{"id":7011,"date":"2023-05-02T14:37:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T13:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/?p=7011"},"modified":"2023-09-07T15:49:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T14:49:06","slug":"minecraft-blender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/","title":{"rendered":"Make A Minecraft Character in Blender"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a093d2c91976\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a093d2c91976\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#description\" >Description<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#unit-scale\" >Unit Scale<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#object-dimensions\" >Object Dimensions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#uv-layout\" >UV Layout<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#join-objects\" >Join Objects<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#mesh-articulation\" >Mesh Articulation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#auto-keyframing\" >Auto Keyframing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/minecraft-blender\/#timestamps\" >Timestamps<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: black; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 25px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;\"><center><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hvc3833RvKI?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"description\"><\/span>Description<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In this first part of &#8220;<i>Making a Classic &#8216;Steve&#8217; Minecraft Character in Blender<\/i>&#8221; we take a look at building, texturing, rigging and creating a simple animated character made from basic shapes. Using the default Cube the basic body parts are made in the 3D Viewport. A material is assigned and each object then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/uv-maps\/\">UV Unwrapped<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/uv-editing\/\">UV Mapped<\/a> in UV Editing Workspace. Once this is done the character is rigged using an Armature, and a basic animation generated using the Action Editor.<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"background-color: #ddecf3; color: #000;\"><p><b>Download<\/b>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/files\/tutorials\/katsbits - minecraft base.zip\">Katsbits &#8211; Minecraft Base<\/a> (c. 200KB | *.blend, *.png, *.psd).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><b>Design note<\/b>: some optional considerations when making a Minecraft style character in Blender 3D;<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"unit-scale\"><\/span>Unit Scale<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Setting the projects <b>Unit Scale<\/b> [1] to <b>4.000000<\/b> does not physically alter the Cube, it changes how its size\/scale is displayed relative to the grid\/unit of measurement. Once the project is completed Unit Scale can be reverted back to the default value <b>1.000000<\/b> &#8211; <i>the unit of measurement Minecraft uses is relative to &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/tutorials\/textures\/make-better-textures-correct-size-and-power-of-two.php\">power-of-two<\/a>&#8216; (multiples of 2) which makes a properly proportioned character much larger than one made using Blenders inherent scaling. If the mesh were then to be used in a larger project, a rendered animation for example, adjustments would need to be made to cameras and lights to compensate for this scale difference<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/unit-scale.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/unit-scale.jpg\" alt=\"Setting Unit Scale\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>Changing how the Cubes dimensions are changed by increasing <b>Unit Scale<\/b> [1] to make it easier to shape the characters body parts.<\/i><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"object-dimensions\"><\/span>Object Dimensions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The dimensions of each body part is essentially based on the number of pixels mapped to each side (for more information on this see &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/smforum\/index.php\/topic,629.0.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">[Minecraft] how tall is the Minecraft player in Blender<\/a>&#8220;;<\/p>\n<p> \u2022 Head = 8 x 8 x 8<br \/>\n \u2022 Torso = 8 x 4 x 12<br \/>\n \u2022 Arms = 4 x 4 x 12<br \/>\n \u2022 Legs = 4 x 4 x 12<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/minecraft.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/minecraft.png\" alt=\"Character dimensions\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>The full dimensions for each body part.<\/i><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"uv-layout\"><\/span>UV Layout<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The UV maps for each part of the body should end up as a series of axial shapes that fit precisely over the skin image [2]. To better facilitate this be sure to enable <b>Snap to Pixels<\/b> [3] from the <b>UV<\/b> menu in the <b>UV Editor<\/b> &#8211; <b><i>UV \u00bb Snap to Pixels \u00bb Corner<\/i><\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/snap-to-pixels.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/snap-to-pixels.jpg\" alt=\"Snap to Pixels\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>Minecraft uses a very axial UV map for characters [2]. Enable Snap to Pixels [3] to ensure each body part is properly mapped to the skin.<\/i><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"join-objects\"><\/span>Join Objects<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>For clarity and ease of editing the characters body parts are not joined together, they remain independently selectable objects. As an option however, once the Steve is assembled (he has both left and right arms and legs in place) the parts can be attached together using <b>Join<\/b>; shift-click each object then from the <b>Object<\/b> menu select <b>Join<\/b> [4] &#8211; <b><i>Object \u00bb Join<\/i><\/b> (<span class=\"shortcutkey\">Ctrl<\/span> + <span class=\"shortcutkey\">J<\/span>). By way of confirmation the Outliner will list a single object instance [5] &#8211; <i>joining can be done at any point but preference would be to wait until all the characters parts have been made and reset to avoid issues and additional work<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/join-objects.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/join-objects.jpg\" alt=\"Joining objects (optional)\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>After duplication the characters body parts remain separate so they can be selected individually. They can however, be attached using <b>Join<\/b> [4], which then displays a single editable object in the 3D Viewport and Outliner [5].<\/i><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"mesh-articulation\"><\/span>Mesh Articulation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>When setting up the characters rig, if extra bones are added to give the impression of upper\/lower arm and leg movement, the corresponding mesh parts will need to be cut to accommodate &#8216;elbow&#8217; and &#8216;knee&#8217; articulation [6]. This can be done using loop cuts. For each object, in <b>Edit Mode<\/b> click the <b>Loop Cut<\/b> button [7] in the Toolbar, or use <span class=\"shortcutkey\">Ctrl<\/span> + <span class=\"shortcutkey\">R<\/span>, to activate the tool and place the cuts at each limbs mid-points [8] &#8211; <i>if the toolbar tool is used, once active click the appropriate edge to place a cut; if the shortcut is used to activate, mouse over an edge, click to select, then click again to place (right-click auto-centres)<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/loopcuts.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/loopcuts.jpg\" alt=\"Loop cuts\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>For more complex articulation of the character additional bones can be added but this then also means loop cuts [6] need to be added using the <b>Loop Cut<\/b> tool [7] to place &#8216;elbow&#8217; and &#8216;knee&#8217; joints [8].<\/i><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"auto-keyframing\"><\/span>Auto Keyframing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>To make the animation process easier, before switching to the Action Editor, in the <b>Timeline Editor<\/b> enable <b>Auto Keying<\/b> to automatically insert a keyframe whenever bones are manipulated. This can be set to specifically record the necessary <b>Location &#038; Rotation<\/b>, or <b>Location, Rotation &#038; Scale<\/b> datasets from the <b>Keying<\/b> menu. To do this, in the <b>Timeline<\/b> click the <b>Keying<\/b> menu. In the options pop-up that appears click the <b>Active Keying Set<\/b> input field and select <b>Location &#038; Rotation<\/b> or <b>Location, Rotation &#038; Scale<\/b> from the list. In addition ensure <b>New Keyframe Type<\/b> is set to <b>Keyframe<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/auto-insert-keyframe.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/minecraft\/auto-insert-keyframe.jpg\" alt=\"Auto-insert Keyframes\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>Before animating enable <b>Auto Keying<\/b>. This can be set to automatically insert <b>Rotation, Location<\/b> and\/or <b>Scale<\/b> [10] data when bones [11] are posed.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"timestamps\"><\/span>Timestamps<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Times are approximate;<br \/>\n&#8211; 00:00: Scene Setup &#038; Meshing<br \/>\n&#8211; 06:00: Materials &#038; UVs<br \/>\n&#8211; 37:00: Armature &#038; Rigging<br \/>\n&#8211; 52:00: Animation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,967,32,230],"tags":[622,961,962,349,909,785,869,761,663,960],"class_list":["post-7011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blender","category-minecraft-2","category-texturing","category-tutorials","tag-animation","tag-auto-insert","tag-generated-image","tag-loop-cut","tag-material-preview","tag-minecraft","tag-rig","tag-rigging","tag-snap-to-pixels","tag-steve"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7011"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7187,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7011\/revisions\/7187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}