Light setting in Blender
Hi, my name is Sergey Mingulin, I am a 3D artist and teacher on the creation of stylized 3D characters in XYZ. You can look at my projects here. Today we will continue to talk about visualization in Blender. The first part of the guide can be found at the link.
This material is dedicated to how to configure light in Viewport. I’ll tell you about the technical side of the work, I will give several useful tips on how to facilitate the process, and in addition, we will consider the nuances associated with the presentation of the model.
We will work in three windows. The first is working, without a render, where all cameras and light sources will be displayed. The second is already familiar to us Material Editor. And the third is a kind of visual demonstration: it will be displayed in it already a reverished picture from the angle of the selected camera.
To do this, in the right corner of the window in the Viewport shading, select Rendered.
For a faster iteration, I usually use Eeevee. Render in real time, which can work as a final render, or as an engine that controls the pre.Examination in real time when creating objects.
In our model there are objects with a Volume parameter. This makes it difficult to work because Eeevee takes Bounding Box, the extreme points along the three XYZ axes, which Volume becomes.
In our model there are objects with a Volume parameter. This makes it difficult to work because Eeevee takes Bounding Box, the extreme points along the three XYZ axes, which Volume becomes. You can fix this effect by changing the shaders with Volume, for example, to the basic Principled BSDF with conventional Emissive for each illeion. But this will require a separate tuning of the material for Eeevee. If we want the glow to be similar to the one that was configured for Cycles.
Therefore, we leave Principled BSDF without a glow, with simplified materials we set light in Eeevee, and before the final renders we will switch to Cycles for the correct display of all our materials and light. We go to the Render Properties tab and select Cycles.
Here we assign a device: CPU or GPU. The characteristics of my iron allow you to renders in CPU, which is somewhat slower, but provides more stable operation.
In the same tab, set up the number of samples, which can be installed separately for the final render and for the voucher.
Another important point is collection. For the convenience of organizing the scene, we create a separate collection that will consist of the camera and the light sources selected for a specific angle. This will allow you to quickly switch between the frames and not waste time to remember which setup of light sources for which frame is responsible.

How to do this: in the Scenes Collection panel, click New Collection. Now, if you press the “folder” icon before the name, all newly created objects will automatically fit into the selected collection.
The collections are also convenient in that we can turn off the display of the whole setup in a clock or on the renderes (the eye “and” camera “, respectively).
Tip: If you want to make a “foresee” of lighting, it is best to set sources with neutrally gray objects. This will avoid situations when the picture is overweight or on the contrary is not sufficiently illuminated.
We go directly to work. At the very beginning, we have an object to which you can create a plane with the help of a familiar hotkei “Shifta”.
Blender 2.76 Lesson “Acquaintance with the camera
We draw your attention to the fact that in accordance with Federal Law No. 273-ФЗ “On Education in the Russian Federation” in organizations engaged in educational activities, the training and education of students with disabilities both together with other students and in certain classes or groups is organized.
“Hassp is the whole truth. How not to poison a schoolboy at breakfast or lunch?””
Certificate and discount on training to each participant
Blender 2.76 acquaintance with the camera
In this lesson, we will find out what the camera is, what it is for and how to visualize our 3D models.
After launch Blender 2.76 The following window will appear on the screen:
In order for the screensaver to disappear, you need to press ESC. The following window appears on the screen:
We are already familiar with the object of cube. We will determine why the camera and light are needed.
When modeling, we see the working area of the scene, and to see objects as in the real world, we must look at them through the camera. Rendering (visualization). Obtaining an image based on models and specified parameters of various objects on stage, taking into account physical laws. For example, in a scene without light, we get a black image, no matter how many objects on it were. The camera is the eyes of our scene. Thanks to the light we see. At night the human eye does not perceive anything. The camera behaves in the same way. The volume of objects is perceived only thanks to light and shadow. And the shadow, in turn, these are those places in which less light falls.
But what about color? When the light enters the object, part of the world is absorbed by the object, and the rest is reflected. The reflected light of the eye is perceived as a color. Therefore, for the camera, as for our eyes, light is needed.
Let’s take a look at what the camera looks at: click the number 0 on the digital keyboard (repeated by pressing, we go out of viewing the camera). Please note that the camera should be highlighted (illuminated by orange stroke).
We can configure the position of the camera. Click on the keyboard G (Russian P) and move the mouse. When clicking LKM (left mouse button). Fix the selected angle. PKM. We cancel the change in the angle. Bring closer and move. Hold G, CCM (central mouse key) and move the mouse.
The key r (Russian K). Rotation of the camera (and we also fix LKM, PKM. We cancel rotation).
With double pressing r. Rotation of the camera.
There is a lighter way to install the camera: we open the properties panel and put a box opposite “tie the camera to species”. After installing the camera, the box can be removed.
The camera was installed. Run visualization (rendering): F12.
We see an object and our own shadow. Now let’s add the plane on which the cube will stand, paint it and see how it will look like.
With visualization, we can see our own shadow, the falling shadow and the color of the cube actually.
Click F 12:
Blender Camera Constraints
Inte Wee.
- Header (header).
- Tools setting settings.
- 3D-VUPORT (3D-VEPPORT).
- Outliner structure.
- Properties.
- Timeline.
- Status bar (Status bar).
Header menu.
Logo Blender:
Splash Screen. Opens the initial screensaver.Support Blender. Blender material support sites.Blender Development Fund. Blender developer support Fund. On the site you can see the main partners of Blender.Blender Store. Blender store where you can purchase various merchants.ABOUT. Sites that are directly related to Blender.Install Application Template. Installation of the project template. This template will be loaded with each launch of the program.
New. Open a new file from templates.Open. Open the user project.Open Recent. Opens recent files.Revert. Re.Open the current saved file.Recover: Recover Last Session. Opens the last project, which was automatically saved.Recover Auto Save. Open a file browser where you can select an automatically saved file.Save. Save file.Save as. Save the current file under a different name and to another place.Save Copy. Save a copy of the current file. Link. Connects the data of the project with another Blend file. Data change is possible only in the original file. For example, if you bathe the object, then it cannot be edited in the current project.Append. Fully copies data to the project. Data will be independent and it can be changed. For example, the object can be edited, and it is in no way connected with the original file. Data Previews. Preliminary viewing of data.Import. Import the object into the stage.Export. Export the object to other programs.External Data: Automatically Pack Into.Blend. Automatically pack external files, each saving in the current Blend file.Pack All Into.Blend. Pull all data on the Blend file.Unpack into Files. Unpack all the packed data to the indicated place.Make All Paths Relative. Make all ways to external files relative.Make All Paths Absolute. Make all ways to external files absolute.Report Missing Files. Report about missing files. Serves to check. If any external file is not found, then the program will inform you of this.Find Missing Files. Find missing files. Here you can specify the path to files that the program cannot find. It is useful if you opened the old project, but the textures used, the HDR cards have been transferred to another place and you need to indicate the path to them.Defaults. Default value. In this menu, you can set the starting file or return the default settings.Save Startup File. Saves this Blend file as a starting. It will be loaded when starting the program.Load Factory Settings. Drops all user settings and returns the default settings. QUIT. Closes the program and saves under the name QUIT.Blend. This file is saved in C: \ Users \ User Name \ Appdata \ Local \ TEMP \.
Undo. The abolition of the latest action.Redo. Repetition of the latest action.Undo History. Shows the history of actions to which you can roll back. If it rolls out for a couple of actions, then when you make new changes, the history of the changes is being covered before this action.Repeat Last. Repeat the last action.Repeat History. Shows a list of repeated actions. Works on the principle of “undo high.Adjust Last Operation. Show the parameters of the latest action. For example, after moving the object, choosing this parameter, you can more accurately configure the placement of the object. This option always appears in the lower left corner.Operator Search. Search for functions, modifiers and operations. Rename Active item. Renaming an active object.Batch Rename. Package renaming (adding or replacing names) several objects. Lock Object Modes. Blocking object modes.Preferences. Setting the elements of the program.
Render:
Render Image. Visualization of the active scene in the current frame.
Render Animation. Visualization of the active scene.
Render Audio. Converting the sound file of the scene into the sound file.
View Render. View visualization.
View Animation. View animation.
Lock Interface. Blocking the integration during the render to save memory.
Window:
New Window. Create a new window by copying the current window.
New Main Window. Create a new window with your own working space and the choice of scene.
Toggle Window Fullscreen. Expand the program for the full screen.
NEXT WORKSPACE. Switch to the next work area.
Previous Workspace. Switch to the previous working area.
Show Status bar. Show the status of bar.

Save Screenshot. Save a picture of the active area of the entire Blender window.
Toggle System Console. Show/hide the system console.
Manual. Blender documentation.
Tutorials. Site with lessons.
How to Move the Camera in Blender: The Basics
Use Hotkeys to Move the Camera in Blender
The First and Easiest Way of Moving a Camera in Blender is using the trieded Method of Using the Hotkeys G (Grab/Translate) and R (Rotate) After Selecting the Camera.
Pressing “X”, “Y” or “Z” AFTER Initiating A “Grab” or “Rotate” Locks The Movement to the Respective Axes. (E.G. Press G Th X or Press R Ten Z etc.)
Pressing “Shift”. “X” Locks the Movement to the “Y” and “Z” PLANE, and It Works The Same Way for All the Other Axes.
Use the gizmo to move the camera
While Blender is Known for Its HotKey-Everything Approach, The Gizmo Can Be Activated to Allow Feedback While Moving the Camera. To Activate the Gizmo, Navigate to the Top Right of You Scene Region, Click on the Show Gizmo Drop-Down Menu, and Tick the “Move” “SCALE” and “Scale” OPTIONS UNEMOMO.
Manual Numerical Camera Control
To get more Granular Control Over the Camera Movement, The Transform Tab Can be Used. Accessing the Transform Tab is Done by Pressing “N” to Open The Context Bar, and Selecting the “Item” Tab on the Right. The Transform Tab Canso BE Accessed from the Object Properties Tab. Clicking and Draging the Mouse Over The Transformation Values Changes Them, and Values Canoally.
Change World Space VS. Local Space for Logical Camera Movement
The Concepts of “Spaces” and “Space Switching” are key to unlocking The Full Potential of Object Movement and Transformations. By Default, All Transforms We Just Just Done Are in “World Space”, Meaning that a Z Translation of 8 Moves IT Up Vertically by 8 Meters in the World, No Matter Its Initial DirectIl Directel Direct Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Direal Dire.
Switching the Space to “Local” Via The Transformation Orientation Drop-Down At the Center Top of the Viewport Allows to Move According to Its Own Axes. Practically, with the “Local” Space Enabled, Moving the Camera on the “Z” Axis Moves it Forward to the Direction Its “Looking At”.
Switching to “Local Space” can be sver in many situations, Including One The Camera Already Has Complex Transforms in Place and a Simple Movement is Neededed Ax.
This, of Course, Works for Any Kind of Object, Not Just the Camera.
How Do We Control The Camera Object?
To align the viewPort with The Camera, Hit Number Pad 0. Now we can go into the N-Panel and Find the View Section Again. This Time Look for the Subsection “View Lock” and Find A Checkbox Called “Lock Camera To View”. This Willow Us to Navigate the Viewport Like We Did Before, and The Camera Willow Follow. This is the Easiest Way to Align and Adjust the Camera for a Still Image.
When The Camera is in Position, Don’t Forget to Uncheck “Lock Camera to View” Before You Continue to Navigate and Ruin The Camera Position You Justment Made.
These Camera Movements Live Outside History, Meaning We Can’s Ctrlz To Undo Them. Keep this in Mind So You Don’t Accidently Ruin The Perfect Camera Position.
We can also do the Opposite, Namely Pick A View, and the Move the Camera. When We have Position OUR Viewport, We Can Use CtrLaltnumpad 0 To Move the Camera to the Current View. The We Can Fine Tune the Position from There.
IF YOU HAVE CAMERA Selected, YOU CAN PRESS G To Move IT While Viewing from the Camera at the Same Time.
Press G To Pan The Camera and R for Rotation. To Constrain the Movement to a Single Axis, Follow up with X, Y or Z. To move the camera forward and backwards for Instance, Press “G” and then “Z” and Move the Mouse.
How to add an object in a blender?
Blender is defeated by ten MesH objects, which can be added through the 3D Viewport editor header menu. The same menu is caused by a combination of shift ke keys. Although the plane (Plane), the circle (Circle) and the grid (Grid) are two.Dimensional, in the edit mode they can be made three.Dimensional.
By default, Blender has already added one camera to the stage: you just have to press the F12 key. And you will see a render made through it. To return to the scene, click Escape. The camera can be moved and rotated, like any other object.
Adding interference to the scene where there are already others
Surely you say. “it’s very simple! You need to go to the Add menu and select the desired form from Mesh “.
Here I would like to draw your attention to one very important thing. If you add a bag in object mode, a new object separate from all the others will be created. If you add a mix in editing mode, it will become part of the object in the edit mode of which you are. In the example below the cube was created in the editing mode of the UV sphere:
- Both bags will have a common center.
- You cannot move these bags separately in the object mode (when the cube is allocated, the sphere will be automatically released, as vice versa):
- All the properties of one interference apply to another. Actually, strictly speaking, nothing is distributed. I repeat once again: both bags are a single object.
Surely you would like to make both bags independent objects. Let’s divide them. The most convenient way to do this is to go into editing and highlight at least one vertex of the bag. Execute the MESH / VertICES / SEPARATE command or use the hot button “P”. Blender will ask you to indicate the criteria for separating the object.
In this case, we choose “by loose parts”, which will lead to the separation of all unrelated parts.
The reverse operation of the association is made from the object mode. Select objects that you want to combine and give the command Object / Join or click the “Ctrl J” button.
Tutorial: WORKING Clock. Blender
The logic of the program.
There are many settings in Blender. You can turn on and off the buttons, move and delete objects and then save it as a starting file: File. Defaults. Save Startup File. It will open at each start of the program. Load Factory Settings. Will return the initial settings of the program, but for the conservation it will also need to be saved as a starting file. Blender is automatically saves the program settings.

All program settings are stored on the way C: \ Users \ User Name \ Appdata \ Roaming \ Blender Foundation \ Blender \ 2.90 \
Bookmarks.TXT. User tabs.
Platform_support.TXT. Information about supporting devices.
Recent-Files.TXT. List of recent files that can be opened in the program (File. Open Recent).
Startup.Blend. Starting file.
Userpref.Blend. Preferences settings).
Studio. Studio Light (Studiolight)
Keyconfig. Hotkeev user file.
Interface_theme. User themes of the integse.
Addons: User addons.
How to set light
Now let’s talk about the principles in accordance with which the light is set. And here the determination of the task plays a large role: whether the model should reflect our skill as much as possible, or if we have the goal of set the scene so that the mood is clearly read.
Depending on this, we highlight the conditional 2 types:
“Nedural” or sculptural presentation. When we need to show well.Read forms and details.
In this case, we take as the main source of area, set the SIZE value “5M”. We get an effect similar to lighting in cloudy weather: uniform lighting, soft shadows, a smooth transition from light into a shadow.
Important: the larger the angle between the direction of the “gaze” of the camera and the direction of light, the better the details are read. Otherwise, they are “eaten”, and we get the effect of a “frontal outbreak”.
In addition to the main source of soft light, you can also use additional, which will be located behind the object or outside the frame, highlighting the shadow itself. Thus, it is possible to emphasize the details and set the “studio” light.
I prefer to use a minimum of sources, but if you wish, you can add a third. A matter of taste. The main thing is not to overdo it and avoid the litter of the model from all sides, otherwise we will lose the feeling of the volume of the model.
Tip: Do not forget about the light that reflects the “floor”. Sometimes just change its tone to add or remove reflexes.
This is what the finished Turntable with a sculptural presentation looks:
The “dramatic” presentation is the opposite of the sculptural and suggests that we are ready to sacrifice some level of detail in order to achieve the emotional effect.
The greater the contrast between light and shadow, the greater the “drama” has a frame.
You can achieve the maximum effect by placing the light source behind the object opposite the direction of the camera‘s gaze.
Below is a visual example. I examined these setups in the process of work.
Ultimately, I wanted to achieve a sensation of random photography, so I gave a model in the “drama”: tough shadows, the source of light is not much to the left of the camera in order to partly maintain details and at the same time create the effect of the outbreak of the chamber. General mood of the frame: anxiety from meeting with a monster in the dark, a feeling of unknown and tension.
This is how our frame looks after the render and processing. We’ll talk about them next time.
If you want to learn how to create stylized 3D characters-write down on the Styl course. Start October 1. If you sign up now, you will have time to get a discount.