Blender Tutorial: Ukulele Part 1 of 4

this is the first in a four-part video series that demonstrates how to use blender to make this ukulele in this first video I'll be making the body of the ukulele in the second video I'll be making the neck and the third video will cover the tuners in the last video I'll demonstrate how to make the strings this includes wrapping the strings around the tuner post and adding twists to them on the other end this ukulele has a lot of different parts so we'll be doing a lot of modeling I'll be using blender version 2.7 7 a let's start by creating a new project so from the file menu select - new and then click on reload startup file to make it easier to see the scale and location of the objects that we'll be adding switch from perspective to orthographic view by pressing 5 on the number pad now delete the cube by right-clicking on it to make sure that it's selected and then press X sometimes when multiple objects need to be aligned it can be helpful if the objects were created at the same starting location since objects are added at the location of the 3d cursor it will be common to see me recenter the 3d cursor before adding new objects I'm doing this just in case the 3d cursor was accidentally moved so let's recenter it now to do that press shift S and select cursor to Center now let's add a circle so press shift a then select mesh and then circle verify that the circle has 32 vertices now press the period on the number pad to center it and zoom in then press 7 on the number pad for top view if you don't have a number pad then you can open the View menu and use view selected instead of the period and you can switch to the different views with these selections now press tab for edit mode and verify that the vertex select button is selected this will allow us to select individual vertices we're going to select the two vertices right above the center so right click to select the first one and shift right click to add the second one to the selection then enable proportional editing and set the fall-off to smooth this will allow us to affect not only the selected vertices but nearby vertices as well now press s to scale when you do this you'll see a white circle which defines the area that will be used for proportional editing all of the vertices within the circle will be affected the size of the circle can be changed by using the scroll wheel so set the size to be slightly passed to the bottom vertices now if you move the mouse you can see how the vertices are affected you can also enter a value which is what I'm going to do so enter 0.4 and then press Enter next we're going to flatten the top and bottom a little so right-click the top vertex to select it and then press G to move it keep the white circle set to its current size then press Y to restrict movement to the y-axis and enter minus 0.1 then press Enter then right click the bottom vertex and press G then Y then Point 1 then enter now let's widen the top part a little so in the top portion right click the vertex on the right side at the widest point then shift right click the opposite vertex to add it to the selection then press s to scale use the scroll wheel and resize the white circle so that it's just over the two narrowest vertices then enter 1 point 1 and then enter now disable proportional editing next press a twice to select all of the vertices then press e to extrude we're going to extrude these vertices to the same location as the original ones so just right click now scale down in size by pressing s then points 1 then enter then move these vertices up by pressing G then Y then point 3 5 then enter these vertices are now located inside the area where the soundhole will be located now add a face inside the vertices by pressing F later we're going to be adding a subdivision surface modifier so to keep this surface flat we're going to be adding some more geometry by adding loop cuts loop cuts are done in two steps first the edges that will be cut are selected then the loop is slid into position so for the first step press ctrl R for loop cut then position the cursor over one of the edges that will be cut and then click the left mouse button then for the second step drag the loop cut to the desired position and click the left mouse button again in this case I'm going to put it near the bottom edge now let's add another one so press ctrl R move the cursor to an edge and left click then drag and left-click again now we're going to add a thickness to this surface so press a twice to select all then extrude by pressing E then points four or five then enter now we'll add some more geometry to the side to help keep it flat so press ctrl R for loop cut position the cursor over one of the side edges and left click then slide it near the top if you look down in the left corner you can see how far the loop cut has been moved so slide it until it's about point nine five and then left click then press ctrl R again left click on the side edge and slide it near the bottom this time slide it until it's about minus point nine five and then left click now press tab for object mode then scale it up in size by pressing s then five point three then enter at this size one blender unit equals one-inch to see this press n to open the properties panel these dimensions now represent the object in inches now let's add a subdivision surface modifier and smooth it out so click the modifiers button then click add modifier and select subdivision surface set view and render values to - and click the smooth button now we're going to cut a sound hole in the top surface so start by centering the 3d cursor in case it moved so press shift s and select cursor to Center now add a circle by pressing shift a then mesh then circle then drag it up a little then scale it up in size by pressing s then 1.3 then enter set the Y location value to 1.8 for the X location value should be at 0 this is the position where will kept the hole now press n to close the properties panel next while the circle is still selected hold down the shift key and right-click on the body of the ukulele to add it to the selection it's important that the body of the ukulele is selected after the circle then press tab to enter edit mode now press 7 on the number pad for top view then click the knife project button this tool used the circle that we made to cut the hole now delete the selected faces by pressing X and select faces then press tab to return to object mode now right-click the circle so that it's the only object selected we're going to turn this into a decoration for the soundhole so increase it in size a little by pressing s then 1.02 then enter now press tab to enter edit mode then press a once or twice until the circle is selected then press e to extrude and right-click so that the vertices are extruded to the same position as the original vertices then scale by pressing s then points 8 then enter now we'll add a thickness to it so press a twice to select all then extrude by pressing E then - point 1 then enter we want the outside of this ring to have sharp edges so we're going to add some loop cuts so press ctrl R then move them out to one of the outside edges and left click then drag it all the way up and left click again now press ctrl R again move the mouse to one of the outside edges and left click then drag it all the way down and left click then add a loop cut to the top surface by pressing ctrl R then move the mouse to one of the edges on the top and left click then drag it all the way to the outside and left click now we're going to add a single loop cut to the inside edge so press ctrl R then move the mouse to one of the inside edges and left click now instead of sliding this loop into a new location it can be placed at the center by right clicking next we're going to add four loop cuts to the top so press ctrl R and move the mouse to one of the top edges then before clicking use the scroll wheel and increase the number of loop cuts to four and then left click then place these loop cuts in the center by right clicking now press tab to return to object mode then click add modifier and select subdivision surface set the view and render values to two and then click the smooth button to position this ring press n to open the properties panel and set the location value for the z axis to point zero zero one this positions the top surface of the Rings slightly above the surface of the main body this will prevent the materials from these surfaces from interfering with each other in areas where they may overlap now press n to close the properties panel next with the Rings still selected hold down shift and right-click the main body to add it to the selection then click the join button this will combine these two objects into a single object now find the circle object in the outliner and name it body this is a good time to save what I have so far so from the file menu I'll select save as I'm going to name it ukelele dot blend now let's add a mint to the object so click the material button and then click the new button then come up here and change this from blender render to cycles render then click the use nodes button name this material would will keep the diffuse surface type now click the button next to the white color and select image texture this will allow us to select a wood image to use for the surface I'm going to use this image you can find a link to it in the video description if you have another image that you'd like to use then you can use that instead after downloading the image click the Open button navigate to the image and select it to allow us to see how the rendered materials will look let's set up some lighting so press 3 on the number pad for right side view and zoom out then right click the lamp to select it and drag it to the left edge of the ukulele body then click the object data button if it's not already selected make sure the point lamp is selected and set the size to 3 then click the use nodes button and set the strength to 5000 next duplicate the lamp by pressing shift D and drag it to the right then with the lamps still selected hold down the shift key and right click the other lamp to add it to the selection then press 1 on the number pad for front view then duplicate the two lamps by pressing shift D and drag them to the bottom left now if you switch to rendered view you can see what this looks like so far we've already added the wood image so now we need to unwrap the ukulele body to make the wood image appear so switch back to solid view and right-click the body to select it then press tab to enter edit mode then press a once or twice until everything is selected then press 7 on the number pad for top view to unwrap the object press you and select project from view bounds this will project the wood image onto the body based on the current view so switch to rendered view to see what this looks like you'll notice that the grain of the wood on the side of the body is running up and down we're going to unwrap the sides separately so that the grain will run left and right so switch back to solid view then rotate the view to the small end of the body and zoom in make sure the edge select button is selected then right-click the top edge in the center to select it then hold down the shift key and right-click the middle edge to add it to the selection then while still holding the shift key right-click on the bottom edge to add it to the selection now from the mesh menu select edges and then mark seam for unwrapping purposes the seam represents a break in the mesh so that the mesh can be laid out flat we're putting the seam here because it will be covered up when we add the neck of the ukulele now we're going to select all the faces around the side of the body so click the face select button to select all of the center faces around the side hold down the Alt key and right click this edge now we're going to add this top row of faces to the selection so hold down both the alt and the shift keys then right click at the centre of this short edge for this to work properly try to get as close to the center as possible before clicking if you right click when you're too close to one of these horizontal edges then the wrong faces will be selected now add the bottom row of faces to the selection so hold down both the alt and shift keys and then right click at the centre of this short edge next press u to unwrap and select unwrap then change the screen layout to UV editing at the bottom of the left window select the wood image that we added and zoom out then press a once or twice until all is selected these are the faces around the side of the ukulele body that we selected now press G to move and drag them up to the center then rotate 90 degrees by pressing R then 90 then enter then press s to scale and increase the size to almost the full height then scale it up in size on the x-axis by pressing s then X then 3 then enter now switch back to the default screen layout when I switch to rendered view you can see that the grain of the wood on the side is now running left and right now let's make some changes to the wood material to make it look more realistic so from the screen layout menu select compositing then click the shader nodes button to make more room to work I'll press n to close the properties panel down in the 3d window on the right switch to rendered view now let's mix in a glossy shader so press shift a and select shader and then mix shader' drop it on the connection coming out of the diffuse shader then press shift a and select shader and then glossy connect it to the bottom mix shader' input then set the roughness to point 1 now press shift a and select input and then layer weight connect the output to the factor input this will control how the diffuse and glossy shaders are blended together the surface areas that are angled away from the camera will use more of the glossy shader than the surface areas that are angled toward the camera now set the blend value to point zero three which seems to work well for this wood material next let's add a little texture to the wood we'll do this by adding a displacement to the material which will give the appearance of depth so press shift a and select converter and then math set the map type to multiply now connect the image color output to one of the multiply inputs connect the multiply output to the displacement input if you're using the same wood image that I'm using then set the multiply minus 0.1 this will give us a very slight texture my intent is for the surface to be mostly smooth with only a slight texture to add a little extra realism this value seems to work well with this image but you may need to use a different value if you're using a different wood image now switch back to the default screen layout this is what the wood material looks like now next we're going to make a design around the sound hole so switch to the UV editing layout then in the 3d View window on the right press 7 on the number pad for top view you can close the tool shelf by pressing T now drag the edge of this window until you can see the limit selection to visible button and click it this will help prevent us from accidentally selecting edges on the bottom side of the ukulele the sound hole has five rings of faces around it we're going to be using three of the Rings for decoration well first change the direction of the wood grain in these rings by unwrapping them then we'll change the color so start by making sure that the face select mode is selected then we're going to select the second ring of faces around the loop so hold down the Alt key and right-click in the center of this short edge then select the third ring of phases by holding down the shift and alt keys and right click in the center of this edge then while still holding the shift in alt Keys right click in the center of this edge to select the fifth ring of aces now from the mesh menu select edges and then mark seam then press u to unwrap and select unwrap you can see how these phases are unwrapped in the window on the left we're going to change the scale of the phases so in the left side window press a once or twice to select all the phases then scale down in size by pressing s then point 3 then enter now we're going to change the color of these rings so switch to the compositing screen layout let's make a change to this layout that will let us watch the color change as we make it so switch the bottom-left window to a 3d View window then zoom in on the Rings which two rendered view in the bottom-right window press seven on the number pad for top view then select solid view and like we did with the UV editing layout drag the edge of this window until you can see the limit selection to visible button and click it then zoom in on the Rings material button you may need to expand the panel on the right to bring the material button into view next click this plus button to add a new material slot then click the wood material then click this plus button to make a copy of the material and name it dark now click the assign button to assign this new material to the selected faces next we're going to add a hue/saturation node so that we can change the color so on the node editor window press shift a and select color and then hue/saturation drop it on the connection going into the diffuse shader change the saturation to 1.5 and the value to 0.3 this will make the color darker now we're going to deselect the outer ring of faces but keep the other two rings selected so hold down the shift and alt keys and right-click the centre of this short edge now from the Select menu select checkered deselect we're going to change the color of these remaining selected faces so click this plus button to add a new material slot then select the dark material now click this plus button to make a copy of the material and name it light then click the assign button to assign this new material to the selected faces then in the hue/saturation node change the saturation to 0.5 and the value to 2 this will make the color lighter to finish the decoration switch to edge select mode then hold down the Alt key and right click in the centre of this long edge then rotate by pressing R then 7 then enter now it's not real noticeable but this outside dark ring is a little thinner than these two inside rings to fix this we'll add a loop cut to the outside ring so press ctrl R put the mouse over the center of the short edge and left click then slide it all the way to the outside and left click again now the dark color extends all the way to the outside edge now switch to the default screen layout this is the soundhole decoration this is a good time to save what I have so far now press tab for object mode and also switch to solid view we're going to make the bridge of the ukulele now so let's hide the ukulele body so that it's not in our way to do that find it in the outliner and click the visibility button that looks like an eye now recenter the 3d cursor by pressing shift s and select cursor to Center then add a cube by pressing shift a then mesh then cube then press n to open the properties panel and set the X dimension to 0.46 the Y dimension to 0.35 and the Z dimension to 0.3 then press n to close the properties panel now press 1 on the number pad for front view and then press the period on the number pad to Center and zoom in on the cube next let's add a subdivision surface modifier so click the modifiers button then the add modifier button and select subdivision surface set the view and render values to 2 and then click the smooth button now press tab for edit mode we're going to make a hole through the middle of this cube so add 2 vertical loop cuts by pressing ctrl R then use the scroll wheel to make two loops and then left click then right click to Center them then scale on the x axis to move them closer together so press s then X then point 4 then enter now add 2 horizontal loop cuts so press control R use the scroll wheel to make two loops and left click then right click to Center them then scale on the z-axis to move them closer together so press s then Z then point six then enter now click the face select button then right click the center face to select it now press X to delete and select faces now rotate the view to the back and right click the middle face to select it then press X to delete and select faces now click the edge select button so that we can select edges then right-click on one of the center edges to select it then hold down the shift key and right click on the other 3 edges to add them to the selection then rotate the view to the front hold down the shift key and right-click on the four center edges to add them to the selection next we're going to add some faces between the front and back edges so from the mesh menu select edges and then bridge edge loops you may need to scroll to bring the bridge edge loop selection interview now rotate the view to the back we're going to raise the position of the hole on the backside so press a to deselect everything then select all six horizontal edges on the back so right click one of the edges then hold down the shift key and right click on the other 5 edges to add them to the selection then move the edges up on the z-axis by pressing G then Z then point 0 7 then enter now we're going to sharpen the front and back edges of the hole by adding a couple of loops inside the hole so press ctrl R position the mouse cursor on one of the edges running through the hole and left click then slide it all the way to the edge and left click now we'll do the same on the other side so rotate the view to the front then press ctrl R position the mouse cursor on one of the edges running through the hole and left click then slide it all the way to the front and left click now we're going to duplicate this cube 3 times so press 1 on the number pad for front view and zoom out then press a twice to select all then to duplicate and move on the x-axis press shift D then X then point four six then enter the reason that I used 0.46 is because that's the width of the cube now repeat this two more times so press shift D then X then point four six then enter then shift D then X then point four six then enter now we're going to turn this into a single mesh so switch to wireframe view then press a to deselect all now press B for border select and drag the selection box around the edges where the first two cubes meet then press B again and drag the selection box around the middle edges then press B again and drag the selection box around the edges where the last two cubes meet now click the remove doubles button this will merge the vertices that are in the same place if I rotate the view a little you can see that there are faces in between the cubes so press X to delete and select faces now we have a single mesh next we're going to lengthen the ends a little so press 1 on the number pad for front view then press a once or twice to deselect all then press B for border select and select the right side edges then move the edges on the x-axis by pressing G then X then points 1 then enter now press a to deselect all then press B and select the left side edges then press G then X then - points 1 then enter now switch back to solid view next rotate the view to the back we're going to add a loop cut below the holes so press ctrl R then left click right here then slide it up a little and left click again now switch to face select mode then press a once or twice to deselect all then while holding down the shift-key right-click on all the bottom row faces to select them now we're going to extrude these faces four times so press E then point one two then enter then e then point two three and enter then e then point one one then enter then e then point one two and enter next press seven on the number pad for top view then press a to deselect all then press B for border select and select the top row of faces then press B again and select the third row of faces now press three on the number pad for right side view then press e to extrude and drag the faces up until they are even with the faces on the left now press a to deselect all then switch to edge select mode then just slightly rotate the view now press B and select these edges then drag them to the right next press a to deselect all then switch to face select mode press B for border select and select the bottom row of faces then extrude by pressing e then point five then enter now we'll be doing this on the other side so rotate the view then press a to deselect all then press B and select the bottom row of faces then extrude by pressing E then point five then enter now we're going to add some loop cuts to sharpen some of the edges so press ctrl R for loop cut put the loop cut around the bottom edge and left click slide it all the way down and left click again then put a loop cut on this top left surface and slide it all the way to the left then put another loop cut on this same surface and slide it all the way to the right now rotate the view to the other side then put a loop cut on this top right surface and slide it all the way to the right then put another loop cut on the same surface and slide it all the way to the left now put a loop cut on this top surface and slide it all the way to the left then put a loop cut on this surface and slide it all the way to the right now put a loop cut above the holes and slide it all the way to the top then add a loop cut around the middle section and slide it all the way to the top then add a loop cut around the back section and slide it all the way to the top we have two more loop cuts to add so add a loop cut inside this groove and slide it all the way back then add another loop cut inside the groove and slide it all the way toward the front next let's unwrap the bridge and add a material to it so press a twice to select everything now press 1 on the number pad for front view then press 8 on the number pad three times to rotate the view so that both the top and front edges can be seen then press you for unwrap and select project from view bounds now we're going to change the direction of the wood grains so switch to the UV editing layout then in the UV image window on the left press a once or twice until everything is selected then rotate by pressing R then 90 then enter now switch back to the default screen layout then press tab for object mode next click the material button and select the dark material then click this plus button to make a copy and name it bridge now switch to the compositing screen layout then in the 3d window on the right zoom the view so that you can see the bridge then switch to rendered view next we're going to add a brightness contrast node to the material so in the node editor press shift a and select color and then bright contrast drop it on the connection going into the hue/saturation node set the bright value to points 4 and the contrast to 1.2 then in the hue/saturation node set the saturation to 0.7 and the value to 0.1 these values work well for the wood image that I'm using but if you're using a different image then you may want to experiment with other values next to make the bridge look less glossy change the glossy roughness value to 0.2 now switch back to the default screen layout now we're going to position the bridge on the main body of the ukulele we'll start by moving the origin point of the bridge to a Center so click the set origin button and select origin to geometry next find the body in the outliner and click the visibility button to make the body visible now press n to open the properties panel make sure that the bridge is still selected and then set the X location value to 0 and the Y location value to minus 2 now press 3 on the number pad for right side view and then press the period on the number path to center the bridge and zoom in then zoom in even more now move the bridge until it's positioned on the top surface of the body now we're going to add another piece to the bridge that's called the saddle the strings of the ukulele will rest on top of this piece so press shift s and select cursor to Center I'll zoom out so that I can see this better now press shift a and select mesh and then cube then drag it up above the ukulele set the X dimension to 2.07 the Y dimension to 0.11 and the Z dimension to 0.23 now press the period on the number pad to center it and zoom in then press n to close the properties panel next we're going to add a subdivision surface modifier to smooth it out so click the object modifiers button then click add modifier and select subdivision surface set the view and render values to 2 and then click the smooth button now press tab for edit mode now we're going to add three loop cuts to sharpen some of the edges so press ctrl R and add a loop cut around the outside edge and slide it all the way down then press ctrl R and add a loop cut around the top and bottom and drag it all the way to the left then press ctrl R to add another loop cut around the top and bottom and drag it all the way to the right now press tab to return to object mode next we're going to move the saddle into position so zoom out until you can see the saddle and the bridge then press 3 on the number pad for right side view then press G to move and drag it until it's close to the slot on the bridge then press the period on the number path to center it and then zoom in now adjust the position until it's all the way down and centered material so click the material button and select the wood material then click the plus button to make a copy and name it saddle then switch to the compositing screen layout we don't need the image texture node so right click to select it and press X to delete it we don't need the multiply node either so right-click to select it and press X to delete now change the diffuse color to a hex value of AC a 186 then set the glossy roughness value to 0.2 then set the layer weight blend value to 0.15 now switch back to the default screen layout now we're going to join the saddle the bridge and the body into a single object so with the saddle still selected hold down the shift key and right-click on the bridge and then right-click on the body to add them to the selection make sure that the body is the last object that's selected we're selecting it last because the new joint object will take the name of the last object that's selected now click the join button to join the three objects into a single object I'm going to save what I have so far now I'll zoom out a little and switch to rendered view to show you what this looks like this is the view from the other side well that concludes this video in the next video I'll demonstrate how to make the neck of the ukulele thanks for watching and please subscribe and leave a comment

Channel: tutor4u

Views: 147,194

Keywords: blender, 3d, node editor, cycles, cycles render, nodes, blender version 2.77a, how to, tutorial, tutorials, 2.77, tips, tricks, beginner, intermediate, Blender (Software), 3D Modeling

Id: UKxxXzSr5vM

Length: 40min 46sec (2446 seconds)

Published: Wed May 18 2016