- So you're a design
professional or visual artist and you need a 3D model
for a project or client. You know how to work in
2D whether that's creating a hand sketch, a digital image
or even a CAD file or PDF, but how do you go from that to this? Hey guys, Alex here from Blender Academy. We've helped thousands
of professionals like you learn the right way to tackle this part of the creative process
and avoid the common frustrating mistakes
that often trip people up along the way. I get it, building a 3D
model from 2D references can be a daunting task and if you're like many of my students you're
probably asking yourself, where do I even start? So today I'm gonna share
with you the five key things you need to know to
start creating a 3D model from 2D references in Blender. But first, a quick warning. This video isn't for
beginners who are completely new to Blender. You should at least be familiar
with the concepts we cover in our Getting Started with Blender video. I've added a link to that
video in the description. All right, let's bring
up the list and dive right into number one, import a 2D image. So you'll be creating a new
blender model from scratch. Ensure you could toggle
back and forth and back and forth between your reference
image and your new model. Trying to make sure you
translate every detail correctly and don't leave anything out. But that would be a
slow inefficient process that would likely result
in mistakes that could end up costing you a ton of
time to try to fix later. Instead, you can actually
import your 2D images directly into your blender modeling space so you'll be able to
quickly and accurately trace and build right
on top of your image. Let's talk about how to do
this with a simple example but keep in mind, you
can follow this process with any type of 2D image
you need to reference. In our example, say we've got
a top down or plan view image of a piece of furniture
we wanna model in Blender. The first thing we'll wanna do is start with a view that matches
the view in the image. So for this example,
we pick the Z direction either by pressing seven on the number pad or clicking Z in the navigation gizmo. Next press shift A and pick
the option for image reference. Then pick the image file and
click load reference file. All right, now you've
imported your reference file and it's facing the correct direction. You're ready for the next tip. Number two, set the correct scale. Before you dive in and
start building your 3D model from your reference image
you'll need to make sure it's set to the correct scale. That way everything you model off of it will be the correct
size and not way too big or way too small. How do you do that? First, I always recommend
quickly checking your files unit settings to make sure they're set up how you want them, to do that click on the scene properties. Under units, I've got my unit
system set to Imperial Niches but you can use whatever
you need for your model. Once you've got your unit set correctly select the imported image,
press S and you can scale the image based on the underlying grid. If you need to move the
image you can press G and move it where you want it to be. Then click to set it down. I always recommend scaling your image before you build anything on top of it even if it's just a conceptual
sketch or rough idea. That way, if you need
to move or adjust things in precise ways later,
you'll avoid the headache that comes with things
not being sized correctly. So set your your scale
now, your future self will thank you. (glistening music) Thanks, man. I got you. All right. You're all set to start
creating your 3D model on top of your reference image. But hold on, since we're building in 3D often you'll have multiple
images of different angles that you'll need to reference. That's where the next tip comes in. Number three, import
additional reference angles. To model something
accurately you'll often need to import elevations sections and details into Blender as well. In order to do that you'll
follow a similar set of steps to what we just did. Only you'll start off
by selecting the view that matches your
additional reference image. For instance, if we had a side
or elevation view to import we'd press one on our
number pad or click Y on the navigation gizmo. Then follow the same
steps to import the image. Then scale it only this
time, you wanna be sure that you're moving and
scaling the new image relative to the original image
you already brought in. Ideally, pick a spot in one
image that you can match up with a spot in the other image,
and you can keep doing this for as many images and
angles as you'd like. All right, you've got your
reference images imported, scaled and in the right place. Only now you're probably
thinking, hey, all these images are in the way of me
actually modeling anything. That's where the next tip comes in. Number four, show and
hide only what you need. But real quick, before we get
too much further, we're going over a lot of ground in this
video, so I've gone ahead and put together a free set of
notes that will make it easy for you to review
everything we're covering. I've added a link to download
them in the description. All right, back to the list. As you build off of your reference images there are times where
you'll wanna see one angle in order to model things
accurately while hiding others. There are also times where you'll want all of the reference images
hidden in order to get a clear view of what you're working on. Luckily Blender has a built-in
feature that allows you to easily set up your images
so that they only appear when you need them and get
out of the way when you don't. Here's how. Click on one of the images to select it. Then click on the object data
properties for that image. Uncheck the box next to perspective. The image will disappear, but don't worry that's actually what we want
as we'll see in a moment. Now, repeat the same
steps for the other images you imported. Select the image and in
the object data properties uncheck the box next to perspective. Okay, you're probably thinking wait a minute now I can't see any of my reference images,
but here's the trick. Try pressing seven on your number pad or click Z on the navigation gizmo and the plan view reference image appears. Now, try orbiting to a
perspective view, it disappears. Try the same for the Y or X-axis. When you're in those
views the corresponding elevation images you
brought in will appear, and again, Blender
automatically hides them, when you orbit to a perspective view. In this way you can quickly
switch views referencing your 2D source images to make
sure your 3D model is accurate from every angle, but
then also have the freedom to work on your model
in a perspective view without the reference
images getting in the way. Pretty cool, right? (glistening music) Like that tip, don't forget
to give this video alike. All right, we've made it
to our last tip number five how to work with different 2D file types. If you're a creative
professional, you know you'll often need to import
other 2D reference files beyond the types of images
we've been covering. The two most common roadblocks
people hit with this are when they need to
import PDFs or CAD files. Let's quickly discuss
how to deal with both. First importing PDFs. Unfortunately, Blender doesn't allow you to import PDF files. This can drive some people crazy as PDFs are a common file type
for reference material but here are a couple quick workarounds if you're facing this issue. One method is to convert
the PDF to an image file such as a PNG or JPEG. If you use Adobe Acrobat,
there is an option to export your PDF to an image under file, export to Image. Mac users can also export
a PDF as an image file using the preview app under file export. A second workaround is
to take a screenshot on both PCs and Macs, grab
a screenshot of the PDF. Screenshots are automatically
saved in an image file format which you can then import
into Blender following the same steps we already covered. And what about importing a CAD file? If you're looking to import a CAD file from a 2D drafting program like AutoCAD you'll see that by default
Blender doesn't allow it. However, this option is available for free by using an add-on. Add-ons can be thought of
like plug-ins, extensions or additional scripts that
extend Blender's functionality. We won't go too deep into
add-ons in this video. For now, just know that
you have the ability to add the option for importing CAD files by going to the edit menu and
selecting preferences add-ons, then search for AutoCAD
and check the box next to import AutoCAD DXF format option. Close the Blender preferences window and now when you go to the import menu you'll see the option
to import a .DXF file. Let's quickly try it with
our same furniture example. Since there are a couple
of additional things you should know when importing
a CAD file for reference, as we did earlier we'll
press seven on our number pad or click Z in the navigation gizmo to get to a top down view. Then import the .DXF file. Note that we can now see the elements of our imported file
listed in the outliner. Next, we'll wanna check
that our imported CAD file is scaled correctly. After double checking
our files, unit settings let's measure something
in the imported drawing to make sure it's correct. Now, one of the great things
about using a CAD file as a reference is that Blender can snap to or automatically detect
the endpoints and edges in your file. Let's try it. Click on the measure tool,
then hold down the control key to enable snapping, click
and hold down on one vertex and drag your mouse to
the opposite vertex. Let go once you snap to it
to see if the measurement is correct. What if your CAD file didn't
import at the correct scale? We can quickly solve that with math. Let's say our measurement
came out to 12 feet but that segment should
only be three feet. That means we'll wanna scale
down our reference CAD file by a factor of 0.25 or
25% so that everything in the file measures correctly. To do that, select your reference CAD file in the outliner by clicking on
the first item holding shift then clicking on the last item. That will select everything
in between, press S for scale then type the scale factor
0.25, and press enter and it will scale everything together. Lastly, we'll need to apply the scale press control A and
select scale to apply it. Check the measurement now,
and it should be three feet. (glistening music) (dinging) All right, you made it
through the five key things you need to know to
start creating a 3D model from 2D references in
Blender and now you're set up to trace, build on and adapt your 2D files into a 3D model as you see fit. Of course, there's a lot
that goes into building a great 3D model on top
of your 2D references but that's too much to
get into in one video. However, if you're just
getting started with Blender and can't afford to waste
time or pick up bad habits I recommend checking out
our video course library, where you'll find courses
covering everything you need to learn to begin creating
3D models and Blender the right way. Head over to our website to learn more and try our courses for free. And if you're not ready to
try our courses just yet be sure to check out this video. Until next time, happy Blending. (playful music) Thanks man. (playful music) (glistening music)
