Using BSurfaces with Blender
What is it?
BSurfaces is a is a Blender add-on modeling tool that combines freehand strokes, beziér curves and loose edges to generate polygonal surfaces.
What's the tutorial?
BSurfaces
- If you don't have Blender installed, download it from blender.org and install it.
- Download BSurfaces_v15_for_blender_263.zip
- Open Blender
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- Open User Preferences
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- Navigate to Addons
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- If you have BSurfaces GPL Edition vo.9 active, deactivate it
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- Click Install Addon... to install the BSurfaces.py
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- Navigate to Editing
- Disable the option Smooth strokes if it is enabled.
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- Click on Save As Default
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- Create a New Document (File>New Document)
To find the BSurfaces panel, select a mesh object, go to Edit Mode, and navigate to the bottom of the 3D view toolshelf:
- Press X and click on Delete to delete the default cube
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- Press SHIFT+A to add a mesh plane
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- Click on Object Modifiers
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- Click on Add Modifier and add a Subdivision modifier
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- Set View to 2:
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- Add a second viewport by dragging the upper right corner over to the left.
- Toggle off the Toolshelf by pressing T.
- Set the left side to Top Ortho (7,5)
- Set the right viewport to Right Ortho (3,5)
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- In Top Ortho view add a Curve>Beziér CircleSHIFT+A
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- Your circle will be slightly larger than your plane. Press S and scale the circle to fit the plane
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- Press Tab to go to Edit Mode
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- Press SHIFT+D to duplicate the curve. Then press G and Z to move the duplicated curve up. Then press S to scale the curve
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- Continue to duplicate, move and scale as desired:
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- Press Tab to go to Object Mode
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- You want to add the plane to the curve. RIGHT+click on the plane
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- Press Tab to go to Edit Mode
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- Navigate to the Bsurface panel and select Add Surface
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- In the new panel that appears enable Cyclic Follow
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- In the new panel that appears adjust the Cross and the Follow values
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- Press Tab to go to Object Mode
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- Click on Object Modifiers
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- Click on Add Modifier and add a Solidify modifier
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- Adjust the parameters of the modifier
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- To export the model as an STL, select the model then choose File>Export>STL(stl).
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- Give the file a name with the .stl extension and save.
- Slice and print. You will need to scale the model up in ReplicatorG or MakerWare in order to get a decent vase.
Now what?
- Upload your vase to Thingiverse
- Come back tomorrow for more information and inspiration!