Thursday 11 June 2020

Donkey to Mule: Making Blender like other programs

So you're not content with stock Blender (who would be?) coming from different 3D software or just starting off, heres a collection of addons and tweaks to make Blender not be Blender.

And heres some videos that may come in handy if you're coming from Maya to Blender..
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5gK0C5TrIwdLSZHPnr9Up6LjhbIiFTJv

3DS Max to Blender..
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFR9irzqqKRp7rCwrRSKE9pIIxfj0Dl7G

From Lightwave to Blender..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wiemijKA40&feature=youtu.be&list=PLQTNAvZfxupaePLVGOKTmoRONwzCn51Kv

Modo users dipping their toes into Blender have their own thread on the forum..
https://blenderartists.org/t/for-modo-user-switching-to-blender-2-8/1145429


Unfamiliar Keybinds?:
Blender offers two sets of key configs, Default and Industry Standard, which is reminiscent of other
programs like Max and Maya.

You might be put off by the different terminology that Blender has gone about and used in some cases, here's a page that attempts to translate that (Its a pretty old article though).
http://annex2nothing.com/modelling-in-blender-and-maya/

If you want to keep the keymap nearby inside Blender for reference you could use the image editor to display an infographic such as this (It changes with each release), or use the inbuilt text editor to hold stuff.

An addon that has some context sensitive in window display of keybinds is in the companion to the Speedflow addon.

Creating/Drawing Primitives:
With Qblocker you can get interactive drawing of primitives seen in other programs.
https://blenderartists.org/t/qblocker-for-blender-2-8/1146607
https://gumroad.com/l/goev



This is addon might help until a native solution is added in, which you can see the progress of here.
https://developer.blender.org/T57210

Smarter Quicker Context Deletion:
With Maxi Vazquez's tools you can setup Blender to delete something depending on what selection mode you are in much like in 3DS Max/Maya.
Just bind this to the existing delete button.
https://blenderartists.org/t/interactive-tools-for-blender-2-8/1164932
https://gumroad.com/l/ynJmIV

Maya Extrude Shift Drag:
Maxi Vazquez's tools also attempts to replicate this.
https://blenderartists.org/t/interactive-tools-for-blender-2-8/1164932
https://gumroad.com/l/ynJmIV


Maya cutting behavior:
With Blender's default behavior for the cutting tool, ending clicking in the face with the intention to create a vertex there does not create it, it does so after hitting enter.

Multicut Tool:
Maya's multicut tool is replicated somewhat and expanded upon with this addon.
https://gumroad.com/l/yAXEj

Modo Pen Tool/Maya Quad Draw:
The inbuilt solution closest to this is the polybuild tool but it isnt really suitable.
An addon that is close is the Polyquilt addon.
https://blenderartists.org/t/polyquilt-addon-for-blender-2-8/1168918
https://github.com/sakana3/PolyQuilt

A new alternative is quick shape.
https://gumroad.com/l/tOWta

Maya Shelf:
Theres currently a GSOC project looking into making a native version of this.
https://devtalk.blender.org/t/gsoc-2020-idea-to-improve-the-custom-menu-idea/12275

Heres an addon that does do this somewhat.
https://github.com/OtherRealms/Favourites-Panel

Maya Pivot Transform Tool:
https://blenderartists.org/t/friendly-pivot-for-blender-2-80/1216820

Maya Polyextrudeface2:
https://blenderartists.org/t/blender-addon-extrude-and-insert-like-maya/1233923

Automatic Lattice to Selection:
With Maxi Vazquez's tools you can do this easily.
https://gumroad.com/l/ynJmIV


Other addons such as Speedflow (In it's companion addon) has this too.

Set Flow Operator:
This popular tool from Max/Maya is replicated in the Edge Flow addon.
https://github.com/BenjaminSauder/EdgeFlow

Quick Subd Hotkeys:
https://blenderartists.org/t/neltulz-quick-subd-1-0-7-blender-2-8/1197864

Quadview:
Blender UI is predominately focused on using a single window, which has meant design decisions in its favor and possibly at the expense of multiple views. (Don't get people started on floating windows either)

Theres three ways you could about this getting this kind of workspace
1. Use the native inbuilt quadview feature [Ctrl+Alt+Q] which splits one viewport into four, consisting of your regular view and three orthographic views which you can unlock if you go into the n bar, however these views aren't save if you go out of it to focus on one window.
2. Split Blender into four separate viewports, this however means you will get four separate instances of the toolbar and addon bar unlike in the quadview feature and they're all smaller.
3. Split Blender into four separate viewports plus two extra windows for your toolbar and addon bar,
which might have an impact on performance.

3DSesque Modifier List:
Closest you can get to this is with the Modifier list addon.
https://github.com/Symstract/modifier_list



3DS Max Arraying:
Similar implementation as a Blender addon.
https://blenderartists.org/t/array-tools-all-in-one-for-translation-scale-and-rotation-array/1170295

3DS Max Swift Loop:
Similar implementation is a part of the polyquilt addon.
https://blenderartists.org/t/polyquilt-addon-for-blender-2-8/1168918
https://github.com/sakana3/PolyQuilt

Modo Action Centres:
https://blenderartists.org/t/modo-me-modo-like-action-centers-in-blender-smart-action-centers-and-axis-management/1145899

Modo Work planes:
You can get something close but nowhere near as advanced with the 3D cursor and a custom orientation to do your transforms.
https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2431381/#Comment_2431381

Alternatively
https://blenderartists.org/t/for-modo-user-switching-to-blender-2-8/1145429/305

There was an addon that was doing this in an earlier version of Blender, but it seems to have been abandoned. https://github.com/BenjaminSauder/Workplane

Modo Measure Tool:
Something similar is contained within the Kekit Blender addon by a Modo user.
https://blenderartists.org/t/kekit-for-blender-2-8/1200740

Smoothing groups:
With Blender you don't have face groups exactly nor edge groups, but has vertex groups. (Perhaps another thing that people should go onto the devtalk and raise.)
To get the smoothing you want you need to use smooth along with the mark sharps option and outline faces that that you want grouped then set an angle to autosmooth.

Sketchup-esque Extrusion:
A native solution is being worked on for Blender 2.9, but heres a somewhat useful addon that does it too.
https://blenderartists.org/t/destructive-extrude-beta/678275

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