Transcript:
Hi, my name is. Henry, a glove. And I’m going to demonstrate how to render a background image in blender and also how to create and apply a shadow catching object, so these techniques can be combined to superimpose a 3d model over the top of a flat image background. I have a step-by-step for this demonstration on my website and I’m going to include a link in the Youtube description to the background image, which I’ve used. So just in case you want to, you can follow along with the same background image. So the first thing I’m going to do is select the camera and then select the camera properties and tick the box here for background images open up the little drop down and click the button for add image then. I’m going to click open. I’m going to find the image, select it and click open image. Now, if I view through the camera, I can see my background image. I’m going to turn the Alpha up and for the frame method. I’m going to select crop. You can select one of the other methods. If you want to, you just want to be mindful of which method you pick because we will be referring to it a bit later in the tutorial. So if I was to render the image right now, the background image would still not show up. One step that you have to do is in the render settings under film. You have to tick the box for transparent, But that is still not enough and I’m going going to click on the tab for compositing. Tick the little check box here for use nodes. I’m going to use the mouse to sort of scroll those nodes a little bit, so I can see them a bit better. I’m on a Mac, so I’m just scrolling on the mouse and I’m going to hold down the ctrl key on the keyboard and zoom out a little bit, and then I’m just going to click off the nose to deselect them. Then I’m going to click on the render layers node and just drag it to create a bit of space there, so I’m going to click. Add you can also do control a, but I’m just clicking the menu AD and then color alpha over. I’m going to add that note there. I’m just going to reconnect the image connection to the bottom in the slot there, and I’m just going to click add input image Pop that up there. Connect that node like that and then here in this little drop down. I’m going to click and select the background image and one more. I’m going to click, add distort scale pop that node in there and here where it says relative. I’m going to click on the little drop down here and select render size and select crop. So this is where I want to use the same method as I selected for the camera. So now I’m just going to click on that tab to go back to the layout view, and I’m going to click render image and my render has the background image in it, which is great, so that completes the first part of this demonstration. I’m just going to close that render. I’m going to press N on the keyboard to open up the properties here, and I’m going to with the camera Selected, making sure that the camera is still selected and under view, I’m going to tick the little checkbox for lock camera to view, and so what this means is now I can move my 3d view around without affecting the background image. I’m just going to click on the default cube and press X on the keyboard to delete it and then I’m going to add a mesh plane object and pop that in there so with my arm plane object selected, I’m going to click on the item and I’m going to move it into a better position and I’m also going to press S on the keyboard and just just move the mouse to scale up that plane so in this demonstration. I’m not going to do everything super perfectly. I’m just going to try and do it as quickly as I can now. I’m also going to click add mesh monkey, and I’m going to rotate it a little bit and move it a little bit and what I’m trying to do Here is position it over my playing object, and I think what I’m going to do is scale it a little bit, maybe smaller, something like that. If I had more time, I would try and position it so that it was really, you know, looking like it was sitting exactly on that plane, so what I’m going to do now is I’m going to click the plane object to select it and I’m for the render engine. I’m going to switch it to cycles and I’m going to go into the plane properties and under visibility. Tick the little box for shadow catcher. So now if I was to click on the shaded viewport, I can see the shadow that the object would cast, and I’m just so I’m just going to scale up press S on the keyboard again to scale up that object and just the plane object and just move it a little bit, and I might also position reposition my monkey too so that it’s off the shadows, not going up the wall over there, so I’m not going to worry too much about fine-tuning the position right now, and obviously you would want to line up your lights with the lights that are in the scene and things like that. Altus, to a render. So what should happen is it will render the 3d objects and the shadow it is on the shadow catcher, and once it’s finished, rendering the 3d object, it will composite the background image behind the 3d object. I’ll just give that a moment to complete, and there we go, so that’s pretty much it like in the image that I showed at the start. I did a few more bits and pieces to the the model like I applied the you know. I said it to shade smooth, and I I also applied a modifier to it to. You know, I did a subdivision surface to smooth it out even more and other things that you can do is you can look at the texture. That’s on it as well and see what you want to do with that, but I’m I’ll just leave it there for now. Just in case you’re interested, you might want to go and check out some of the other bits and pieces on my website. I have a lot of projects on there. I have, you know some interactive coding sort of stuff that I’ve been working on some digital art and websites and something.