How to rig a M4 Carbine Rifle for animation

Title: How to rig a M4 Carbine Rifle for animation
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 03 June 2013
Software: Blender 2.67a
Length: 22 minutes


Hi everybody! In this video tutorial I want to take the M4 rifle model a little bit further and prepare it for animating. This video presents a way of preparing and rigging a M4 carbine rifle for a later animation. In the video I used bones to create the rig and some constraints for the bones. So just check out the video and tell me what do you think about it.

Quick Tip Learning Shortcut Keys

Title: Quick Tip Learning Shortcut Keys
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 24 May 2013
Software: Blender 2.67
Length: 3 minutes


In this video I show you a way of learning the shortcut keys in Blender. Knowing the shortcut keys speeds up your modeling a lot. I could not imagine working on a project without using the shortcut keys. Learning them is taking a while and you don't need to know them all from day 1. Just use them every time and eventually you will use them without even thinking about it.

Modeling a robot part 2

Title: Modeling a robot part 2
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 5/8/2013
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 57 minutes


In this part we continue the modeling of the robot, doing the arms, legs and making some final adjustments. Some parts can be duplicated so the modeling isn't very complicated, only a few parts that need some manual translating of vertices("fingers" and feet). Some final loop cuts are added to sharpen the mesh after applying the subsurface modifier and the robot is done.

Modeling a robot part 1

Title: Modeling a robot part 1
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 5/2/2013 
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 34 minutes


When it comes to robots it seems that a separation between science-fiction and reality becomes smaller each day.  With the technology evolution, robots may need to appear in a movie even if it isn't a science-fiction movie.

In this video you will discover how to model a robot that is not complex, so beginners  can follow this tutorial and use a robot in their scene.

Adding Object Constraints

Title: Adding Object Constraints
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 4/20/2013
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 20 minutes


The use of constraints can be sometimes confusing but the constraints are capable of speeding your work very much in certain situations. The best way that you can learn how constraints work is by experimenting so after you watch this tutorial make sure you go into Blender and experiment on your own what you learned. This way you wont forget what you just learned.

In this video is shown how to set up some constraints for a gear setup in 2 different ways. Also in the video is presented another use of the constraints along with the modifiers to create  a rope wheel.

How to create a realistic carpet

Title: How to create a realistic carpet
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 4/9/2013
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 25 minutes


The new strand rendering in Cycles makes the hair rendering a lot faster, easier and more funny. The strand rendering is used in this tutorial to show you how to make a realistic looking carpet. This tutorial shows the creation of the carpet from beginning to end so everything is covered, not only the hair, so that even a beginner can follow it.

Using Volumetric Lighting in Cycles

Title: Using Volumetric Lighting in Cycles
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 4/3/2013
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 10 minutes


Even if it's not possible at the moment to use volumetric lighting in Cycles you can still use a trick to get around this. In this video is presented how to do that combining a Cycles scene with a Blender Internal scene.

Using multiple UV Maps in Cycles

Title: Using multiple UV Maps in Cycles
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 3/25/2013
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 7 minutes

In this video I present a way to use multiple UV Maps in Cycles that I wanted to show for a while. This video presents a easy and quick way to make a great material using multiple maps.

Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 6

Title: Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 6
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 3/21/2013
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 50 minutes

This part concludes the series and it is shown how to finish the last part of the weapon and also how to arrange all the parts together into a weapon. I would like to know if these tutorials were helpful to you and if you have done a great scene out of it I would love to see it. :)

Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 5

Title: Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 5
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 3/18/2013
Software: Blender 2.66a
Length: 49 minutes


In this part of the M4 modeling tutorial  we cover up the modeling of some final parts of the weapon. One part is finished and the last part is began and left to finish for the next and the last part of the tutorial. Although these pieces may seem hard to model at first sight, they are not so complicated.

Other parts:
Part 1 
Part 2 
Part 3 
Part 4 
Part 6 

Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 4

Title: Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 4
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 3/14/2013
Software: Blender 2.66
Length: 49 minutes


This part covers modeling the details on the main part of the weapon.

Reference images:

http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-m4a1-m16-rifle-carbine/488951

Other parts:
Part 1 
Part 2 
Part 3 
Part 5 
Part 6 

Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 3

Title: Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 3
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 3/5/2013
Software: Blender 2.66
Length: 47 minutes

Although it might seem hard at a first glance, modeling the handlebar of a M4 carbine rifle is not so hard. In this part we model it's base and there are only some details left to be add in the next part.

Other parts:
Part 1
Part 2 
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6 

Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 2

Title: Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 2
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 2/24/2013
Software: Blender 2.66
Length: 48 minutes


In this second part of the tutorial we finish a piece that we start to model and start modeling the main part of the weapon.

Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 1

Title: Modeling a M4A1 Carbine Rifle Part 1
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 2/11/2013
Software: Blender 2.65a
Length: 48 minutes


In this first part of this tutorial I start modeling a M4A1 carbine rifle. Which one of you haven't played Counter Strike or which one didn't wanted to play with a gun? I can give you a virtual weapon and who knows what you want to do with it. Maybe you will create a game yourself.

Adding a Vignette Effect

Title: Adding a Vignette Effect
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 1/21/2013
Software: Blender 2.65
Length: 9 minutes


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Rendering an Interior Scene

Title:  Rendering an Interior Scene
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 1/13/2013
Software: Blender 2.65
Length: 46 minutes

What you can learn from this tutorial:

• how to make simple reflective materials
• how to hide an object from camera in the rendering
• a quick use of the compositor

Making a mirror and frame

Title: Making a mirror and frame
Author: Groza Danut
Posted: 1/9/2013
Software: Blender 2.65
Lenght: 15 minutes


This tutorial presents simple way to model and texture a mirror that can be turned into a painting.

What you can learn from this tutorial:

• how to simply model a mirror and mirror frame
• how to add materials to an object
• how to use the glossy shader
• how to work with the node editor to make a frame texture
• how to use the noise texture
• how to use the "Import Images as Planes" add-on