Outlines in Blender (Basics of Freestyle, Line Art Modifier and Inverted Hull)

[@godfrey4461]

Thank you so much for this. It is a massive help. Straight to the point, no clickbait, fast and easily followable. Also your voice is amazing. You should look into doing voice over work.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Thank you! I just tried to make the sort of video I would appreciate. There’s so so so much you can learn for free on the internet - but there’s a lot of ephemera to sit through, so I can at least make this short and sweet. (And about the voice acting: I’d love to do that, just no idea where to start! And y’all haven’t even heard my Gandalf yet)

[@marcfuchs6938]

Wow, what a valuable tutorial. For years I thought, freestyle lineart is absolute trash, didn't even know about the modifier and only worked with inverted hull. This video is short and precise. Big kudos to you!

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

No problem! And to be fair, I think the line art modifier is pretty new, so for all I know freestyle HAS been trash for years!

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Freestyle was pretty cutting-edge when it first came out. As I recall, it took many years of refining the code base before it was accepted into mainline Blender. There are an amazing number of things you can still do with it-look at the examples that should still be available online, from when Freestyle was introduced.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 I’ve only been using Blender for a couple years, but I’m sure you’re right about that. There’s certainly a lot you can do with it - and of all the methods, I think it has the capacity to look the best. For stills, I use it a ton - it’s just too slow for animation, for my horribly un-optimized models!

[@marcfuchs6938]

@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 Well, the only impression I ever got from freestyle, is that the generated lines are VERY rough and randomly flicker through any geometry. Maybe settings need to be tweaked, but I never found any, that would make Freestyle any usable to me. Also the rendering time is insane, it basically doubles my render times. Not worth it to the slightest.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

@@marcfuchs6938 There’s a section in the manual that goes through it. There’s also a Python API, which offers more control.

[@Novanim]

I needed to find that little detail on why line art modifier seemed incomplete around an object in viewport. Now I know, it's because it follows the active camera. Thanks Cockpitsandboobytraps, now I'm a changed woman.

[@Donovann09]

I just come from 3ds max to blender and this tuto is really useful !! thanks so much.

[@silverblue73]

This intro is a vibe and I’m saving this video just for that

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

I’ll take it! I probably worked harder on that part than the rest of it - gotta have m’vibes.

[@Saddy_Longlegs]

When Dave Grohl does Blender.

[@ethanpearl9011]

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous

[@robturpin]

Just searched for 'toon shaders' and came across this. Had no idea you were on KZbin. Really helpful video for a newbie like me. Just about to try something from Akira, as a bit of Blender practice, so looking for something along these lines (no pun intended) for rendering.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@robturpin awesome! Can’t wait to see it

[@jermesastudio]

Thank you for this tutorial. It has been very helpful for my commercial projects.

[@Hamlet2615]

I was honestly having a hard time figuring out lines after your last tutorial, this answered all of my questions thx!

[@StarblazerTV]

Thanks for making this, I appreciate it.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

glad it was helpful!

[@ardianfirmansyah3558]

1:32 COOL FEATURE! I JUST KNOW THAT! SUBSCRIBED!!

[@itemboy6814]

I absolutely love your style! You should make more tutorials :D

[@koshu1000]

very helpful 👌

[@osmacar5331]

Sweet. Now to get the skills needed.

[@Satan_said_DRAW]

Useful! THANKS

[@appidydafoo]

excellent, thank you

[@enriquedelaparte8673]

love your art, must have taken forever to model

[@halukipek5943]

Thank you for great explanation! it was so helpful.

[@temporalfinitism110]

Thank you for the video! Been looking at different ways to do the border without using the inverted hull method!

[@hellerart]

I really like the cut throughs, when you go more experimental and celebrate the beauty of this shading and lineart, without caring too much to display a "real" object like a space ship, that is widely accepted by audience and industry standard/studios. I like this point where you go deep into the experiment and celebrate the beauty of the optics itsself. Nonetheless I like Ghost in the Shell or Moebius a lot, but I love experimental art :) Or maybe the mix in the middle. Between fineart and "traditional" 3D animation. Cell shading has its own beauty for sure. Great tutorials, I will recommend them.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Thank you! I love Moebius, but it seems like others have got that style down to a science in 3D. I love Ghost in the Shell - but I have to admit that my favorite bits are like a few seconds of a door opening here, or some machinery rotating in the title sequence, or the amazing sequence in the middle that’s just a street-level view of Hong Kong. A lot of people want to use 3D to animate on 2s and totally recreate that look and feel, which isn’t exactly what I’m going for. On one hand, it’s a minor miracle that it’s even possible in 3d, and it’s pretty cool to see! On the other hand, animating on 2’s and 3’s represents a limitation on 2D artists that simply doesn’t exist for 3D artists. We like it because it’s cozy and nostalgic, but in a practical sense it’s no longer necessary. So I like to pick and choose what I’m inspired by and try not to get hung up on recreating the exact feel of old cartoons in their entirety. Of course, I do most of my animations at 24fps - not 30 or 50 or 60 - precisely because of film cameras and centuries-old technological limitations, and that nostalgic feeling - so what do I know! But I’m glad you like the experimental stuff 🖖

[@hellerart]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps I like all of it. I like the experiemnts especially and the combination of both. Keep up your great work :) Yes (it is not needed anymore), but like pixelart it delivers a very special experience and feeling. Like middle age art like Giotto is very interesting to me, too. The perspective in middle age art is often "wrong" and "weird". I like this "weird" or "Wrong" factor a lot in Art. And probably like these retro styles therefore.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Have you looked at Geometry Nodes much? Related to this, it lets you do cutaways not dependent on camera clipping planes, for example.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Geometry nodes are amazing, and I know almost nothing about them. But yeah, I know it’s possible outside of camera clipping - I just couldn’t find a reliable way of having the freestyle line be interrupted like it does with camera clipping. As I recall, I tried using an empty to animate the visibility of the model. It would do a cutaway of the model, but the freestyle lines would just be there the whole time. Haven’t tried with geometry nodes, though - I wouldn’t even know where to start!

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps Freestyle works as part of the render passes, though. So it should not even see any geometry that has been deleted prior to rendering, whether via clipping planes or Geometry Nodes.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 hmm I must have been doing something wrong, which is very likely. Time to check this out again!

[@asfandyaralam7180]

Hey! Thanks for this dude :)

[@naenjamal4827]

Great tutorials sir, simple and straight to the point, do you have any video on how to animate that camera clip you show in this video?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Hey, I’m not sure exactly which clip you mean?

[@naenjamal4827]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps ...at Minute 1:26, sir.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@naenjamal4827 Ah, ok. I don’t have a video on it, but I’ll try to put the step-by-step here: With the camera selected, create your camera move by making two “location and rotation” keyframes with the “i” key - one at the beginning and one at the end of your timeline. Select both keyframes in the timeline and SHIFT-E > Linear Extrapolation. With the camera still selected, go to the beginning of your timeline. Click on the green Camera Properties tab on the right, and increase the Clip Start value until you can’t see your object at all. Hover your mouse over that value and press “i” to create a keyframe. Go to the end of your timeline, and decrease the Clip Start value until you can see your whole object. Hover over it and press “i” to create another keyframe. Select both of those keyframes and do another SHIFT-E > Linear Extrapolation. At this point, with the Clip Start keyframes still selected, you might want to scale and move them around, so that you get the timing you want. Check “freestyle” in the Render Properties tab, and you’re all set. That’s how I do it - I hope that’s helpful. Let me know if that worked for you.

[@gamethingstuff]

Yo this stuff is awesome

[@BitRench]

This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

I’m glad it helped!

[@Ashtroids]

Awesome video. Very educational & well put together. Anyone know how to fix lines disappearing (lineart modifier) on objects when your camera moves to certain positions? Making animation where the camera pans over an object and when the camera gets close to some areas the lines just start to cut out until the camera backs up.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

the line art modifier can be a bit fiddly with animation, but definitely mess with your camera clipping settings and see if that helps - Clip Start can cause problems if it’s too low or too high

[@Ashtroids]

Thank you for the reply,@@cockpitsandboobytraps . For anyone wondering, I was using a lineart modifier on a grease pencil stroke. When I changed it to a grease pencil blank (I think thats what it is called) things started to come together a bit better for some reason. Even with all of the exact lineart modifier settings I had on the grease pencil stroke it was working. Also I have found that when an object is really long and exceeds the camera bounds it will take away the lines on the object until it is smaller or you add a subdivision mod on that object.

[@rohitkishnani]

I've been following your Instagram account for a while and i love this!

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

🙌

[@RUBBERTEA-VT]

hello, if i were to export the model that has the inverted hull method to ue i only need to apply the modifier and add an unlit material is that correct?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Great question- I don’t know much about Unreal, but transferring models from Blender to Unreal is something I’ve been meaning to try. As I understand it, what you suggested might NOT work because the outline depends on Blender materials. Unless the materials were baked, in which case you’d need to use Cycles. On the other hand, I’d imagine there’s a way of doing the inverted hull method inside Unreal itself. I’m going to upload a video on cycles toon shader/ baking this week. I may be able to answer your question in that one, or it might be the next one - but I’m on it!

[@inacioset]

Is the only one that's feasible to use in a game engine the inverted hull?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Yelp, I believe that’s correct!

[@rylanonline]

thank u so much this was super helpful!!

[@karthiksk5226]

How to render only the contour edges(outline edge) without the object

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

You can change the surface on the object’s materials to a “Transparent” or “Translucent” shader. Those should both work in Eevee - but you might want to use translucent for cycles, if I’m remembering correctly. You could also use the “Holdout” shader if you want alpha where the object was.

[@cheesemanmaster]

hey, I have a problem where the black outlines don't appear at all, and increasing it only makes the model bigger. any solutions?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

So this method uses the solidify modifier just a TINY bit - the usual purpose of it is to make the model bigger. Maybe mess around with the offset and see if that changes anything. Some geometry just doesn’t like inverted hull - but I would get the Outline Helper Add-on at felineentity.gumroad.com (it’s free). It automates all the setup apart from the line thickness - so if it isn’t working with the add-on, you might want to try freestyle or grease pencil for your line instead

[@cheesemanmaster]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps I wasn't expecting a reply so soon! thank you so much for this, I'll try it later!

[@jeanclaudedelaronde]

I Just discovered your channel, brother. Amazing looking stuff. Dope looking renders! Thanks for sharing the knowledge!

[@shinso8936]

🔥

[@ilhamwicaksono5802]

DAMN

[@supwang]

Thank you. How to show the lines only and make mesh disappear when rendering? (Line Art Modifier)

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

You can just give your object a Transparent BSDF material, and you should get just your lines. This will work with freestyle AND the line art modifier. If you’re using eevee, there’s one more step: you’ll also have to make sure the transparent material is set to Blend Mode: Alpha Blend in material properties.

[@supwang]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps Thank you.

[@BongbokCG]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@HammerBanger]

Can you bake the shader to a set of textures, like Diffuse, Normals, Roughness, Metal?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

That’s a great question, and I’ve wondered myself. I don’t think baking works in Eevee - BUT the Shader to RGB node doesn’t work in cycles. So you’d first have to make a cycles version of the shader, then bake everything BEFORE the Shader to RGB node. You’d then replace the node with that bake, and bake again. I think? I gotta try it, but if it works I’ll make a little video about it.

[@HammerBanger]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps yeah, perhaps there is a baking add on or any other easier solution? But that would be amazing. Can't wait to see your Baking Video. 👍

[@cc.creationz]

can you do this in cycles?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

If you mean the outlines, yep - all three methods should work in cycles. If you mean the shaders - sort of. These particular toon shaders I’m using only work in Eevee, but it’s possible to make a cycles toon shader, too.

[@rajagopalsoren]

whenever i use a toon shader i get really squarish shadows that are super jagged. i cant shade smooth since the object is a rectangular prism. i turned off soft shadows and changed cube and cascade sizes but it didnt help. what should i do

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Yeah this is my main problem with Eevee, but you can normally work around it. Can you shade auto-smooth, or change the shade smooth angle? You should also play around with the shadow settings on the actual light object you’re using, as well as the scale.

[@disreceded]

when i use the inverted hull method with cycles it just makes my model black, i've searched for 3 days and cant find the answer pls help me

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Sounds like you might have the wrong “material offset” in the Solidify modifier. Check your object’s materials and find where your black outline material is - if you were to do this to the default cube, you’d have the default Principled BSDF first and then the outline material in the second space, under that. In this case, the material offset we want in the Solidify modifier is “1,” because it’s offset by 1 from the top. If the outline material is the 3rd one down, you want material offset to be 2. If it’s the 5th one down, material offset to 4, etc. If it’s your last material, you can just put in a high number like 999, and it’ll default to the last one. I guess your line could also be too thick? You might want to apply the scale with CMD+A and then play with the line thickness.

[@disreceded]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps i made a new project and made an outline with the default cube in material preview mode and it seems to be working, but when i switch to lighting view it turns black. thanks for your help tho

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@disreceded hmmm then maybe your light isn’t strong enough? Or possibly too strong? If you’d like, you can send the .blend file to [e-mail] and I’d be happy to take a look-

[@disreceded]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps ok

[@chumcool]

2:36 Noise Modifier? I don't have this modifier for some reason...

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

That’s a modifier for grease pencil, so make sure you’ve got your line art/ grease pencil object selected (not the object you’re trying to outline), and it should be there.

[@chumcool]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps Ahh, thank you. Keep up this great work. Brilliant!

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@chumcool no problem, and thanks!

[@sunviewer7]

Those ship models are absolutely beautiful. Where do you get them from?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

There’s one at 0:06 that’s from the BigMediumSmall Modelshop kit, and the Klingon ship is a model by Chris Kuhn (I can’t remember where I got that one, but it’s floating around on the internet somewhere). Everything else, I kitbashed myself-

[@sunviewer7]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps Awesome, thank you so much!

[@silverblue73]

Take my sub 🙌

[@Mult1Core]

Is there a way to exempt specific edges that you dont want outlined?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

So this definitely works with freestyle. You can go into edge select mode and select the edges you want to exclude, right click and “Mark Freestyle Edge.” Then in the freestyle settings in view layer properties, under Edge Type, change Negation to Exclusive and uncheck everything except Edge Mark (and any other edge types you DON’T want). You should have your lines without the edges you marked. Unfortunately it isn’t as simple with grease pencil, but you can easily ADD lines using basically the same method (mark the edges and check “edge marks” in the grease pencil’s line art modifier settings). In that case I would probably set a lower crease threshold and just add lines where they’re needed, either by marking edges or just drawing on the model with grease pencil. And the inverted hull method is all geometry-based, and I have no idea how to do that one- sorry!

[@Mult1Core]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps thank you. I saw the Mark Freestyle Edge, but i didnt know about those negation/exclusive's. Ill play around some more now I know in what direction to look. If it doesnt work ill just have to fall back on that lower threshold amd manually adding them I guess.

[@luls9000]

with inverted hull method u can duplicate ur object instead of using solidify modifier, then just sculpt or go into edit mode and you can change the hull

[@reallyarobot]

Do you have one on lines using Z depth and normals?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

I don’t have one of my own, but this one may be what you’re looking for: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5POlYiNbsqhmM0

[@othoapproto9603]

no Back face culling above 3.5 and a geo back face node doesn't work either.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

I’m seeing it on 4.0.1 - it’s Eevee only, on the Material Properties tab, under “Settings”

[@BlueUniverseChannel]

Hey thank you for solving my last question! One other question, how do you animate in 12 FPS in blender?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Well, you could just change the fps in output properties, but you might want the animated “on 2’s” look, with each frame appearing twice. You can bake your animation and do some frame interpolation. Here’s a long video on it - kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHmaZ6GXm69lq6s and here’s a short video on it - m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/boCohGyQh8idg7M

[@much_love]

Note that you can outline shadows, but then you prolly want to render in cycles.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

Yeah, I think you have to get a sobel node involved? I should look into that

[@much_love]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps Nah man its in the line art modifier settings super easy :)

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@much_love ah ok, I see it. Just for the benefit of anyone else seeing this - you have to select a light reference in the line art modifier, and then “light contour” and “cast shadow” are un-greyed in Edge Types. And it seems to work fine in Eevee as well, so far. Thanks for the tip!

[@much_love]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps Works in Eevee but shadows arent as tight. Also set the angle property of the light ur using to zero.

[@StarwarsHalofreak]

Another downside to Line Art is that it even though I have a monster of a rig, it can be very GPU-intensive, and some simple scenes can take a hot minute to render up, even in Eevee, so be sure to run test renders of the scene you want first before you initiate it.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

very true, and it’s way more capable of crashing Blender than even Freestyle.

[@ArgonMatt]

This intro is good too, no like, no sub, just to the point. And your voice is soooooooooooo sexy. I love it. Great content and even better form.

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

LIKUHSUSCRAB. Yeah, I don’t ever want to say that one

[@ArgonMatt]

@@cockpitsandboobytraps it probably works. But it's so annoying when people do that. Do you intend to make more videos? Tutorials?

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

@@ArgonMatt yeah, at the moment I’ve got at least two I know I want to make

[@lumialite3442]

the line art modifier doesnt appear under the generate modifier 🥲😶

[@cockpitsandboobytraps]

So go to Add> grease pencil > and then Scene Line Art / Collection Line Art / Object Line Art - whichever you need. If you don’t see those options, you need to either use a more recent version of Blender or do it the old way. Which is Add>grease pencil> blank, select the grease pencil object and add a modifier. Be aware that the line art modifier only appears as an option in the modifiers tab when you have a grease pencil object selected. Hope that helps! Let me know if you can get it working.