Installing character

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00

Hi, I have been animating in DAZ for a while but now I want to have a go using Blender. I've looked at a basic tutorial using the character Rain and downloaded it from Blender cloud, but can't find any advice on how to actaully install it into Blender. When I go to Import I get a list of file types but don't know which one to pick to navigate to the download

Any advice please?

thanks

TheMysteryIsThePoint

You can open the blend file directly, or better would be to "File | Append" and then navigate to the blend file.

But to be honest, Rain has a state-of-the-art rig and might be a bit ambitious if you've never animated in Blender before. I would work through something like Pierrick Picaut's The Art of Effective Rigging first.

Good luck, and enjoy!

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00

Many thanks TMTP, That was easy!

I will however, take your advice and look at the tutorial first, I am happy to pay for such things :)

TheMysteryIsThePoint

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00 said:

Many thanks TMTP, That was easy!

I will however, take your advice and look at the tutorial first, I am happy to pay for such things :)

Yes, a good rig does so much to make things easier for you, but many of those things are not apparent from just looking at it. It may seem like "Ooh, look! If I grab this box and move it, the foot and leg bend naturally!" is already worth the cost, but that really doesn't touch 10% of what the control rig is going to do for you.

After rigging in Blender all makes sense to you, I highly recommend a follow-up product by the same author that is being heralded as probably the best Blender animation tutorial of all time, Alive!

I have accepted that doing animation well is not the sort of thing where a lay person just sits down and does it. It is truly a craft that requires learning and practice. But the good part is that the saying that "anyone can learn to draw at least half-way decently" appears to be true and also applies to animation as well.

I've pretty much stopped all of my projects because I now understand that I've been doing everything wrong in really, really primitive ways, not the way a professional animator would.

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00 said:

Many thanks TMTP, That was easy!

I will however, take your advice and look at the tutorial first, I am happy to pay for such things :)

Yes, a good rig does so much to make things easier for you, but many of those things are not apparent from just looking at it. It may seem like "Ooh, look! If I grab this box and move it, the foot and leg bend naturally!" is already worth the cost, but that really doesn't touch 10% of what the control rig is going to do for you.

After rigging in Blender all makes sense to you, I highly recommend a follow-up product by the same author that is being heralded as probably the best Blender animation tutorial of all time, Alive!

I have accepted that doing animation well is not the sort of thing where a lay person just sits down and does it. It is truly a craft that requires learning and practice. But the good part is that the saying that "anyone can learn to draw at least half-way decently" appears to be true and also applies to animation as well.

I've pretty much stopped all of my projects because I now understand that I've been doing everything wrong in really, really primitive ways, not the way a professional animator would.

Wise words there, I do understand this sort of thing is not plug and play. Happy to learn, in fact I would rather take the time to educate myself before going down the trial and error trail

Once again, many thanks

Krys Kryngle

@TheMysteryIsThePoint - I was thinking about learning some animation.  The Alive! tutorial got a lot of hype.  Would you recommend that one over any other animation tutorials currently out there?

TheMysteryIsThePoint

Krys Kryngle said:

@TheMysteryIsThePoint - I was thinking about learning some animation.  The Alive! tutorial got a lot of hype.  Would you recommend that one over any other animation tutorials currently out there?

@Krys Kryngle I think it is largely a personal choice, but personally, I would, and I've bought a few. In my opinion, he's a really good teacher that explains the "why" behind the what, and being a Blender Certified Trainer, his knowledge second to none.

Another thing, a small thing but a meaningful thing, is that he numbers and organizes each video and each one is relatively short, covering just one concept so you can just keep watching it over and over in bed :) until it really sinks in and you're ready to go on to the next lesson. It just jibes well with my particular learning style.

One, and the only, caveat I would give is that Alive! does, but The Art of Effective Rigging does not have subtitles, and Pierrick's French accent is quite thick and he sometimes makes trivial pronunciation errors. It is almost always obvious what he meant, and it has never distracted from the content, but others might be put off. I am not.

My two favorite paid Blender tutorials are both by him.

TheMysteryIsThePoint

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00 said:

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00 said:

Many thanks TMTP, That was easy!

I will however, take your advice and look at the tutorial first, I am happy to pay for such things :)

Yes, a good rig does so much to make things easier for you, but many of those things are not apparent from just looking at it. It may seem like "Ooh, look! If I grab this box and move it, the foot and leg bend naturally!" is already worth the cost, but that really doesn't touch 10% of what the control rig is going to do for you.

After rigging in Blender all makes sense to you, I highly recommend a follow-up product by the same author that is being heralded as probably the best Blender animation tutorial of all time, Alive!

I have accepted that doing animation well is not the sort of thing where a lay person just sits down and does it. It is truly a craft that requires learning and practice. But the good part is that the saying that "anyone can learn to draw at least half-way decently" appears to be true and also applies to animation as well.

I've pretty much stopped all of my projects because I now understand that I've been doing everything wrong in really, really primitive ways, not the way a professional animator would.

Wise words there, I do understand this sort of thing is not plug and play. Happy to learn, in fact I would rather take the time to educate myself before going down the trial and error trail

Once again, many thanks

At least the trail is kind of fun :) Good luck!

malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00

TheMysteryIsThePoint thanks my friend, I'm going in!