Rick's Blog

Mar
24
2023

IOTM - Piazza San Marco - Are Geometry Nodes the Best Way To Model Complex Architecture?

My Image Of The Month (IOTM) series has been delayed by many things.  One of those is the complexity of modeling detailed buildings.  I get lost in the details.  With the recent addition and improvements to Blender's Geometry Nodes, I wondered if that would be a good workflow for some of these buildings with complex but repetitive elements.

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May
22
2020

Architecture Visualization - A California Bungalow

When a family member moved to a different house, I decided to memorialize their old house with a 3-D model and associated visualization.  It had been at least six months since I had done anything architecture-related and I was pleasantly surprised to find that both the Blender 2.8X update and associated Add-Ons continue to make the workflow better and faster!

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Apr
22
2020

Terrain in Blender - Option 2: Mirage

Terrain From Heightmap - Wasatch Front, Northern Utah

In my first post about creating terrain in Blender, I discussed using BlenderGIS to combine multiple georeferenced sources into a single terrain.  This post will deal with the addon, Mirage, which I feel is better suited to creating either imaginary terrain, or terrain from an existing heightmap and then adding procedural rocks, trees, vegetation, snow, etc. as material(s) on that mesh.

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Apr
21
2020

Terrain in Blender - Option 1: BlenderGIS

Wasatch Range, Northern Utah

I have tried creating environments in Blender and other 3D programs.  Usually it involved a lot of time and effort and resulted in frustration.  Part of my problem was that I tried to create too much of the world that was never to be seen by the camera, leading me to my Lessons Learned #1.  I've recently experimented with two Blender add-ons that make the process easier; BlenderGIS and Mirage.  They each have their strengths, depending on what you want to do.

Continue reading
Apr
13
2020

OpenFOAM Baby Steps - Calculating Lift and Drag (Episode 3)

Total Lift and Drag Displayed on Wing Segment

 This is the second in a series. You can start the series here. Building on the previous episode of 3D airflow over a wing section, this episode calculates the lift and drag.

Continue reading
Mar
25
2019

Publish or Perish - Chapter 2

Despite having other items which I would like to get done, I am making an honest effort to publish something to Sketchfab each month.  This month, I did a quick interior home office/library model.  I used some great props available on BlendSwap (credits for the props are included in the Sketchfab description) that helped minimiz...

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Mar
08
2019

The SketchFab Learning Curve

​My previous SketchFab model uploads were really only a way for me to dip my toe into the water.  This time I went for the whole foot, maybe even half-calf!  I attempted to upload my farm house model to SketchFab.  This model had two particle systems and multiple texture- and procedurally-based materials.  I'm considering the at...

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Nov
13
2018

Spring Cleaning in November

There is a reason I keep putting off the task of cleaning up most of my 'old' models--those projects that I tinkered with for a while before moving on to the next shiny thing:  they are a mess!  But getting this house model to a level where I can display it takes me one step closer to cleaning out my junk! 

Continue reading

Rick's Blog

Mar
24
2023

IOTM - Piazza San Marco - Are Geometry Nodes the Best Way To Model Complex Architecture?

My Image Of The Month (IOTM) series has been delayed by many things.  One of those is the complexity of modeling detailed buildings.  I get lost in the details.  With the recent addition and improvements to Blender's Geometry Nodes, I wondered if that would be a good workflow for some of these buildings with complex but repetitive elements.

Continue reading
May
22
2020

Architecture Visualization - A California Bungalow

When a family member moved to a different house, I decided to memorialize their old house with a 3-D model and associated visualization.  It had been at least six months since I had done anything architecture-related and I was pleasantly surprised to find that both the Blender 2.8X update and associated Add-Ons continue to make the workflow better and faster!

Continue reading
Apr
22
2020

Terrain in Blender - Option 2: Mirage

Terrain From Heightmap - Wasatch Front, Northern Utah

In my first post about creating terrain in Blender, I discussed using BlenderGIS to combine multiple georeferenced sources into a single terrain.  This post will deal with the addon, Mirage, which I feel is better suited to creating either imaginary terrain, or terrain from an existing heightmap and then adding procedural rocks, trees, vegetation, snow, etc. as material(s) on that mesh.

Continue reading
Apr
21
2020

Terrain in Blender - Option 1: BlenderGIS

Wasatch Range, Northern Utah

I have tried creating environments in Blender and other 3D programs.  Usually it involved a lot of time and effort and resulted in frustration.  Part of my problem was that I tried to create too much of the world that was never to be seen by the camera, leading me to my Lessons Learned #1.  I've recently experimented with two Blender add-ons that make the process easier; BlenderGIS and Mirage.  They each have their strengths, depending on what you want to do.

Continue reading
Apr
13
2020

OpenFOAM Baby Steps - Calculating Lift and Drag (Episode 3)

Total Lift and Drag Displayed on Wing Segment

 This is the second in a series. You can start the series here. Building on the previous episode of 3D airflow over a wing section, this episode calculates the lift and drag.

Continue reading
Mar
25
2019

Publish or Perish - Chapter 2

Despite having other items which I would like to get done, I am making an honest effort to publish something to Sketchfab each month.  This month, I did a quick interior home office/library model.  I used some great props available on BlendSwap (credits for the props are included in the Sketchfab description) that helped minimiz...

Continue reading
Mar
08
2019

The SketchFab Learning Curve

​My previous SketchFab model uploads were really only a way for me to dip my toe into the water.  This time I went for the whole foot, maybe even half-calf!  I attempted to upload my farm house model to SketchFab.  This model had two particle systems and multiple texture- and procedurally-based materials.  I'm considering the at...

Continue reading
Nov
13
2018

Spring Cleaning in November

There is a reason I keep putting off the task of cleaning up most of my 'old' models--those projects that I tinkered with for a while before moving on to the next shiny thing:  they are a mess!  But getting this house model to a level where I can display it takes me one step closer to cleaning out my junk! 

Continue reading