’t find. With years of experience from people in 3D I guessed someone has to know how to have better topology, have flexibility and avoid troubles… and here I found it.

[@ianmcglasham]

Thank you! Ive been doing it for over 20 years (nearing 30 actually!) So I have made ALL the mistakes in that time.

[@Mincher]

Shrinkwrapping and rotating the cut was a great idea!

[@sirtooby]

Thank for your videos. Just found them, sooo good 👍👍👍

[@syntax_error6882]

deep understanding of the form it's what i want to ear, thanks to share your workflow Ian

[@sultanmm2012]

This channel is a treasure.

[@bernardstaniforth365]

Splendid Ian. I am learning 3D with no modelling experience, only relevant experience is my O level in Engineering & Technical Drawing (may date me)! I do have to do something different at 13:00 min with the mitre inset fill in. I have mesh.f2 on but selecting the edge and pressing F gives a triangle based curve face. I can get the face filled if I select all 3 edges and F. I've tried mesh.f2 with 2 different options set and tried setting its option with the 'reset to default value'? But I repeat your explanations are so lucid.

[@bernardstaniforth365]

Not sure why but your instructions worked perfectly on the other side of the Bishops Mitre...

[@ianmcglasham]

Thanks Bernard. O'level!!!! You must be as old as me!!!! You must have an additional vertice somewhere. Try selecting the lot and merging by distance. Let me know how it goes and if that dosent work I will Investigate further until I can help you sort it out.

[@ianmcglasham]

@bernardstaniforth365 Mitre. That's the word. I should have use the word mitre. Good word.

[@RychNovsky-ld3hf]

By far the best way I have seen this model handled, well done!

[@NoobHit]

❤❤❤❤ I've always wondered why my geometry got screwed up after the unnecessary boolean operations. Now I am trying to remodel some of my previously done models whith same approach and techniques to practice good topology. Thanks.

[@evilotis01]

i am learning SO much from these videos. thank you for sharing your knowledge. and thank you also for the description to this video-I'm glad you appreciate the work of Masterxeon etc, even if their approach is v different to yours. round of applause all round

[@Chronolich]

Thank you so much. I've watched all your videos and they are simply amazing! This will really improve my blender skills. Please let me know when i can come and work for you. You have so much knowledge to offer and I want to know it all... TEACH ME OH WISE ONE! 😭🙏🏻

[@ianmcglasham]

Thanks Chronolich22!!! That is really kind.

[@tutorials6315]

I learn so much from your tutorials! Thank you and I can't wait to make rook! 😍

[@ianmcglasham]

Thanks again tutorials!

[@fadhil4008]

Whoa, thank you for sharing. I found this tutorial from Facebook reply, seems like a good way to start understanding hard surface modelling

[@ianmcglasham]

Thanks Fadhil. Topology and flow are tricky at first but if you take the steps logically it is easy really! It's the best thing you can do to improve your modelling. Glad you like it!!

[@nicholaspostlethwaite9554]

A great simple way to get that geometry I saw you do some time ago. :)

[@ianmcglasham]

Ha. Yes you must be NP5! You were a great inspiration for me to get to this stage. Cheers.

[@therealpepe]

Excellent technique. Looking forward to more

[@schirleyamaral]

Please let me know if you have any course anywhere online, I would love to make it! I want to learn more from you. Thank you again! 🥰

[@ianmcglasham]

Thanks Schirley. I don't have any courses anywhere at the moment. Just on here. If I ever do I will let you know. I like making them on youtube! I am a photographer too!

[@phantomray4407]

Your tutorials is so helpful and easy to understand :) Before I use to bevel and boolean everything and it was giving me so much problem

[@ianmcglasham]

Thank you Phantom Ray. Bevels and Booleans cause so many headaches! Good topology seems tricky but once you get the hang of it everything is better!

[@lounestb3718]

Thank you for this tutorial, I've learned a lot from it !

[@punkeasy]

Excellent as usual!

[@ianmcglasham]

Thanks again punkeasy! I like this one! The bishop is a tricky shape and understanding how to handle it leads on to a whole world of good topology! Thanks for your support!

[@ragusarendering828]

Really nice video, good job Ian!

[@ianmcglasham]

Thank you so much Ragusa Rendering!

[@remkm1715]

Hi Ian, why did you use the "To Sphere" operation at the beginning, instead of the cast modifier we used int the Pawn video? you also didn't correct the "corner" vertices.

[@ianmcglasham]

Hi remkm. I use the to-sphere operation when it is a one-time thing. I use the cast modifier when I need a continuous spherizing effect, which will be used to control future modelling operations. For example when we made the Pawn I needed the new geometry created when making the hole in the bottom to be constrained to the sphere shape. In this one I just wanted to spherize the subdivided cube with no modelling operations that followed relying on that shape. I didn't fix the corners on this one because I didn't want the video to be too long!! They should indeed be fixed!

[@Sabertooth93]

At 13.04 when clicking F to create a face, it creates a triangle instead of a quad. I tried changing the scale of the extrusion as well but that also does not make any difference. What needs to be done here to force it to make a quad. I am using Blender 4.1.

[@tendividedbysix4835]

I love your videos man they are great you know I have had loop tools for the 'circle' function this whole time and I thought the other options were basically useless, little did I know the curve option is a game changer. I do have a question though, isn't it kind of awkward marking the loops as seams when it comes to UV unwrapping or what have you?

[@ianmcglasham]

Correct. The marking of the UV seams as control loops is only usefull during the modelling phase. Once you move onto texturing all of the seams are unmarked ready for UV unwrapping. In the rare circumstance that I still need them marked, I change them all to mark sharp with zero sharpness.

[@tendividedbysix4835]

@@ianmcglasham fair play, nice one :) thank you for the videos!

[@jdupuy01]

Your video makes your approach look so simple while still producing the most beautiful topology I've seen for a bishop. Great video ! Given your expertise when it comes to subd modelling, I'd like to ask: Unless I missed it, it seems that you don't use semi-sharp creases to control curvature around your edges (rather, you add extra edges). I'm very curious to know if there is a specific reason for that ? Looking forward to reading your response :)

[@ianmcglasham]

Hi Jonathan. Thank you so much! I never use creasing and you will find that no professional modellers do. It is considered a non standard technique incompatible across so many of the pieces of software, plug ins, modifiers and pieces of bespoke code required in a CG pipeline that it is just never used. You will find it nearly impossible to sell any model that relies on creasing as they would not be accepted by any studio. Even Turbosquid (the largest of the 3D model sites) will not allow models with creasing in order to get their checkmate certification. (resources.turbosquid.com/training/modeling/crease-value/). Creasing is great as a hobbyist when you want to stay just in blender on a personal project that will never be used by anyone else or for anything else but in every other case. it is unacceptable. Hope that helps!

[@ianmcglasham]

Oh! You are the guy I have been watching. Your videos are amazing and I am really excited to see your next results! Fantastic work! Will your upcoming talk be available online or will there be a published paper?

[@jdupuy01]

@@ianmcglasham Makes perfect sense. Super valuable information for me, thanks a lot for sharing !

[@ianmcglasham]

@@jdupuy01 If I can help in other way do not hesitate to ask. I absolutely love your work!!

[@jdupuy01]

Thanks! Stay tuned, then! On my side I'll be keeping an eye on your channel too -- I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the chess set, if you plan to make them of course :D

[@prod.bycheese]

WE WANT THE KNIGHT!!!!

[@ianmcglasham]

Ha. It's coming!

[@nirmansarkar]

I'd like to ask. Is it possible to make very intricate details (for example a robot or mecha) with this method of maintaining perfect quads? Or will that be very time consuming than using Booleans?

[@ianmcglasham]

Hi nirman. I've been thinking a lot about your question and I think it is important enough to answer in the description of the video! Check out my answer there. Thanks so much for liking and supporting me. It means a lot.

[@nirmansarkar]

Thanks for the elaborate reply. I read entirely what you said. And I do fully accept it. Even drawing by hand takes years to master let alone 3D modelling. I follow all those channels you've mentioned in the description. ALL! But i think I am in love with your style of approach. It's accurate and says that you come from Knowledge. There are no happy "accidents" in your designs. Brute forcing a design is fine as long as there is a deadline to catch. But I feel like learning 3D designing well so that it satisfies me first. Heck I've started following you and I feel there is NO GOING BACK NOW! I will keep coming to your channel to see if I can learn something new everytime. Please keep throwing whatever you can at us and we'll be happy to take it. Cheers!

[@alexandrupomana7010]

When I tried to fill the corner vertices at 13:00 , it gave me a triangle, not a square. Is there something I did wrong? Can you help me?

[@ianmcglasham]

Hi Alexandru. Do you have the "f2" addon enabled in preferences? It wont work unless this addon is enabled (it comes with blender but is not enabled by default.) You may be selecting the incorrect vertex when pressing "f". It has to be the very corner vert. Hope this helps. Let me know!

[@alexandrupomana7010]

@@ianmcglasham It worked! IT WORKED! Thank you a lot!

[@ianmcglasham]

@@alexandrupomana7010 Oh good! Let me know if you have any other problems.

[@timtheinventor3166]

Ian, when you are extruding the body, do you have it set to extrude in z only? If so how do you do that? On-screen keystrokes would be a great addition

[@ianmcglasham]

Hi Tim. I am really struggling to find an on-screen keystroke sysytem that works well with Blender 3+. I normally just press Z really quickly immediately after I press E. You could press F with the last loop selected to fill it with a big ngon. then the extrude tool would assume you want to travel along that face's normal but i dont normally do that!

[@fairynyovela9024]

sorry, why i can't cut the sphere? i already use boolean and already choose the box, it isn't showing me the sphere already cut by the box

[@JustinDeane222]

did you get it right? No boolean operations are to be used for this exercise. the cut is made by deleting selected faces, if I recall correctly.

[@myztazynizta]

What if you were using a program that did not have a shrinkwrap modifier?

[@ianmcglasham]

Hi This Soldier. All of the big 3D packages have it so it is considered a standard task. I t would be difficult to model without this technique!

[@PieterHanja]

I had to apply the shrinkwrap before flatten the inside edges, otherwise it would not work with the looptool flattening. Maybe i did something wrong?

[@ianmcglasham]

Hmmm. No. The shrinkwrap modifier should not need to be applied. Did you make sure the 3d cursor was between the two corner vertices? Did you make sure that the 3d cursor was selected as the pivot point? Were all of the vertices around the edge selected? It should work with those things done. Let me know if it doesn't work and I'll look into it!

[@PieterHanja]

@@ianmcglasham I will finish it, and try the same tutorial the next day. Maybe i overlooked some details. Thank you!!

[@PieterHanja]

@@ianmcglasham I have it, the Bishop. Learned so much! Thanks!

[@1minuteblender]

I was tagged :O People know about my stuff :O

[@ianmcglasham]

I Love your stuff!

[@1minuteblender]

@@ianmcglasham thx ^^ now I just have to upload regulary

[@syntax_error6882]

i can't add more than + 1